Prodigy and Promises

2 Samuel 7:12-13
And when thy days be fulfilled. and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee. which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom.

As I age, I become increasingly aware that life is short. Of course the longer I live, the closer I come to the eventual time of my departure. As we face our human mortality we begin to think about things like, what will be said about my life, what impact will I have on the coming generation.

David is given assurance that good things are ahead for his prodigy. I take great comfort that while I am alive I do have a chance to make it possible for my offspring to make a bigger difference in the world than I did or even could.

As a parent, I believe that we should think very hard about setting up our children up for success. I believe that the greatest success is when one is successful in the things that pertain to serving the Lord. If my kids are successful bankers they may have wealth here on earth, but if they are successful servants of the Lord they will be rich for eternity!

Notice that God promises David and his prodigy these things;

1. When thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee.

It is a great comfort to know that our "seed" will be set up by God. Everybody worries about the future of their children. We scrimp and save to educate, we encourage and push them to excel in thing like athletics and the arts. We correct manners and cajole them to do their very best. Yet we still worry! God extends to us a promise that if we live close to him, He will pass on the blessings we enjoy to our kids.

When I die, my children will be set to do greater things than me. I thank God for this promise it is comforting to know that all I invested in my prodigy will not be in vain.

2. He shall build an house for my name,
As long as the Lord delays his coming, I thank him for telling us that His Church will move forward. God is interested in using our children to "build an house" for his name. I get excited about the future it just might be my children that experience the greatest revival this world has ever seen.

The Church will be in good hands, if we do our best to raise our kids to serve the living God.

3. I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever.
God is so good, he promises that we can have a chance to effect the destiny of our children, grand Children, and our great grand children (and on and on!) We must follow the Lord with everything we got. He must invest our time and resources in the things of God, all the while making opportunities for our children to learn early in life the joy in serving Jesus in all that we do.

Thank you Lord, for my children! Help me to be the example I should be. Help me to live as close to you as I can, help my kids see it and want to serve you. In your loving name I pray...
A-Men!