VERSE:
After the death of Joshua, the Israelites inquired of the Lord, “Who will be the first to fight for us against the Canaanites?”
— Judges 1:1

THOUGHT:
Why in the world were the Israelites so clueless as to what to do once Joshua died? Joshua 24:31 tells us that Israel served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua. In the book of Judges, we find that not too long after Joshua died the Israelites found themselves in rebellion. Joshua was taught and mentored by Moses, who trained him in the ways of God and prepared him for the mission in front of him. Joshua led the people of God into the Promised Land and conquered every city on the way. However, in the midst of all of the victories, Joshua left no successor. He was so focused on the mission at hand that he didn’t take the time to disciple someone who would take the baton after he died. There was no one raised up to wear Joshua’s mantel. They were left enquiring of the Lord “who will be the first to fight for us against the Canaanites?”

APPLICATION:
Do not get so caught up with God’s call on YOUR life that you forget God’s call for all generations. Do not neglect the generation that will follow you. God’s call on your life is always going to be to advance His kingdom to the ends of the earth, and the next generation needs to be raised up to know how to do that. Train up your children to make disciples of their children who will do the same thing. Pray that God would help you keep a generational mentality.

PRAYER:
Heavenly Father, teach me how to advance your kingdom to the ends of the earth, and help me instill those principles into the next generation. I pray that the next generation will not forget the principle of generational training, and that they will teach their children what we taught them. In Jesus’ Name I pray, AMEN!