Tuesday, December 25, 2007

A Sublime Gift


(Malachi 4:5-6) Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.

One of the glaring deficiencies of the Old Covenant was the frequent and horrific disruptions of covenant succession. We ache, wince and recoil as we read the accounts of the faithful and humble Aarons, Davids and Josiahs who begat the treacherous and lecherous Abihus, Absaloms and Manassehs. But praise be to God, one of the distinguishing features of the New Covenant is the prevalence of fathers whose hearts are turned to their children, and children whose hearts are turned to their fathers; the predominance of multi-generational households of faith filled with cross-generational love, concord and deference.

In this season of gifts and thanksgiving may the LORD grant us true thankfulness for every minute of fellowship that we enjoy with our children, and faith to trust Him for the return of the wandering prodigals.

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