Revive Our Hearts

Guest (Female): Okay, think big picture here. How can you and I be used by God to bless the world?

Guest (Female): Pastor's wife, mom, and grandma, Jani Ortlund points to one important way.

Jani Ortlund: God has given us a great power for good. They're called families. He has positioned you in your particular family for their long-term advantage and for your joy and Christ's glory.

Jani Ortlund: You might feel small as I often do. You might feel defeated as I do at times. Oh, those day-to-day routines. They wear us down. But the truth is, we do matter and we will matter 200 years from now, as we follow the Lord Jesus Christ.

Guest (Female): Jani's going to show us the importance of building a spiritual legacy for our children and theirs to the tenth generation. That's today, August 24th on the Revive Our Hearts podcast. Here's our host, Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth.

Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth: And thank you, Danna Gresh.

Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth: Well, I don't know if you're a mother or grandmother or maybe a spiritual mother to someone. Maybe you're like me. I don't have any biological children, but I have nieces, nephews, kids and grandkids through marriage and unofficially adopted kiddos all over the place.

Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth: And I'm definitely passionate about investing in future generations.

Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth: Even if you're single with no kids, as I was for 57 years, I know you'll be challenged by Jani Ortlund's message today.

Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth: Jani is married to her husband Ray, and they do have children and grandchildren, lots of them.

Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth: Jani spoke in a breakout session at a True Woman conference on the topic building a spiritual legacy for your children and theirs to the tenth generation. That's a long title, but you're going to hear why it's so important.

Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth: There were some technical difficulties with the microphone that day, but I hope you won't let that distract you from the inspiring and challenging points that Jani shared.

Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth: The theme of that True Woman conference was, "Heaven Rules." So, without further ado, let's listen to my dear friend, Jani Ortlund.

Jani Ortlund: You may not believe this, but you are a person of great significance.

Jani Ortlund: You might think, oh, Nancy Wolgemuth, she's a woman of great significance, but not me. Little old me in my home. You might not see yourself the way God sees you.

Jani Ortlund: This world trivializes us. This world wears us down every day. The messages coming through the cultural air we breathe, make us feel small, anxious, inconsequential.

Jani Ortlund: But you, you are unique. You are irreplaceable. Heaven is ruling in you and through you. You matter. You matter today, and you will matter forever.

Jani Ortlund: Because God created you with a purpose so big, only God Almighty could have dreamed it up. He prepared your very DNA over many generations in your time.

Jani Ortlund: He arranged for you to be born in a certain place and at a particular time in history. He has invested in you every day along the way, both your joys and your sorrows. So that you can contribute to the better future that God Almighty is building through you.

Jani Ortlund: And you are the only one on the face of the whole earth who can fulfill God's mission for you. He has a plan, and His plan includes each one of us. He's working that plan.

Jani Ortlund: In fact, Ephesians 1:11 says, He works all things according to the counsel of His will. You are part of that all things.

Jani Ortlund: So, you see why I'm so sure about this. Your life is not an accident. Your marriage is not a mistake. Your children are no accident. Not even that surprise baby you hadn't planned on.

Jani Ortlund: God has a beautiful and eternal purpose for your family. And here is why I'm saying all of this. A great way that you can follow God's plan is to build a legacy of faith that will endure into your family's future long after you're gone.

Jani Ortlund: Now, for Ray, my husband, for Ray and me, this long-term thinking about our own family has been a change.

Jani Ortlund: Thinking out, oh, maybe two weeks ahead, or maybe even two years ahead, well, okay, we've done that before, but thinking out decades ahead, centuries ahead, that was an unexplored thought.

Jani Ortlund: Here's what opened up that thought to us. Several years ago, I was reading in my Bible, just doing my morning devotions and enjoying my time with the Lord.

Jani Ortlund: Just kind of minding my own business, when suddenly something jumped off the page of Deuteronomy to me. It was in Deuteronomy 23:3, you don't need to turn there, but it was what sparked this thought in my mind.

It says this: No one born of a forbidden union may enter the assembly of the Lord, even to the tenth generation. None of his descendants may enter the assembly of the Lord. No Ammonite or Moabite may enter the assembly of the Lord, even to the tenth generation.

Jani Ortlund: Whoa!

