Commitment, Complacency, or Compromise?
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments...are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them." Deuteronomy 6:5-7 (NIV)
Author/Pastor Tim Keller recently posted an article on The Gospel Coalition's website entitled, "Three Ways to Pass on Truth to the Next Generation." I was particularly interested in Keller's thoughts because I'm preparing to lead a women's retreat entitled Paul's Last Lecture. We'll be studying 2 Timothy, the Apostle Paul's last recorded letter, written in prison just before his execution. Instead of focusing on his circumstances, Paul focuses instead on the Gospel. Paul intentionally and relationally passes the Gospel baton on to Timothy as he charges Timothy to guard, suffer, continue in, and preach the gospel. We know that Paul's charge to Timothy was successful because Timothy-despite being young, sick, and fearful- didn't drop the baton. He followed Paul's example with a fixed focus, a firm stand, and a faithful finish.
But how do we do what the Apostle Paul did?
Tim Keller writes, "It is impossible to lay blame neatly when one generation fails to pass its faith on to the next one. Did the first generation fail to reach out or did the second generation just harden their hearts? The answer is usually both. Mistakes made by one Christian generation are often magnified in the next, nominal one. Commitment is replaced by complacency- and then by compromise." (emphasis mine)
From Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and 6:20-25, Keller lists three essentials that are required in order to successfully pass on our faith:
Love God passionately
Impress truths practically
Give testimony personally
Keller concludes his thoughts, "In summary, we must be consistent in our behavior, wise about reality, and warmly personal in our faith."
Commitment, complacent, or compromised. Which one are we? Before answering that question, it may be helpful to answer these questions:
How do I want to be remembered?
What do I want remembered? By whom?
What am I doing today to make that happen?
May all of us, by God's grace, love God passionately, teach and train practically, and give testimony personally and faithfully one generation to the next, all for God's glory.
Amen and Amen,