Monthly Devo - Modeling the Way
Can I be vulnerable with you?
Writing about teaching children and grandchildren ways of the Lord, specifically in the way of generosity, is challenging for me. I have a 17-year-old, a 13 year old and an 8 year old. If you graded me on how well they embody generosity, I would be embarrassed to show you the report card. I feel the tinges of shame rising in me when I look at my own life.
Knowing that this is a reality for many people, I am hesitant to write anything that might cause similar feelings in you. But here’s what I’ve realized: when I was a young father, I saw Proverbs 22:6 as a promise instead of a wisdom principle. I treated it like a deal with God—if I do my part, He'll do His. As I’ve grown older, I’ve realized that is not what wisdom literature is or how it operates. Wisdom literature invites us to meditate on the principle it presents.
So, let’s take a moment and meditate on it.
Like most themes in the bible, it all starts in the first pages of scripture. When God was creating the world, he built reproduction and multiplication right into the very fabric of the universe. Plants had seeds in them. Animals reproduce after their kind. And then, God made humans in His image and told them to fill the earth. It was a world of abundance, with enough for everyone. God wanted an earth filled with image bearers living in his abundance, trusting him, and walking in the way we should go.
Proverbs 22:6 takes us back to the garden and God’s intentions for us humans. We have the same choice as Adam and Eve, will we trust God and his intentions and walk in his ways, modeling for our kids and grandkids this way of life? Or will we choose another way?
We know teaching is important—but often, the most lasting lessons are caught more than taught. I think Jesus knew this and that is why he spent 3 years showing his disciples a new way to live. He definitely taught them as well, but he emphasized being with him day in and day out to learn this new way of life.
In my own life, I saw this kind of quiet modeling in my grandparents. They lived simply, but I remember my grandpa writing checks to missionaries and ministries serving the poor. I later learned my grandmother would walk every afternoon, praying for her children, grandchildren, and even future generations she’d never meet—that they would know Jesus and walk in His ways.
My parents carried that same legacy. We had some conversations about generosity, but honestly, I mostly caught it.
And now, I’m praying my kids will catch it too.
Meditating on the scripture, thinking of the ways of Jesus, and remembering stories from my own life have helped those feelings of shame wash away. If there were any feelings of shame for you, I pray those too are gone and that it is replaced with a vision of living in the ways of Jesus. To model the way of Jesus to our kids and grandkids, to chat about it, and to pray that what God has built into the very fabric of creation- multiplication- will continue in their lives for many generations.
Derrick
One Collective Disciple Making Strategist
