Canyon Ministries
[Originally published as The Baton is in Your Hand]
What will we — what will I — give to the next generation?
We (the Alberts) love track. Miranda, Monte, and Melodie have been participating in track meets for 8 years. As a result, Kathleen and I have spent countless hours watching and enjoying the athletes compete. Some of the most thrilling events are the relays. Specifically, we really get excited about the 4X1 relay.
This event has 4 athletes sprinting 100 meters each and handing a baton from one to the other along the way. Of course, being fast is critical to success. However, the winner is usually determined by the efficiency of the handoff of the baton.
There are certain guidelines pertaining to the handoff that must be followed precisely or the entire team can be disqualified. A smooth handoff sets up the next runner for success. Likewise, a crazy fast sprint can be completely compromised by a poor handoff. The bottom line is that the team MUST get the handoff right.
The same is true in the transition from one generation to the next.
Will we set up the next generation for success by providing a well-performed handoff? Will we force them to overcome our lack of effort and attention to the details of the transfer from us to them? Judges 2:7–11 highlights this significance.
And the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great work that the Lord had done for Israel. And Joshua the son of Nun, died at the age of 110 years… And there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel. And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals.
We are not provided the information needed to determine what exactly went wrong. We simply see that the handoff didn’t go well. The result was a generation unaware of the work of God. The consequences were evil actions and submission to other gods. I do not want this to be the story of my life.
This drives my mind and heart to some serious questions.
- Have I helped my children “see” the sovereignty and work of God?
- Have I lived and spoken in a manner that affirms the character of God?
- Have I lived and spoken in a manner that affirms the word of God?
- Have I demonstrated and instructed a dependence upon God and His word?
- Have I loved Kathleen as Christ loved the church?
- Have I lived in joy and thanksgiving?
There are five crucial convictions we desire our children to have before they leave our house and establish their own homes.
- Life is not easy, but God can ALWAYS be trusted.
- Love people, but put your trust in God.
- God’s word is entirely trustable and is the foundation for all understanding and wisdom.
- The kingdom of God and the body of Christ get our best, not our leftovers.
- Marriage and family are direct reflections of the heart of God and are first and foremost kingdom endeavors.
This is exactly what Canyon Ministries is dedicated to and why we are so excited to serve the kingdom in this way. Every time we help people engage the evidence provided by Grand Canyon we are working on a smooth handoff from one generation to the next.
You see the work of God and are equipped to communicate it to as many as God brings. You see that God’s word is entirely trustable from the very beginning. We are dedicated to exhorting this generation to be intentional in passing the baton with efficiency, thereby setting the next generation up for successful submission to the sovereignty of God.
2 Timothy 1:3-7 provides an example of a successful handoff.
I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
The baton is in your hand…but not for long. Whew! What a race.!
Praiseallujiah!
Jon
