DAY 16 / PASS IT DOWN

We recently moved through the Christmas season when many families pulled down boxes filled with ornaments from their attics to decorate their trees. Inside those boxes are often entire lifetimes. As the tree is trimmed, parents tell stories sparked by decades old ornaments, and one generation passes down memories, experiences, and in many ways their very lives to the next.

Scripture is filled with the call for God’s people to invest in those who come after them. Psalm 145:1-13 is one of many passages that makes this unmistakably clear. It declares, “One generation shall commend your works to another and shall declare your mighty acts.” At the center of the gospel is the pattern of receiving what God has freely given and then sharing it with others. Jesus, the Perfect One, takes His righteousness and gives it to us. In the same spirit, reaching the next generation means taking everything we have learned and experienced about God and entrusting it to those who will follow.

Take a moment and read through Psalm 145. In this passage we see a vivid picture of what we are called to pass on. We speak of God’s greatness, His splendor, His glory, His goodness, His mercy, His patience, His love, and His grace. These are the truths we impress on the next generation. We declare that the God who has been faithful to us will be faithful to them. They can trust Him. They can obey Him. They can follow Him. We help them see not only what He has done, but who He is, so that their faith may be rooted in the unchanging character of God.

PRAY

Ask God to open your eyes to the next generation He has placed around you. Pray through Psalm 145 and thank Him for each attribute described in the passage. As you reflect on His character, ask Him to make you someone who faithfully passes these truths on to others.