PSALMS OF ASCENT!

PSALM 128:5-6

Prosperity
MAY THE LORD BLESS YOU FROM ZION ALL THE DAYS OF YOUR LIFE; MAY YOU SEE THE PROSPERITY OF JERUSALEM, AND MAY YOU LIVE TO SEE YOUR CHILDRENS CHILDREN. PEACE BE UPON ISRAEL. (PSALMS 128:56 NIV)
FUTURE
It is not just about us and our family, but our prosperity is bound up with the bigger picture. God wants us to enjoy a prosperous past and a prosperous future all the days of your life. This does not mean we will always be well-off and without difculty. It means that God can and will always be doing His work in us and through us if we continue to heed the lesson of verse 1, Blessed are all who fear the LO R D, w h o w a l k i n h i s ways. (Psalms 128:1 NIV) Holding on to these principles opens our hands to receive Gods blessing today and tomorrow. But what for us is the 21st century equivalent of Jerusalem? And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are Gods possession to the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:1314 NIV) Seeing as this is where we will end up, are we working and praying for the prosperity of the kingdom and the family of God? Are we donating money, time, energy and our gifts to the needs of the kingdom? What is the state of our devotion to one another relationships? Is our family group a place where we have invested ourselves so that we h av e r e a l f a m i l y s t y l e relationships? Or are we casual attenders? If we want to see a prosperous family group, mission team or church lled with all the fruits of Gods blessings we must be humble before God in making available to Him all the things He has given us.

GENERATIONS
Fa m i l i e s t h a t f o c u s exclusively on their children and do not include others in their family raise children who are more neurotic and selfabsorbed than families who invite others into their home and lives. There need to be sensible boundaries, of course, but let us be sober about our s i t u a t i o n . W h a t i s yo u r tendency? Over-hospitality or under-hospitality? If our children are going to grow to be concerned for others they will need to see it displayed by their parents in their own home. Children are a privilege and a gift. Two generations even more so. The Psalmists prayer is not just to see the next two generations - but to see them catching the same faith a faith that is grounded in fearing God and walking in His ways. A life lived in the fear of the Lord will inspire the next generation to see the wisdom of imitating that way of life.

JERUSALEM
The prosperity of Gods special possession must mean everything to us. It is something we walk towards and work towards. Like the Psalmist we have a destination,

Malcolm Cox, email: malcolm.cox@iccmissions.org | ICC Missions on facebook | www.nwlcc.org