photo by CarbonNYC
Math is not my strong suit, but I’m going to use it here to make a point. Go to Deuteronomy 5:8-9 and read the first part of the second commandment.
“You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me….”
God is pure holiness and righteousness and is forever consistent with His promises. He says that if we put our focus on anything but Him, He will punish our children, our grandchildren and at least our great grandchildren for our sin. That’s at least 100 years worth of liability that I’m not sure I want the burden of.
Continue reading through verse 10, though: “…but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.” Here’s where the math comes in. If every Christian family has two children, and those two children each have two children, and so on down the line for a thousand generations, how many people are we talking about here?
Somewhere in the recesses of my mind I know this is two to the thousandth power, or 2x2x2x2 a thousand times. I Googled that number and discovered that it equals 1.07150861 x 10 to the 301st power. Translation: move that decimal point to the right 301 times, and that’s how many people would be affected in a thousand generations.
If every Christian household would be obedient to God’s Word and teach their children about the Lord and His salvation, we could save the world. I don’t know of another mission field that could bring more honor and glory to God.
Are you with me?
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“You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me….”
God is pure holiness and righteousness and is forever consistent with His promises. He says that if we put our focus on anything but Him, He will punish our children, our grandchildren and at least our great grandchildren for our sin. That’s at least 100 years worth of liability that I’m not sure I want the burden of.
Continue reading through verse 10, though: “…but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.” Here’s where the math comes in. If every Christian family has two children, and those two children each have two children, and so on down the line for a thousand generations, how many people are we talking about here?
Somewhere in the recesses of my mind I know this is two to the thousandth power, or 2x2x2x2 a thousand times. I Googled that number and discovered that it equals 1.07150861 x 10 to the 301st power. Translation: move that decimal point to the right 301 times, and that’s how many people would be affected in a thousand generations.
If every Christian household would be obedient to God’s Word and teach their children about the Lord and His salvation, we could save the world. I don’t know of another mission field that could bring more honor and glory to God.
Are you with me?
Recommended Resources:
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4 comments:
WOW! What an IMPACT!! I love God's Word...how we can read it a hundred times, but on the 101st, He can show you something you never knew!
Gosh that sounds wonderful.
I really believe that the problems we face can be passed down from generation to generation and that is why it is so important to get your heart right with God.
I dont want my children suffering, I want them to know God and live a joyful life.
Funnily enough..I have found that I am repeating things my mother taught us when I was young such as praying for the person and their family when an ambulance drives past or playing worship music in the house. Im so glad my mother planted a seed in my heart that God waters every day and that will continue to grow in my children and their children and so on..
Anonymous,
Such a wonderful testimony of what passing the legacy down from one generation to the next can result in. Thanks for sharing your mother's witness to you and how you're striving to do the same thing with your children.
And, by the way, I pray when I hear sirens, too! :)
I'm with ya Deb!!
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