Generational Investment
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In the future your children will ask you, “What is the meaning of these laws, decrees, and regulations that the Lord our God has commanded us to obey?” (v.20).
Standing quietly in the back, I am moved by the sight. Arms reach upward, voices carry throughout the room, and a tireless energy reverberates to the sound of the drum. Passionate and full of promise, they are far more than a group of teenagers. They are sons and daughters of God—the generation now, not next.
While I have heard others say they could never do what my husband and I do in serving as youth pastors, I see our role as a great privilege. Many times over, I have been deeply grateful for those on our team who have joined us in this high calling to high-schoolers.
Calling His people out of captivity, God was specific in telling them that freedom would require sacrifice—His by grace and theirs by holiness. Laying down their chains, however, was a small price to pay for the abundance they would discover in His promised land. In His admonition to them regarding the boundaries within which they would find His blessing, He gave clear instructions: Raise up the next generation, lest the land be lost.
Looking at this passage, we see that the heart of teaching comes in living life together—talking of His truths along the way (Deuteronomy 11:18). Taking on a volunteer position in the church is important and helpful, but the real investment comes in relationship.
In the body of Christ, ministry to younger generations is not the responsibility of a select group with a particular gifting. When we all fail to impart to them the truth of God’s Word, we risk missing His heart and diminishing our inheritance. If we’re believers in the One who made time for children (Luke 18:16), then the church shouldn’t struggle to find mature believers willing to do the same today. The call—and the responsibility—is for all.
—Regina Franklin
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Read Isaiah 59:21 and Psalms 78:5 to see God’s heart for generational investment in His kingdom.
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How are you involved in the children’s or youth ministry of your local church? Considering your strengths, what are some practical ways you can invest in the younger generation?
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