I read the biographies and writings of the great people of our faith. From the life of Paul to the life of more contemporary church reformers, I am amazed and inspired by reading their writings and observing the faith lived out in their lives.
Then I look around and see the church, the church that these people sacrificed and strived to change. I see the sweat and tears that they poured out, and in moments of depression I think that it was all for naught.
But then this realization hit me. Those great people of the faith kept the church alive for the next generation. Now it is our turn. It is up to us to remain faithful. It is up to us to not conform to the system when it deadens our faith or the works of Christ. It is up to us to follow Christ no matter what the cost, to live a life that keeps the church healthy for the next generation to come along and start all over again. We build upon the shoulders of the past, but those bodies slowly sink into the quicksand of time. Ours will too.
Lately the thought of being a jealous old man has been in my head lately. I know that I'm only 27, but here is what I've been thinking about. I see many old people who seem to be jealous that their day in the spotlight is dwindling. That their days of running things are passing by. The want to hang on to the power they wielded in the past. But then I thought to myself a way to insure that I am content in those times of ineptness. If I invest my life in building up the next generation of believers, then the work they do will not be something to be jealous of. It will be something to find joy in. I don't want to be one who fights to get my generation's way. I want to be one who just loves to see the work of God being done.
So it is up to me to be a person who receives God's grace, to live my life full of faith, and to turn that faith into tangible acts of love to those around me. In so doing I will create a little reformation. If others join in, it will get larger. If we all do it, it might just change the world for a little while. But then the next generation will come along. They will have to do it all over again, or else they will just be going through the motions acting out a dead faith.
I've heard it said that God has no grandchildren. Every generation needs a reformation.
Watch out for the potholes.
