Joshua, like Moses before him, was by his life, obedience to God, and leadership, a powerful and formative influence among the people of Israel. While he and those of his generation who with him had experienced God’s deliverance and leading of Israel to the Promised Land still lived, the people were overall closer to God in their minds and hearts, and served the Lord in what He had commanded. This is not to say that there were no rebels or some who didn't choose otherwise during that time. The record shows that both through Moses’ time and the time of Joshua’s leadership some failed to obey God, incited rebellion against God’s leadership and paid dearly for their dissention and disobedience. It does seem however that the generation which grew under Joshua had overall a closer sense of God than the generation which followed, the latter being labelled in verse 10, as ‘not knowing the Lord or His works’! The net result was their abandonment of the God of their fathers. Effective leadership helps, there is however a sad human limitation in the influence we can exert on others, particularly those of the generation which follows our own. We can tell them, show them and teach them, but we cannot pass onto them our personal experiences - those they must desire and discover for themselves! Our love, fear and obedience of God and our efforts in serving Him then, should be most excellent and of the highest quality, reflecting the greatest faithfulness and deepest conviction, so that the next generation may have the best possible example to view, remember and follow. Whenever we lessen or compromise our stand for God even a little, we should think that the damage we are doing is not merely to ourselves and those of our immediate family, that would be bad enough, but we may also further disadvantage the chances of spiritual survival for the next generation.
http://www.pentecostalfamilychurch.com.au/devotion
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