This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live, and that you may love the LORD your God. listen to His voice and hold fast to Him. For the LORD is your life...

Deuteronomy 30:19-20, NIV (1978)

 

One of the greatest blessings that God gives us is the opportunity to leave a better world behind for our children and grandchildren. It is a great privilege indeed, but one that comes with heavy responsibility. For, should we fail in this task, not only will we be called to account for this failure someday, but our children and their children will suffer for our oversight.

 

This is one of the reasons that I am so excited about the possibilities of our new leadership and our new direction. The old leadership was very much desirous of leaving behind a world filled with things that were harmful to our future generations. I'm not saying that they were intentionally trying to harm our children, but that is exactly what they were doing. It was a culmination of an outcome that has been years in the making. Shortly after WWII the supreme court began a series of rulings that removed God from our public schools. By doing so, they took one of the most effective areas of our society and crippled it. Teachers who wanted to make a difference were handicapped in that process, because God was no longer a factor in public education.

 

This was a disaster, because it left a void that had to be filled. Well-intentioned teachers now taught our children that they were here as a result of a random set of events, including a creation that did not include God. This great void had to be filled by something that was not God (He had been ruled unconstitutional by a group of foolish men who neither understood the Constitution nor God) and that void was filled with the only thing that it could be filled with: the devil.

 

Within a few short years magazines headlines were posing the question, "Is God Dead?" and a new way of life was being embraced. Drugs and guilt-free sex were introduced as the norm in our society, and it led to an obvious end. We now live in a world that is less wholesome, less safe, and far less kind. People have been intentionally divided by wicked leaders whose main goal is to gain wealth and power. We have opened our borders to criminals and jailed righteous people who would protest. But now, we have a new sheriff in town. I by no means think that he and his deputies are perfect, but they are a far cry from the demented despots that we have had in recent years.

 

But, as I like to say to my grandchildren, I digress. A change in leadership is but a small part of what we as Christians need to be doing, if we are to leave a better world behind for our posterity. Don't misunderstand, a change in leadership was needed, but it is only a beginning. If they are not held accountable, they will become worse than what we had - so let's call them to account. 

 

Having said that, this is still not the main thing. We are going to have to be a righteous people if we are to ever be pleasing to God. We are going to have to clean up anything that is sinful in our own lives. Do you "drink a little" in front of your kids? Don't be surprised if someday they drink a lot. Do you stay home from worship when the conditions are not perfect for you? Don't be surprised if your children don't go at all. Do you read the Bible every day, or do you look at it as a "luxury"? In other words, something that you indulge yourself in only when the real work is done. If God's word is not of primary importance to you, don't be surprised if it is not important at all to your children. Do you pray often, and is there variety and genuine thought in your prayers? If not, do not be surprised if your children don't pray at all.

 

I guess what I am trying to say is that leaving a better world behind means making yourself a better part of that world now. If we are not heaven-bound, then we are going to hell, so we must get serious. That means not only electing a leadership that will help change things to the way they ought to be, but it means your providing the Christian leadership in your own home to make sure that things are the way they need to be right now. 

 

This means a God first mentality!

 

It means that you and I get our lives right first, and that we then insist that our kids keep their lives right as well. It will mean praying regularly (and thoughtfully). It will mean daily Bible reading that is every bit as regular as your daily meals. It will mean worshipping with the church whenever you can because you know that it is a privilege, rather than an unpleasant and inconvenient interruption to your "real" life. It will mean talking to your children as they rise and as they go to bed. It will mean talking to them as you walk along the way about the things that are truly important.

 

And when you have grandchildren, it will mean the same thing!

 

Do you want to leave a better world for your children and grandchildren? Then make a better "you" right now. It won't be easy, but our kids are worth it. What's more, they deserve a better world than the one we are leaving them at the present. So, let's get to the work that lies before us and do just that. For, in the end, it is really not this temporary world that we really should be concerned about: It is heaven! And, again, our kids are worth it! You don't believe that? Then consider just how much God valued them. After all, He loved them and us so much that He gave us His only begotten Son. Since He was willing to pay that price for us, let's make sure that we are willing to pay the high price of leaving behind a better world for our children as well. While the price may be high, it is really a bargain in the end, when we truly consider what we are receiving in return. 

 

Let's begin, right now, to leave a better world for our children!

 

Let's get to the work!