Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14, NIV)
There’s been a lot of talk in golf of late about generational wealth. How much does a person need to build it? And at what cost? Is it worth more than legacy, loyalty, or commitment? Is it worth re-wiring one’s moral compass to obtain it?
Generational wealth is defined simply as assets that are passed down from one generation to the next.
Last weekend my husband and I attended the early service at our church, which has a more traditional style of worship. As the lyrics for “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” stretched across the screen, I was struck by the language of this hymn, written 100 years ago.
I thought about the generations in my family who sang this hymn and others like it in pews across the Midwest and even back to my family’s early Christian roots in England. What a gift to pass down!
“Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.”
I was listening to a sermon podcast last year while driving through cornfields on my way to an airport. While I can’t remember who I was listening to, the message that it only takes one generation to knock down a family rooted in faith for generations still rings in my ears.
Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 6:14 about the concept of being equally yoked. Much like a farmer would pair two oxen of equal strength to get the best results, making the work lighter for both, so are we to forge our strongest bonds with those who follow Jesus.
Suppose a Christian marries someone outside the faith and stops going to church or goes only periodically. In that case, it increases the odds that their children will not go to church or have a relationship with Jesus because it was not modeled in the home by one or both parents.
Of course, the opposite can be true as well. As one generation can amass enough money to change the trajectory of their family tree for hundreds of years, so can one person who comes to Christ lay a foundation of Christian living for their children and their children’s children.
What is the greatest asset that you’re passing down to your children and grandchildren?
PRAYER: Father God, thank you for making us rich in the most important ways imaginable. Thank you for the priceless gift of your son Jesus. Please help us to equip the next generation to be stronger than the last.