Psalm 22:30-31 Posterity will serve him;
future generations will be told about the Lord.
They will proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn – for he has done it.

The fact that Jesus quoted the first line of this Psalm from the cross, (Matthew 27:46) and that it expresses Jesus’ situation on the cross in such accurate detail in the first 18 verses, makes the whole Psalm worthy of extra attention. In that context, it is particularly significant that the Psalm ends this way, talking about communicating the knowledge of God to succeeding generations so that they might serve Him. It has rightly been said that the Church is never more than one generation away from extinction. The devil knows that too, and he is always striving to interfere with the transmission of the Gospel from one generation to the next. He knows he can’t block it completely, so he tries to distort it just enough that it becomes a social artifact, rather than the gripping tale of a vital relationship with a living God. Sadly, he succeeds in that all too often. Even Jesus referenced that phenomenon in calling down the Pharisees, saying, “You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are.” (Matthew 23:15) The devil doesn’t mind if we know the facts about God, just so long as we don’t apply them to our lives to live in obedient fellowship with Him. After all, even demons know the facts! (James 2:19) That’s why this passage connects communicating the information about God with serving Him. We are genuinely effective in communicating the Gospel only when we are living it out ourselves.

Since I am one who has “traveled over land and sea to make a single convert,” I’d better be sure I don’t make him a son of hell! I need to be careful that my life is lived in obedient fellowship with my Lord, so that I may call others into that fellowship, rather than giving them a list of rules and regulations. It is encouraging that I do have spiritual children (in addition to my physical children) who love and serve the Lord, even as this passage says. I am to do all I can not only to increase their number, but also to help and encourage each one to grow and mature as a child of God. Though they are my children, they are His children even more, and I need to remember that He loves them more than I ever could. I am not to be careless about them, allowing them to wander dangerous paths without giving warning, but neither am I to be anxious. As I seek to be a good father to them, I need to remember that we are all children of our perfect, heavenly Father.

Father, it is indeed such a blessing, privilege, and comfort to be able to address You as Father. Thank You for making that possible through Your Son. May I be Your agent in fulfilling the purpose of the cross, drawing succeeding generations into Your family for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!