Christian Devotional – February 2, 2025

Avoiding the Rollercoaster, Day 2

Pass it on. Read Judges chapter 2.

Interestingly, as we read through Judges chapter 2, we see that one of the biggest misses for the people of Israel is that they did not do a good job teaching the next generation to follow the Lord. They may have passed down the rules and the regulations, but they did not pass down the passion or the heart. People obeyed God only because they thought he would do things for them. They did not obey God because they loved him.That change in focus led multiple generations to rebel and decide not to obey God.

When we follow God, we are responsible for ensuring that those around us and that come after us, understand who God is, understand how to follow him, and understand why we follow him. But even with all of that knowledge, unless they see the passion and the drive in our own lives, it won’t stick. This is how to avoid the rollercoaster, knowing that we are the example for others.

You see, watching someone follow Christ who loves him with all their heart, who is devoted to him in everything, and even through the tough times falls back and relies on him. Watching the life of someone like that impacts the lives of people around us. It impacts the life of our children. If we don’t live that out and they don’t see that, why would they want to obey a list of rules that don’t seem to mean anything. People need to understand what Jesus means for them today, in this moment, going through these challenges. Until they see that, they aren’t interested in just knowing about God.

The people of Israel did not do a good job passing down the “why” behind following Jesus. What legacy are we leaving? And what are we passing down to our children? Do they understand why we follow Jesus and no other? Are they willing to make that same commitment in their own lives? That’s the only way it will last, even when we aren’t here anymore.

Video devotional here: https://youtu.be/8ZBUxSftvmM