DCLM Daily Manna Friday 28 July 2023 

TOPIC:  The Next Generation

TEXT:  Judges 2:6-10 (KJV)
6 And when Joshua had let the people go, the children of Israel went every man unto his inheritance to possess the land.

7 And the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the Lord, that he did for Israel.

8 And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died, being an hundred and ten years old.

9 And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnathheres, in the mount of Ephraim, on the north side of the hill Gaash.

10 And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the Lord, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel.

KEY VERSE
“And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel.” 
(Judges 2:10)

DCLM Daily Manna Friday 28 July 2023 MESSAGE

Success in leadership is measured by the ability of the leader to produce an effective and reliable successor who is able to carry on with the vision and even exceed the achievements of the predecessor. Many giant business networks have collapsed after a few years following the death of the founder. Many churches and ministries have deviated from their original stand while some have packed up because there were no leaders capable to carry on the vision received by the founder.

Our verses today record the end of Joshua’s leadership ministry and the beginning of apostasy in Israel. The ministry of Joshua and his immediate successors can be said to have been successful as the people under their leadership served the Lord all through their lifetimes. However, another generation arose which did not know the Lord nor His works in Israel. What followed was a cycle of falling and rising that characterised the remaining history of the nation.

READ DCLM Daily Manna Thursday 27 July 2023 – Faith That Works

Continuity can only be ensured when the present generation is careful, deliberate and very thorough in passing their values to the next generation. As parents and leaders in the church, we owe it as a very sacred duty to teach our children the ways of the Lord thoroughly and see to it that they are strong enough to carry on after we have gone.

Parents must also ensure they demonstrate these values through personal examples and lifestyles. Today’s generation owes the next a duty to ensure that a sound spiritual legacy is handed over to them that will help them continue in the Lord and raise sound succeeding generations.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
Building an enduring legacy comes through preparing the next generation today.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
2 Chronicles 34-36