Jani Ortlund: I stopped reading there. Just kind of, it confused my view of God. I thought, why should the generations suffer because their mama was an Ammonite, or their daddy was a Moabite? Is generational exclusion even just? I had to ask myself that.

Jani Ortlund: And then I had to think, well, if God's Word is true and trustworthy, then I need to think this through. What insight could I draw from this little verse in Deuteronomy 23? Well, we do know this much that Moses in Deuteronomy was preparing Israel for their future in the Promised Land.

Jani Ortlund: And he knew they would be gathering all together for worship. So, Moses explained who would be allowed in to worship the Lord God Almighty and who would be kept out.

Jani Ortlund: You see, no one can ever just barge into God's presence as if we're all naturally qualified. Everyone, everyone needs the grace of Christ for sinners.

Jani Ortlund: Whatever else is going on in the Old Testament passage, it prepares us for the New Testament's good news of the grace of Christ crucified. So, even this verse could point ahead to Jesus Christ.

Jani Ortlund: Jesus can make anyone kosher before God. We see that in Acts 11 and Galatians 2. As I kept pondering these verses in Deuteronomy 23, asking the Lord for help to see His heart more clearly.

Jani Ortlund: A new thought occurred to me. If God excluded certain people to the tenth generation, how much more does He long to include people to the tenth generation?

Jani Ortlund: How much more does God always long to bring blessing rather than a curse? His eagerness to bless us is all throughout Scripture. Let me read some verses to you.

Jani Ortlund: I'll give you the references again. Just listen to the word bless and blessing in these verses. I will bless you in the beginning. Genesis 12:2. Numbers 6:23 and 24. You shall say to them, "The Lord bless you and keep you."

Jani Ortlund: Deuteronomy 23, that same chapter that I was reading in that morning. It says this, 23 verse 5 says, "Instead, the Lord your God turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the Lord your God loved you."

Jani Ortlund: Deuteronomy 28, verse 2, "And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you." Don't you love that? So many, they just roll over on us.

Jani Ortlund: Nehemiah 13:2, "Yet our God turned the curse into a blessing." Psalm 109:28, "Let them curse, but you will bless, oh God." Proverbs 28:20, "A faithful man will abound in blessings." Galatians 3:14, "So that in Christ Jesus, the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised spirit through faith."

Jani Ortlund: Ephesians 1:3, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places." The list could go on. We don't have time to keep reading, but oh my goodness, blessing is all over scripture, much more than curse.

Jani Ortlund: The whole Bible keeps emphasizing the blessings of God, freely given through Jesus Christ, whom we receive with the empty hands of faith.

Jani Ortlund: God is disproportionately toward blessing over cursing. In a sense, God is asymmetrical in kindness over discipline.

Jani Ortlund: When we receive Christ, we're repositioned for historic and eternal blessings from God Almighty. Do you believe that? Do you receive that?

Jani Ortlund: Ray and I began to think it through as a couple. It was really encouraging to us. What about us as a family? If God excluded, say, the Ammonite people back then, how much more? I mean, did you notice in some of the verses that I read, some of the words, abound with blessing, every spiritual blessing?

Jani Ortlund: How much more would God joyfully be willing to bless our family today through Christ? Even to the tenth generation. That thought thrilled us. The generational blessing of God stretching out over our family into the distant future left us almost breathless.

Jani Ortlund: By God's grace, we can and we must think future. Let's be women who think beyond today. All those precious people who will appear in this world according to God's plan and through our marriages.

Jani Ortlund: They will be facing unimaginable challenges. They deserve and they will need the best that we can send on ahead. You see why I say, you really are a person of historic significance.

Jani Ortlund: And it changes how we all do family right now. It expands our categories. For example, Ray and I have started to pray in a bolder way. Maybe you'll join me in this prayer.

Jani Ortlund: Now we pray that the Lord would bless our family by setting each family member apart to Christ. Not one excluded, but all included in the family of God, with wholehearted devotion to Him.

Jani Ortlund: Our audacious prayer lately has been that the whole world would hear about Jesus through our family. Is that crazy? Well, maybe. But maybe not.

Jani Ortlund: We belong to a big God. Why not pray big prayers about our families? Now, let me be clear.

