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ambitions, an encouraging word, being gracious, dreams, encouragement, encouraging others, future focus, future thinking, giving and receiving, giving with grace, goals, hobbies, investing in the next generation, life skills, moving forward, next generation, passing the baton, passing the torch, teaching
First Chronicles 28:1-21 says, “David assembled all the leaders of Israel in Jerusalem: the leaders of the tribes, the leaders of the divisions in the king’s service, the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds, and the officials in charge of all the property and cattle of the king and his sons, along with the court officials, the fighting men, and all the brave warriors.
2 Then King David rose to his feet and said, “Listen to me, my brothers and my people. It was in my heart to build a house as a resting place for the ark of the LORD’s covenant and as a footstool for our God. I had made preparations to build,
3 but God said to me, ‘You are not to build a house for My name because you are a man of war and have shed blood.’
4 “Yet the LORD God of Israel chose me out of all my father’s household to be king over Israel forever. For He chose Judah as leader, and from the house of Judah, my father’s household, and from my father’s sons, He was pleased to make me king over all Israel.
5 And out of all my sons—for the LORD has given me many sons—He has chosen my son Solomon to sit on the throne of the LORD’s kingdom over Israel.
6 He said to me, ‘Your son Solomon is the one who is to build My house and My courts, for I have chosen him to be My son, and I will be his father.
7 I will establish his kingdom forever if he perseveres in keeping My commands and My ordinances as ⌊he is⌋ today.’
8 “So now in the sight of all Israel, the assembly of the LORD, and in the hearing of our God, observe and follow all the commands of the LORD your God so that you may possess this good land and leave it as an inheritance to your descendants forever.
9 “As for you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands the intention of every thought. If you seek Him, He will be found by you, but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever.
10 Realize now that the LORD has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary. Be strong, and do it.”
11 Then David gave his son Solomon the plans …
⌊David concluded,⌋ “By the LORD’s hand on me, He enabled me to understand everything in writing, all the details of the plan.”
20 Then David said to his son Solomon, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Don’t be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD God, my God, is with you. He won’t leave you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the LORD’s house is finished.
21 Here are the divisions of the priests and the Levites for all the service of God’s house. Every willing man of any skill will be at your disposal for the work, and the leaders and all the people are at your every command.”
I love this passage so much. David was a very willing participant in passing the baton to the next generation. So many times the current generation hangs on to a position, ideas and even dreams without leaving the proper instructions for those coming after them. A vacuum of knowledge, wisdom and sacrifice is left instead of a thoughtful, and loving exchange of resources.
Think of the dreams God has placed in your heart. What are they?
Do you have dreams of writing?
Dreams of photography?
Dreams of scrapbooking?
Dreams of intercession?
Maybe you think of them as more of a goal, or priority? That’s good too.
Go grab a piece of paper and write them down.
(Having trouble? Spend the next few days asking God to reveal the dreams He has for you, then set a time to come back and fill in the space above. You have God-given dreams and goals and He wants to reveal them to you… just ask.)
Now, look at those goals and dreams you have written down.
How can you pass those intentions to the next generation?
Can you come alongside a fellow writer and mentor them? Attend conferences together? Ask to read their work and encourage them?
How about those dreams of photography? Can you teach a class, write an article, or mentor a younger version of yourself? You could take a group of people with a camera and go for a hike. You can make it fun and see if it sparks anyone’s interest.
Can you pass on the scrapbooks to a relative, or better yet, set a time to scrapbook with a friend, or family member talking about all the memories?
Can you meet up with a fellow intercessor for prayer each week? How about being on the lookout for a younger individual who can come alongside and pray with you?
There are so many opportunities to pass the baton, but this requires wisdom and being sure that your dream is worth sharing.
It is! Every dream is worth sharing with someone, but when we cling to “our” dream and leave scars on those around us who have tried to come near it, we lose the ability to pass it on to future generations.
Just to be clear, if you are ten years old you have someone in your life that can be ready and able to receive your baton. We are never too young to get into the habit of inspiring someone else.
In First Chronicles, King David willingly passed on all of the plans and resources for Solomon to build the Temple. Verse eleven tells us he gave Solomon his plans…wow.
It was originally David’s idea, but instead of David becoming bitter about not reaching his lofty goal, he actually worked harder trying to make the task as accessible as possible for the next generation. David did not hoard ideas, resources, or even honor.
He gave freely.
He passed the baton with grace.
Ask yourself, “What am I hoarding from the next generation?”
That’s hard, I know. Sometimes, we think we are “saving” things for future generations, but are we really? Is that secret recipe worth saving until your dead?
Identify two ideas, or resources that you are currently hoarding and list them on a piece of paper.
What steps can you take to change the hoarding into giving?
As we teach others how to reach their goals (even if we’ve not had the opportunity to finish reaching ours), we allow the baton to be passed.
We see the goal getting closer and closer to the desired end as the baton keeps going from person to person.
We see the beauty of life being a relay instead of a marathon.
We are then able to focus on the next baton that is being handed to us by another, or by God Himself, and move into the next area of refinement with arms stretched both ways… receiving the baton and giving the baton… in complete surrender to Him and in openness to those around us.
*image by myfaithradio.com
