If You Want It Done Right, .....

Graduation season is upon us and once again, we send forth our educated students into the world to continue the task of being a light to the nations and of successfully fulfilling their calling in life.  There is an underlying assumption that they are prepared and will do a good job.  However, there also is a well-known saying that "If you want something done right, ....."  Do it yourself, right?  

Jesus disagrees!   

In Luke 6:40, Jesus stated "Everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher.  His demonstrated answer to the question, "If you want something done right," is to teach them and equip them.  He taught them, equipped them, let them "try" doing it, and gave the assignment and encouragement to continue the work. 

Let's consider Jesus' example.  He chose the twelve, taught them truth, let them observe His behavior, allowed them to witness His miracles, and them sent them out in power to do the works.  After He blessed them and ascended into heaven, He enabled them with Someone to remind them of what He taught, to guide them into all truth, and to fulfill the enabling promise of having  "the exceeding greatness of His power." (Ephesians 1:19).  At the conclusion of it all He will extend the most powerful words of accomplishment, "Well done, good and faithful servant."

All creation shows God's handiwork and there are patterns in nature which demonstrate the amazing truth of the next generation continuing what the first started.  One of these is the migration of the Monarch butterfly. Each September some 500,000 monarch butterflies migrate from southern Canada to wintering sites in central Mexico arriving in November.  However, what makes this a spectacular natural phenomenon is that no individual lives long enough to complete the trip.  Female monarchs lay eggs for a subsequent generation during the southward migration, which as the next generation come forth, they continue the mission.  This process involves four generations to complete the annual cycle. 

Clearly the mission of completing the work of Jesus and bringing the Good News of salvation in Jesus to "every creature" requires each generation to impart the message and equip the next to do the task.  Therefore, the most important work of this generation is to prepare the next generation with the Christian foundation of Jesus and His Word to "go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you." (Matthew 28:19-20).

If the student will become like his teacher, it behooves the teacher to be like the Lord Jesus.  Paul says, "imitate me and I imitate Christ."  Jesus prayed in John 17, "I sanctify myself that they also may be sanctified by the truth."  One of David's requests of God was "Teach me thy ways."  The point is that we, this generation, must press in to know God and His ways, in order to effectively impart this life-giving pattern to the next generation. 

Of course, the ending of the great commission is that Jesus is with you always, until the end of the age.  Therefore, do not get weary in continuing yourself to grow into Him and in teaching young people to know the Lord and His ways.  The work will be done right, when we equip them and teach them to do it right. 

Amazing Pattern Found in God's Creation

There is a lasting thought in my mind since we graduated our seniors yesterday in an online zoom ceremony.  It was beautiful and the sharing of these young people being grateful for their parents and all who invested in their lives was touching.  Secondly, seeing the growth in character and their relationship with the Lord was inspiring.  
The reflection God gave me was from Psalm 19, which declares that all creation shows His handiwork.  So obviously there are patterns in nature that have lessons for us who seek to walk in God's ways.  For example, do you know that the Monarch butterfly migrates from Mexico all the way to Canada every Spring.  This 2000 mile distance is beyond the flying lifespan of the butterfly.  It takes 3 or 4 generations.  So the butterfly that starts the journey, lays eggs and dies.  Then the new larvae grow into butterflies and somehow God has put in them the direction and desire to complete the mission of migrating.  Then they fly as far as they can in their lifetime, lay eggs and die.  The new larvae grow into butterflies and continue the migration, until the mission is accomplished.  
It is not hard to see the parallel for God's mission of sending Jesus to die for all, rise from the dead, and establish the kingdom of God and His love on earth. He then entrusted the disciples to go as far as they could go, then entrust the message to the next generation.  Jesus prays in John 17:20 "not  for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word."   We blessed these young people with the commission of carrying on as the light of the world wherever God leads them, and continuing the faith and love shown by those who went before them representing the Lord Jesus.  
So my word is, continue to share and spread the love of Jesus, go as far as you can go, then entrust this great faith to the generation that will rise up to complete the task.  In the book of Hebrews, God points out that those before us will be united with us to reap the rewards of living for Him, and together we will make it! 
So hear the Word of the Lord, give all you have and go as far as you can go, trusting the Lord Jesus to raise up the next generation to carry on the task of building up His Kingdom on earth until it is complete.  Come Lord Jesus!