Week Thirty, 2026

“That the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children.” – Psalm 78:6

It was so satisfying to hear my granddaughter, about to leave on a mission trip, say she was excited to share the Gospel with people in a foreign land. The fact that she was passing along what she had learned in church was exciting, but even more so the fact that a new generation was sharing the Gospel.

As Christians, we should be vitally concerned that we are always one generation away from losing the faith. Our children and grandchildren are so important. They should hear the Gospel in the church and in the home.

Because faith isn’t inherited biologically, the message must be actively taught and modeled. Failing to pass it on creates the reality described by theologians and leaders: faith and its values are always just one generation away from being lost.

If secular voices can plant seeds of doubt in our children, faith will fade in a generation—and we must be vigilant to prevent that.

We are—or should be—the greatest Christian example our children and grandchildren will see: how we conduct ourselves, bringing them to church, gathering around the dinner table, and praying before going to bed. The list goes on.

Archbishop Carey said in 1999, “The church is always one generation away from extinction.”

We too are fast losing—some would say have already lost—the next generation. The consequences are cascading: fewer Christian children likely mean fewer Christian teenagers, which likely means fewer Christian students, which ultimately leads to fewer Christian families with fewer Christian children. The cycle repeats and quickly deteriorates. Internal transmission within the family is a key priority today, but are we in danger of parents blaming the church for not doing enough, while the church blames parents for a low level of commitment in family life?

Matt Summerfield, the leader of Urban Saints (previously called Crusaders), often says, “I want to reach as many young people today as we can for Christ, so that in twenty years’ time they will be producing Christian children for the next generation.” Too few seem to have that vision.

What are you doing to preserve the Gospel for generations to come?

Sometimes True Stories

J. H. Shorthouse was an English novelist who, as a young man, had doubts about the divinity of Christ. Searching for answers to his questions, he sought out and spoke with the Anglican bishop Edward King.

King didn’t argue with him. Instead, he gave him two pieces of paper—one plain and one having a black border. He told Shorthouse to write on the plain paper everything he had ever done that was absolutely good, untainted by any evil. On the black-bordered page, he was to write things he had done that were wrong.

A few days later, Shorthouse returned. The black-bordered paper was full on both sides; many more such pages could have been filled.

On the plain paper, Shorthouse had written just one thing he considered the best and purest thing he’d ever done: his love for his mother. But then, after writing it, he crossed it out. His love for his mother was good, but not perfect. Far too often it had been marred by selfishness, bad temper, forgetfulness, etc.

“And what did you do then?” asked King. Shorthouse replied, “I went down on my knees and thanked God I had a Savior.”

– 0 –

The year is half gone; during the previous six months, many of us have been following our 2026 plans. Our natural tendency is to be self-centered and think of our own plans as being the most important, without stopping to ask what God would have us do. God controls the past, present, and future, so we will find it in our best interest to consult with God as we make our plans. Why, you may ask? The answer is simple: God’s plans will ultimately be fulfilled, period! When you think about it, we are only allowed to make plans at all by the grace of God. We must be careful where we focus our attention. Forgetting these four words, “Thy will be done,” will be at our own peril. – Tony Ferguson

Quotes You Can Use

How much more grievous are the consequences of anger than the causes of it.

One of the first steps in avoiding bad decisions is to develop a teachable heart, and a teachable heart only comes from a willingness to listen to the Lord.

Pride says, “I’m right and others are wrong.”

Those who are “pure in their own eyes” are self-righteous. Jesus exposed this condition as self-deceiving—thinking we are without fault while seeing the faults of everyone around us.

“The reflection upon my situation and that of this army produces many an uneasy hour when all around me are wrapped in sleep. Few people know the predicament we are in.” – George Washington, January 14, 1776

A little misery, at times, makes one appreciate happiness more.

God doesn’t want you to worship or serve Him out of pressure or emotional frenzy.

The aim of education is the knowledge not of facts, but of values.

Thank God we can’t escape His presence.

______________________________

Address all items and comments to [email protected].

© Thoughts on Life Copyright 2026

10025 Orange Grove Drive

Tampa, FL 33618, USA

Over 600 weekly John Grant devotionals posted courtesy of FrankBecker.com.