trbccoffeebreak

“After them another generation rose up who did not know the Lord or the works He had done for Israel.” Judges 2:10b (HCSB)

How could something so right go so wrong? Isn’t that what we always wonder? Don’t know about you but I thought the Children Of Israel had finally gotten it right. Into their Promised Land they arrived. Totally free, unencumbered – nothing holding them back. Joshua’s generation faithfully worshipped the Lord during his lifetime and even during the life of the elders who came after him. Sounds like the perfect ending to a long awaited journey.

But then a new generation arrived on the scene and these people didn’t know the Lord. They didn’t endure the injustice and slavery of Egypt. They didn’t witness the Red Sea parting. They didn’t know the wonder of watching miracle after miracle happen. They didn’t step foot into the Promised Land and realize their shoes and clothes had not worn out after 40 years of wandering in the wilderness. They didn’t witness the walls of Jericho crumbling down. They didn’t fight off the enemies and claim their inheritance. But their parents, grandparents – the generation before them did.

So what went wrong……..somewhere down the generational line a forgetting took root. A failure to remember God’s goodness in a land of desperation. A slipping away from re-telling the amazing departure from slavery and the God who stayed before them and behind them all the way. Somewhere down that line an incredible heritage rich in God’s mercies didn’t fall on their ears.

This promising generation – the one who came after reaping the bounty and reward of those who went before them. Blessed beyond all measure yet found themselves wandering not in a desert but abandoning the one true God.

Let’s not repeat this same mistake. Tell them, sweet friend tell them the old, old story of Jesus and His love. Don’t let our faith end with us. Invest, teach, share, repeat, disciple and then keep walking forward. Ensure they know about our God so that when the enemy raises his head, they won’t mistake him for the truth. Instill deep faith by living our faith out loud. Invite conversations where God is lifted up and worship flows. Make sure those who come behind us have no excuse to not fall absolutely in love with our Jesus.

“Father, we know You and we want to tell our world all about You. Remove forgetting – don’t let it take root – help to never lose sight of how glorious You are.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life