Investing In Future Generations
Sunday’s Around The Table Series
One of my goals this year was to read the Bible through from Genesis to Revelation. I’ve done different plans over the years, used different devotional books, but this time, I wanted to walk through the Bible book by book beginning to end. This morning, I was reading in the book of 2 Kings. It is all about the rise and fall of the various kings of Israel and Judah. It seems like mostly a historical account with no current application for me. And then it happened. The Lord opened my eyes to the powerful truth that every choice I make today is an investment in future generations. How am I investing in my family’s spiritual heritage?
Investments Make a Difference
My wonderful dad! 
My husband’s precious daddy!
As you read through the book of 2 Kings, the two phrases that are used most to describe the life of each king are “he walked with the Lord like his father(emphasis mine)” or “he did evil in the eyes of the Lord like his Father(emphasis mine).”
At the end of chapter 17 the Lord reminds His people of how He rescued them and brought them out of Egypt. He urges them to not forget the covenant He had made with them and to worship Him only. And then the most powerful, and convicting verses followed:
“They would not listen, however, but persisted in their former practices. Even while these people were worshipping the Lord, they were serving their idols. To this day their children and grandchildren continue to do as their fathers did.”
2 Kings 17:40-41
Whoa. Let that sink in for a minute. “To this day their children and grandchildren continue to do as their fathers did.” You mean the the decisions I make now make a difference in the life of my children and grandchildren-whether good or bad? My husband and I are so blessed to have been given an incredible spiritual foundation by our parents. We know that we are blessed and that is something we are grateful for everyday. We see the difference it made in our lives, but now even more in the lives of our children and grandchildren.
It Can Start With You
The beautiful thing about this verse? It can start with YOU! You can be the generation to that begins the investment in the future. If you didn’t have a heritage of faith in your home, don’t let that be an excuse. It can begin with you today.
- YOU can choose today that your family will serve the Lord.
- YOU can choose today to love God’s word.
- YOU can choose today to prioritize worshipping together as a family.
Regardless of the past, you can impact the future. You can impact their future.
It won’t matter…
- How much money you made.
- Where you went on vacation.
- The sports teams your children played on.
- The awards you or your children win.
- The car you drive.
- The house you live in.
What will be said about your life by future generations? When you read those words “to this day their children and grandchildren continue to do as their fathers did“, does it challenge you to love God more? Pray for your children and grandchildren to know and love Him. For additional resources, you can read our series our How To Pray For your Children and Grandchildren. This is an excellent series from several moms and grandmothers from all stages of life giving practical resources on prayer.
Sundays Around The Table-Recipe
And now for our weekly Sunday recipe! This is probably one of our family’s favorite casseroles! We usually serve it with peas, carrots, and my secret sweet sauce drizzled over the carrots. It’s not really a secret, but before I tell you the recipe for the sauce, I will have to actually write it down as I make it! Basically, it’s butter and brown sugar. It’s really good on top of the casserole too! This is one of my freezer meals and is super easy to prepare and then pop in a freezer bag for another day. I hope you enjoy it as much as our family does.
Ritzy Chicken and Rice
Equipment
- 9x 13 casserole dish
Ingredients
- 4 Chicken Breasts
- 3 Cups Chicken Broth
- 1 8 oz Sour Cream
- 3 Cups Cooked Rice
- 1 Stick Butter
- 2 Cans Cream of Chicken soup
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- 2 Stacks Ritz Crackers, crushed
- 1 Cup slivered almonds(optional)
Instructions
- Boil Chicken, reserve broth, cut into bite-sized pieces.
- Mix together broth, sour cream, soup, salt, pepper.
- Add rice and chicken to broth mixture.
- Pour into 9×13 casserole dish.
- Combine melted butter and crushed crackers.
- Top the chicken and rice with crushed crackers and almonds(optional).
- Bake at 350° for 30-40 min or until center is bubbly.
- **Mixture can be frozen in a ziploc bag and thawed when ready to cook. Do not freeze with crackers and almonds; only the rice and chicken mixture.
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