Each generation that is birthed has a tremendous responsibility to tell subsequent generations about the Exalted, Majestic Lord, who loves us beyond comprehension and who showers us with blessings beyond measure. As God brings each generation into the world, so too He calls them to be the agent of revelation to "speak of the glorious splendor of (His) majesty . . . (and) tell of the power of (His) awesome works" (Psalm 145:4-6). Since our foundational purpose in life (and the reason for being created in the first place) is to glorify God, we would do well to exalt the Sovereign Lord who is worthy of our worship. And of course this "worship" is more than sharing mere perfunctory words of "religiosity"; it encompasses a lifestyle wholly surrendered to the One True God.
As I have now had the opportunity to observe people and their "spirituality" for over 40 years, I have come to realize that many people summon God for His blessings (and sometimes His deliverance from bad situations), but they don't seem to be interested in fostering a rich, fulfilling, intimate relationship with Him . . . . and this indifference is affecting the next generation. People seem to be going through the motions of corporate worship on Sundays, yet they appear to be completely disinterested in the purpose of being there in the first place (to glorify God). Not only do they have no committed relationship with God throughout the week (except the occasional token "blessing" prayer before the evening meal), they also see Sunday worship as an obligation to satisfy the Lord, family, and/or conscience. They may be singing songs like, "All to Jesus I Surrender" during the worship service, but their minds are thinking about lunch, or a Monday business meeting, or the televised football game that afternoon. They would tell you that they are religious, but they have compartmentalized God into a very small part of their total life experience. They will call upon God only when a crisis necessitates His intervention. There is no excitement . . . no passion . . . no confidence . . . no genuine, heartfelt love and adoration for the Lord. Every act of worship seems to be more about the show than the substance.
Tragically, the next generation sees the duplicity of such shallowness in one's commitment to the Lord, and determine that they want nothing of it. To be sure, this next generation desires spiritual things, because God has placed such things in the hearts of all men (Ecclesiastes 3:11). Still, they don't want their parent's religion, because they see that it is a lot of formality without significance. They do not observe the powerful transformation that the Lord brings to those who passionately seek Him; instead, they see stale, repetitive, religious practices that are spiritual space fillers in one's life. I believe that this is a reason why only 4% of the millennial generation (late teens-early twenties) has any genuine commitment to Christ. They want spiritual substance, but they see that their parent's worship is most assuredly not that!
We need to re-examine ourselves to see if we are pursuing the Lord genuinely and passionately. Are we desirous of a love relationship with Him? Do we feast upon His continuous presence in our lives, and do we earnestly desire to obey His will? Are we more than "compartmentalized Christians" in that we savor God's involvement in every part of our lives as our Lord and Savior? If we have this disposition of heartfelt devotion for the Lord, then the next generation will take note. And they will be more inclined to seek the Lord, for they will see in us that He (God) transforms lives, bringing forth purpose, completion, satisfaction, and fulfillment. Our best testimony to the next generation will be with our lives of genuine surrender to the Lord.
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