Jani Ortlund: Don't think that when we pray this, Ray and I or you, Ray and I are, or you should ask God for an ideal perfect family. No, we just want a saved family. A family who knows they're sinners, who knows they need Jesus and they look to Him for their salvation, no one or nothing else.

Jani Ortlund: And it's through fallible, but saved people that the whole world will hear about Jesus. Does He have any other kind of people to work with? We believe it is God's desire to bless His people. So, we pray these big prayers for our little Ortlands.

Jani Ortlund: We pray them every day. You can too.

Jani Ortlund: Acts 2:39 puts it this way, "For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off to the tenth generation. All who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to Himself." So, we pray, "Do it, Lord. Every member of our family, call to yourself, please."

Jani Ortlund: We have found that this way of thinking and praying and dreaming and caring, we find the actual magnitude of our family thrilling and sobering and stretching. Often in our daily lives our simple family rhythms rarely seem impressive.

Jani Ortlund: Our routines are so familiar, repetitious, non-dramatic. But why not leave this conference daring to believe that the future of the world is being shaped in our homes through all those unimpressive details?

Jani Ortlund: The truth is nothing, however simple, goes unused by Ephesians 1:11 again, "Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will." Even the unimpressive details we have to deal with every day.

Jani Ortlund: God loves to tell family stories that will matter for a long time, even to the tenth generation. Ray and I find that this long-term family vision fills our hearts.

Jani Ortlund: It raises our standards. It reminds us that the family God has given us is worthy of our all, for the glory of Jesus. And so is yours.

Jani Ortlund: Now, this breakout is not a family management guide, nor a list of handy tips. So if you want to get up and go to another breakout now, I understand. I do hope you'll gain a few insights for guiding your family into their Christ-centered purpose, but I cannot offer you a fail-safe plan because there is not one.

Jani Ortlund: At least not for your family's amazingness. God is not into grandiosity of any kind, but He does give grace to the humble in the ordinary lives that we daily live.

Jani Ortlund: So, as we humble ourselves before Him, we can pray this. This breakout, think of it more as an investment proposal.

Jani Ortlund: I believe your family can live together now in such a way as to build a lasting legacy into the future. There are no guarantees, but there are plenty of investment opportunities.

Jani Ortlund: God has given us a great power for good. They're called families. He has positioned you in your particular family for their long-term advantage and for your joy and Christ's glory.

Jani Ortlund: You might feel small as I often do. You might feel defeated as I do at times. Oh, those day-to-day routines. They wear us down.

Jani Ortlund: But the truth is, we do matter and we will matter 200 years from now as we follow the Lord Jesus Christ. So, the first point I'm asking you to embrace is this: God desires to bless you and your family.

Jani Ortlund: It is God's heart to bless you and your family. Our generation is not a lost cause. You cannot control your family's future, but you can invest in it in ways that can still be making a difference 10 generations from now, and even beyond that, because God desires to bless your family.

Jani Ortlund: Well, you might be asking, what does it look like now to live with the future generations in mind? So, let me get a little more practical here, okay? Let me offer you three ways that you can live today, offering your family hope for the future.

Jani Ortlund: The first is by setting a gospel tone in your home. The second is through the attractive beauty of marriage, yours and other marriages. And the third is through your children's cheerful obedience.

Jani Ortlund: So, we're going to talk about those three points. There are many talk about, but these are the three the Lord seemed to set in my heart to share with you.

Jani Ortlund: Let me gently help you refuse to settle, but instead encourage you to reach for your enduring greatness in Christ. He will help you to pour wisely into your family with a commitment that will matter.

Jani Ortlund: Let's envision together the simple daily life of a home where the love of Jesus feels natural. Let's think through three winsome practical ways to build a family of generational faith.

Jani Ortlund: The first, let the Gospel set the tone in your home. I'm asking you to believe in the God who loves to save families. Is that hard for you? Maybe it feels impossible in your family with the way things are going today.

Jani Ortlund: Cry out to Jesus, as that father did when he brought his little boy to Him in Mark chapter 9. Oh Lord, I do believe, but help my unbelief. We can all cry that out to our Lord and Savior.

Jani Ortlund: Help the Bible become the center of your home, the most important possession in your household. What does the Bible mean to you personally? Do the other family members see you treasuring it, reading it, learning it?

