ONE THOUSAND GENERATIONS

Exo 20: 5-8; Ps 89; Col 3:3.

 

God's wrath on the wicked lasts for only 3 or 4 generations. The wicked man dies, and his influence vanishes like chaff in the wind.  Evil is inherently unstable. Sin carries its own built in seeds of destruction. Hitler thought to build a 1000 year empire. Where is Hitler now? Where is his empire?  Three generations later, his own nation hates even to hear his name mentioned.

 

Compare this with Abraham, who died almost 4000 years ago.  Abraham's faith continues to influence almost everyone on earth to this day - At least 12 million Jews, a billion Muslims, and more than 3million Christians speak of Father Abraham. How is that for durability?

 

God's wrath on the wicked lasts for 3 or 4 generations.  But God's faithful love extends to a 1000 generations.  Since Moses, some 150  generations have come and gone.  Do you realize that God's faithful love still has at least 850 generations yet to go? That's about 17 thousand more years! That's just here on this earth. And it gets better:

 

Moses did not say that God's love would end after 1000 years. That was just the biggest number he had to work with. God is eternal. God is love.  God's faithful love is never ending.

 

So what do you think?  Do you think the world is going to end in 2012 just because some ancient Mayan calendar ran out of room? Or that faith will perish from the earth because Egyptians are in turmoil. Or because Republicans and Democrats can't get it together in Congress? Will any of these things stop the advance of God's Kingdom, or separate us from the love of God. You know the answer.

 

So what happens to us?  Paul writes in Colossians:  "For you (have already) died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life shall appear, then you also will appear with him in glory." (Col. 3: 3)

 

I know that I will die.  I am old enough now so I can grasp this as reality. I count every day and every year a gift from God. For now, I love this life, and I love the people in my life, including you, so I am content to stick around until God looks at my body and says, "That's enough. Time to come home."

 

I know that my life is hidden with Christ in God.  Christ is my life; my life is in Christ. I do believe in resurrection life. I don't how it all works out, or what it will look like. But I know all that I need to know. 

 

How about you? Are you with me on this? Who do you think the future belongs to? The wicked, who are like the chaff that the wind blows away?  Or we who trust in the Lord? We both know the answer. and I know you believe this.  Let this faith be the light that guides through all the days the lie ahead, and fear not what tomorrow will bring. Let tomorrow bring forth more of Christ.

 

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