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Generational Dedication
2 Kings 11:17
"And Jehoiada made a covenant between the LORD and the king and the people, that they should be the LORD'S people; between the king also and the people."
An interesting phrase is made in the verse above when it says, "And Jehoiada of made a covenant between the LORD and the king and the people,..." This phrase is interesting because chose to serve God many times before. The first time Israel chose God was in Joshua's day. Joshua asked in Joshua 24, to choose whether they would serve the gods of the Amorites or Jehovah God. He made the statement, "...choose you this day whom ye will serve..." However, once again Israel chose God in this verse. We find in 2 Chronicles 15:8, that Asa chose God to be the One Whom they served. In the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, we find they chose God to be their God. Even in the book of Daniel, Nebuchadnezzar chose God to be the God of Babylon and made a law that anybody who served any other god would be put to death. Darius, the king, also made a decree that anyone who served any other god other than Daniel's God would be put to death. Several times in Israel's history they chose God to be their God.
Why is it that we find Israel chose God to be their God several times? The reason is because every generation must dedicate itself to serve the Lord. Every generation must decide if they will serve God. There were some generations in Israel's history that did not choose to serve God. Ahab was one of the kings who did evil in the sight of the Lord. He chose Baal over Jehovah God. Likewise, previous generations cannot choose God for you. Your parents may have chosen to serve God, but you must choose to serve God yourself. Just because previous generations made God the One Whom they served does not mean that He's the God whom we serve. Yet, if this generation wants God's blessing, then it must choose to make God the One Whom they will serve.
Every time a generation fails to dedicate themselves to God, we lose the lives of those who could pass God's truth to the next generation. This is why every generation must choose God. Every time we fail to choose God, then we fail to reach a generation for Christ. It is important that every generation makes a choice to serve God.
Moreover every generation must train the next generation to dedicate themselves to God. It is your responsibility to train your children to serve God. It is your responsibility to make sure that your children understand the importance of choosing God for their generation. It is your responsibility to make sure that your children understand that your choice to serve God is not good for them. Every generation must understand that they are the first generation for themselves to choose God. There is no second generation Christianity, there is only first generation Christianity. You must train the next generation to become the first ones of their generation to choose God. Every church must train the younger generation to choose God. Every nation must train the young generation to choose God. If we don't train the next generation to choose God, then that generation will stray from God and face His judgment.
Let me ask you, have you chosen God to be your God? Has there been a time in your life where you dedicated your life to God to make him your God for the rest of your life? Furthermore, not only must you make God the God whom you choose to serve, but you must choose Him to be your God on a daily basis. Be sure that every day when you wake up you make a dedicatory prayer to God to dedicate your life to serve Him for that day. That is the only way you will be successful in serving God on a daily basis. Then, be sure to train the generation that follows you the importance of choosing God to be their God.