You may be an old bag – an old tea bag to be precise.

It was a cold day, so he made himself a strong, dark, steamy cup of tea.  His daughter also asked for a cup.  Well – being a frugal fellow, he took the tea bag from his cup and swirled it around in hers.  The water became slightly tinged with an amber color. 

But then her son also wanted a cup.  So, grandpa recycled the soggy tea bag a third time and then handed the boy a completely tasteless cup of hot water.  

That scenario is not likely to really happen, but it does occur quite frequently in fact, in the spiritual realm.  

The first-generation Christian believer is deeply devoted to the Lord.  They have personally experienced God’s work in their lives and are wholehearted in their obedience.  Like the first cup of tea, this person’s faith is strong and vibrant.  They raise their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord

But that second generation slips a notch in their priorities.  Other things are more important, and they find it easy to compromise.   Like the second cup of tea, their faith is weaker and diluted but has just enough color to it to appear to be real.  

The faith of the third generation declines even more.  God doesn’t much figure into life for them.   They are unmotivated to follow Him or obey His word. Like the third cup of tea, there isn’t much evidence of any kind of faith at all.

Dr. Bruce Wilkinson traces this kind of decline in his teaching “The Three Chairs.”  (You can find it on youtube.) 

Joshua was a first- generation believer.  He and his people walked through the Red Sea, fed on manna in the wilderness and watched Jericho fall.  Joshua 24:31 says, “Israel worshiped the Lord throughout Joshua’s lifetime and as long as the elderly men who outlived him remained alive. These men had experienced firsthand everything the Lord had done for Israel.” 

The key words here are, “experienced and first hand.”  Joshua and his generation experienced God and His working in a first-hand way and they were faithful to Him for life. 

But Judges 2:7 tells us that the next generation slipped. “The people worshiped the Lord throughout Joshua’s lifetime and as long as the elderly men who outlived him remained alive. These men had witnessed all the great things the Lord had done for Israel.”

The words, experience and first-hand are not used here.  What we find instead is that they witnessed.  These people watched and saw the wonderful things that God did to bring His people from Egypt to Canaan. But they had been children. They rode along in the back seat and watched as their parents forged the way of faith. 

The third generation is found in Judges 2:10. “That entire generation passed away; a new generation grew up that had not personally experienced the Lord’s presence or seen what he had done for Israel.”

This third generation was born in Cannan land.  The exodus from Egypt and the fall of the Jericho walls were all ancient history to them.  They didn’t experience nor did they even see the works of the Lord.   Consequently, the remainder of the book of Judges chronicles the moral chaos that characterized this group. 

So where do you fall in the family tree?  Are you a taster or a watcher or maybe you are of the third group that has done neither.  

If you wish, you can go to the kitchen yourself and make your own cup of tea using a brand new tea bag.   How?  Paul wrote, “Present your bodies as a sacrifice—alive, holy, and pleasing to God—which is your reasonable service” -Romans 12:1. 

Surrender to Him – today – and enjoy your tea!  

A PRAYER: Oh God, save us from a watered-down faith.  

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

Scripture is quoted from the NETBible®