GENERATIONAL DECISIONS

Several weeks ago I wrote a blog titled, “Wrong Decisions” and I am motivated to continue in that vein in this week’s blogs due to calls I have received on this week concerning events that are taking place in the homes of many believers.

Most of us have heard adults talk about how their lives were affected due to the things they experienced at the hands of their parents while they were children and some of us have our own experiences that we could share. The outcome of some of these experiences has been good, while others have been disastrous. This occurrence is not new for if you read the scriptures, you will find many examples of both of these.

If you have not recognized these kinds of events in the bible let me share from the Word, some positive and negative examples of how the decisions of people affected their lineage:

1. Adam and Eve failure to follow God’s instruction caused sin to enter into the world, and we the descendants of Adam and Eve are still experiencing the repercussions of their actions (Genesis 3).
2. Abram heeded the voice of his wife Sarai and had sex with Hagar her handmaiden produced a son whose seed remains in contention to this day with the seed of their legal son (Genesis 16).
3. Achan’s act of thievery caused him and his whole household to be stoned (Joshua 7:20-26).
4. David act of adultery with Bathsheba and murder of her husband Uriah resulted in rebellion against him by his sons (2 Samuel 12:7-12).
5. Solomon’s act of idolatry caused the kingdom of Israel to be divided when his son Rehoboam became king (1 Kings 11:1-13).
6. Gehazi and his seed were cursed with leprosy because of his duplicitous actions with Naaman and Elisha.
7. Queen Esther revealed her heritage and the plot of Haman to King Ahasuerus, which ultimately saved her family and the Jewish nation.
8. Cornelius invited Peter to his house to share the gospel and in so doing Cornelius’s kinsmen and near friends received salvation (Acts 11).

As I read these stories, the phases, “It’s not about you,” and “Think generationally” came to my mind. I have often said to individuals who made some critical mistakes, “If your decision only affected you it would be o.k.; however, your decision has spilled over into the lives of other individuals, and now they are wounded and suffering. Also, in the midst of our personal crisis, pain, and storms, we make hasty irrational mistakes without taking into consideration the consequences of our decisions. On today I caution you to pray and get direction from God and don’t move quickly.

So, the main point of this blog is to encourage you to think beyond yourself, and to think about how you are affecting the lives of others. I’ll close with this question and advice. Will, your family, be happy about knowing you and having a relationship with you, or will they regret your involvement in their lives? Think generationally.