(Doug) am taking a few days of rest! I hope you’ll find this post inspiring from guest blogger Mutua Mahiaini, The Navigators international president.

From Mutua:

The children born during your bereavement will yet say in your hearing, “This place is too small for us; give us more space to live in.” Then you will say in your heart, “Who bore me these? I was bereaved and barren; I was exiled and rejected. Who brought these up? I was left all alone, but these–where have they come from?” (Isaiah 49:20,21 NIV).

Spiritual and physical generations have always been God’s effective method for increasing His Kingdom. This is especially clear from His dealings with Abraham and the patriarchs. When Jesus Himself prayed for His disciples, He specifically mentioned their spiritual generations: “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message” (John 17:20 NIV).

The temptation to play the numbers game in ministry can be subtle and enticing. It contaminates motives and leads to a dangerous shift from the biblical view of how the Kingdom advances, to a pragmatic search for what “works.”

The apostle Paul clearly considered that his ministry would have been a failure if his spiritual children had not replicated what he invested in them.

Do we view ministry through our spiritual generations? Considering God’s promises of spiritual children and Jesus’ all-out prayers for His disciples and their descendants, what is your current prayer investment in this area?

Paul paid an unbelievable price to keep up with his spiritual children. How is your focus on ensuring that your children—and their descendants—walk in the truth?