The Greatest Generation

Read: Judges 2:6-11

…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 

     Journalist Tom Brokaw used the term the “greatest generation” to describe the men and women who lived during the Great Depression and then went on to fight in World War II. He used that term because, as he said, “It is, I believe, the greatest generation any society has ever produced.” He felt that they were fighting, not for fame or recognition, but because it was the right thing to do. They perpetuated American ideas and patriotism. Those beliefs are what gave them the drive to propel America through those rough years. Their children, known as the baby boomers, however, went in almost the exact opposite direction as their parents. They were coddled and spoiled by their parents, and the second generation became associated with the rejection or redefinition of traditional values. That generation was part of the hippie movement that, in many respects, was about as anti-American as possible. In just one generation, America went from one of the greatest periods it’s ever known to, arguably, one of the worst.

    This is precisely what happened in the book of Judges during Joshua’s time with the generation that came after his. Sadly, it is also what is happening today within Christianity. Many young people are leaving the foundational principles of the Word of God for a more modernistic approach and reasoning, and it has left a gaping hole in Christianity. We are only one generation away from losing all of Christianity. Because the great Christians of today cannot live forever, the only way that Christianity can be perpetuated is through the generations that come after them. If those generations do not adhere to the Bible, then the truths found within, while they will never change, will be lost.

     The good news is that Christianity will stay alive as long as there remains one faithful Christian upon the earth. So, here’s how to make sure that your generation can be spiritually successful. First, make sure you are saved. Nothing solid can be built if there is no foundation upon which to build it. Secondly, be sure you have surrendered your life to the Lord to be used any way that He sees fit. Lastly, live your life for God. It sounds very simple, but it is easy to be sidetracked by the devil’s allurements. Stay focused on doing what is right. I believe that the next generation does not merely have to survive, but that it can thrive for Jesus Christ. It truly can become the “greatest spiritual generation,” if you will do your part to make it that way.

Quote of the day: “We pine for what we don’t have, but we don’t nourish what we already do.”