Joshua 24:24 And the people said to Joshua, “We will serve the Lord our God and obey him.”

This passage is certainly an illustration of the truth that virtually everything of real value is only one generation away from dissolution. Traditions are set up to try to counter this, but unless that translates to personal conviction in the next generation, it is futile. We are seeing an illustration of that in America today on the dual fronts of religion and a democratic republic. The enemy has infiltrated the educational system and stolen perhaps two generations, and we are seeing the fallout all around us. The people with Joshua were sincere, and for a while they were indeed true to their word, but it really didn’t take long in generational terms for them to fall away pretty thoroughly. This chapter indicates that Joshua understood them all too well, because he said, “You are not able to serve the Lord. He is a holy God; he is a jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins. If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, he will turn and bring disaster on you and make an end of you, after he has been good to you.” (Joshua 24:19-20) He had heard the things that Moses had said and probably had the original manuscript of the Pentateuch, and Moses had been prophetic along the same lines. However, he did give the people the opportunity to choose, and they chose rightly this time. We aren’t to deny people the opportunity to choose, just because we know they will slip up, but we are to emphasize personal faithfulness and commitment and make it clear that repentance and forgiveness are available. Our expectations are to be in God, and not in people. After all, we have our own track record to look at!

I thankfully come from several generations of people who were careful to pass their faith along. However, looking at all my relatives, I see that each generation was not equally successful at that with all of their children. I have had relatives that strayed pretty far from the fold! I can only be grateful for God’s grace and mercy with me. I am not to be judgmental toward people, but I am to make it clear that all of us are on equal footing before God, blessed by ancestors perhaps but not given a “free ticket” by them. That particular awareness was central to my major repentance when I was 24, and thankfully it seems to be present in my children. They have their own challenges with their children, but that’s out of my hands, apart from prayer. I have the additional factor of my many spiritual children. I am to keep teaching and coaching them, so that they may in turn teach and coach others, just as Paul said to Timothy. (2 Timothy 2:2) I am to remember human weakness, and keep my expectations in God alone.

Father, thank You for this reminder. I lead a 15 minute session in today’s online Coaching seminar, and then from tomorrow I will be speaking morning and night for three days straight. Help me communicate Your truth in Your words so that it will remain with my hearers, genuinely drawing them to You and opening their hearts to all that You want to do in and through them, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!