Jani Ortlund: Can you bring it into your daily life in meaningful ways? Do your children or guests see it written framed on the walls of your home? How is your Bible honored? How do your kids treat their Bibles? Do they just toss it on a chair or pile other things on top of it?

Jani Ortlund: Do you treasure the Bible in your home? And do others see that it is a treasure? Teach your children from the Bible. I want to encourage you to have family devotions as often as is reasonable.

Jani Ortlund: Reasonable looks different at different stages in a child's life. Now, those of you who are married, your husband will need your help here when your children are young.

Jani Ortlund: I married a man who thinks in ancient near Eastern Semitic languages. I mean, that was his doctorate. And you know, he just thinks, oh, of course the kids will get this if I read three chapters from Leviticus and ask them what they think of it. He needed my help and he was glad after a while to receive it.

Jani Ortlund: I would ask you, really do give it some thought. We tried, I suggested this and Ray picked up on it. We used to do it after our whole meal was finished. And, you know, the kids were anxious to go play and they didn't really want to listen.

Jani Ortlund: They had homework, piano practice, soccer practice, whatever. So, we tried to time it so that we'd have devotions over dessert. And as we'd say, go get your Bibles, I'll get dessert ready, we'll put it on the table.

Jani Ortlund: We would say from Psalm 119:103, "How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth." And we would say, as you grow, God's Word is going to taste even sweeter than this chocolate chip cookie or this ice cream sundae or whatever we were having that day.

Jani Ortlund: And my kids survived without cavities. I just want you, don't worry about that, okay? A little sugar. Well, we won't go into Mary Poppins, but

Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth: That's Jani Ortlund, speaking in a workshop at a True Woman conference. She'll be back tomorrow to say more about ways that we can live and choices we can make that offer hope to our families and future generations.

Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth: I hope the Lord has given you a fresh desire to make His Word and the Gospel a more present reality in your home. That's what we're all about here at Revive Our Hearts.

Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth: Recently, we heard from a listener named Carolyn. She's been widowed for a little over two years, and she wrote to say, "Through the long months of grieving, your program sustained me. It was as if God was giving me the exact words I needed every day to face my new reality."

Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth: She said that listening to Revive Our Hearts helped remind her that the Lord would supply her needs, emotional, physical, and spiritual needs. Carolyn went on to tell us how she's using Revive Our Hearts materials as she mentors three younger women.

Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth: And now she's a Revive Partner. That's someone who supports Revive Our Hearts every month. And how thankful we are for each Revive Partner.

Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth: Carolyn said, "I was recently in Mexico City where my nephew's wife showed me a book in Spanish by you, Nancy. She said she listens to you all the time. I couldn't believe it. You are really reaching the nations." Well, it's because of stories like Carolyn's that we're more committed than ever to comforting, serving, and building women up. That way, they can, in turn, pour into others' lives.

Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth: But here's the deal. We can't reach the nations or even bring you Revive Our Hearts here in the United States without your prayers and without your financial support. Your partnership is so vital.

Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth: So, would you prayerfully consider making a donation to Revive Our Hearts at this time? When you do, you'll not only be benefiting and blessed by the ministry yourself, but you'll be helping us serve other women like Carolyn.

Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth: To give, just head over to reviveourhearts.com and click or tap where you see the word donate. We'd love to hear from you. Yes, we would.

Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth: And if you're a grandmother like Jani, you're going to love the booklet we're offering this week. It's called, "30 Days of Praying for Your Grandchildren." Our website once again is reviveourhearts.com, or you can even call 1-800-569-5959.

Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth: Now, the teaching you heard today was from a past True Woman conference. Wasn't it so rich and practical?

Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth: In a little over a year, you can sit under the same kind of biblically saturated, Gospel-centered teaching in person in Indianapolis. That's right. True Woman 27 registration is open. And get this, super early pricing is still available.

Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth: So, don't wait, visit truewoman27.com to get all registered and ready to go. I'll be there, Nancy will be there, and we would love for you to be there.

Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth: Jani Ortlund will be back tomorrow to share some practical considerations all of us should keep in mind as we invest in coming generations. I hope you'll join us for Revive Our Hearts.

Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth: This program is a listener-supported production of Revive Our Hearts in Niles, Michigan, calling women to freedom, fullness, and fruitfulness in Christ.