Dear TB Family,
It has been a rather quiet week! On Tuesday, we welcomed the missions team back from Surabaya and on Thursday, a smaller team than usual went about the door-to-door ministry.
For me, the highlight of the week was undoubtedly leading worship with the youth! Because Ps Ben and Andrea are travelling at the moment, there came an opportunity for the youth to step up to serve God with their musical talents. In particular, we cheered on LX, who played keys for worship for the first time and did an amazing job! Woohoo!
While praying about what to write for this week's journal entry, God impressed on my heart the title: the God of Generations.
When we read the stories of Isaac and Jacob, we read these two characters with their family history in mind. This week, we read from Genesis 25 - 28. One of the things RT1 discussed was the inevitability of repeating certain learned behaviours (often negative) from our parents. In Genesis 26, Isaac calls Rebekah his sister, out of self-preservation. If the Philistines found out that this beautiful woman was his wife, he would be killed so that they could marry her! Or so he thought. Doesn't that sound familiar? Yes, you've read this before -- in Genesis 12 AND 20, Isaac's father Abraham did the exact same thing! Twice! Surely God could have chosen a more morally upright family? Ah, but thank God He didn't. Our weaknesses certainly do not disqualify us from being chosen for His service.
While our earthly parents may not be perfect, our Heavenly Father certainly is. God holds true to His promise to Abraham, and continues to work through His chosen family, til the end of Genesis and beyond. God who has been so faithful to us, is committed to raising up the next generation. Take a look at the photo above. It makes me think of a line from the song Hosanna: I see a generation rising up to take their place! I see a generation whose journeys with God have only just begun. Sometimes we worry about where their faith journeys will take them. But God, ever the patient Father, watches over them. He is in no rush. If we trust in Him, and live out our own callings with integrity, every Yes we say to God is a legacy we leave behind for our children. May our faith inspire theirs. One day, they will step into the fullness of their own destinies -- like Jacob in Genesis 28, may they say, 'the Lord will be my God.' May their faith surpass our own. Amen.
Signing off,
Lycia
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