Begin..

 Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord. (Joshua 24:15)

“If you didn’t grow up in a Christian home, you can decide to reject your heritage of unbelief and begin a generation that serves the Lord.” – Experienceing God Day by Day

Those words grabbed my attention today in a mighty way. I’ve been listening to the 50 Days of Prayer with the Billy Graham Association, which is leading up to the 250th celebration of this country’s independence. There is a prayer given each day by a different pastor from each of the 50 states, and it’s done in alphabetical order. It’s been incredible to hear from believers all across this great nation, especially as they pray for repentance and revival.

There have been several prayers concerning the young people of this country, and at times I have thought, “What about reviving the older generation and calling them into action? Or, for them to believe for the first time. But when I read those words, I had such a feeling of purpose. Begin a generation that serves the Lord!

Today’s passage was in the book of Joshua and told about how he had dealt with an unbelieving people for 40 years! They didn’t change, and because they didn’t, they weren’t allowed into the Promise Land. In this passage, he gave the call to “choose whom you will serve” to the new generation, who chose to follow God, and then conquered their enemies and inherited the Promised Land.

I will never stop praying for my family to choose to follow Christ, but I see that my focus needs to be on the young people, chosen by God to be alive now, amidst all the chaos in the world. They are valiant souls created for such a time as this. We have the privilege of sharing Christ with them and using our influence to direct them into choosing to have their own relationships with Him. This is not only a privilege, but a calling and responsibility from God.

We can choose to reject the heritage of unbelief and disobedience that has plagued this nation for over 40 years, and begin today to turn from those sinful ways and choose to serve and obey God. I think this is a case where I hope that history repeats itself, and this new generation will lead the way to victory and living in the promises of God.