THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL SERVED THE LORD ALL THE DAYS OF JOSHUA.
Joshua was their leader and under his leadership they experienced the mighty
power of God and they saw the work of God.

• They saw the Jordan river dry up so that they could cross over.
• They saw the walls of Jericho fall flat.
• They were the generation that experienced the power of God.
• They went through many hardships and sacrifices.
• They experienced the faithfulness of God in every circumstance.
• They were the generation that through the power of God conquered the land.
  THE NEXT GENERATION REAPED THE BENEFITS OF THEIR SACRIFICES AND THE
  HARD-FOUGHT BATTLES OF THEIR FATHERS.
• They had become interested in developing the land that God had given them
  and did not have time for God Himself.
  They grew up in prosperity.

1. They were dwelling safely in the cities that they did not build.
2. They were eating the fruit of the vineyards they did not plant.
3. They were enjoying the abundant riches that their fathers had taken from
   their enemies.
4. They did not have to experience sacrifice and hardship. They had not learned
   to trust in God.
5. With all these benefits just handed to them, they had time to pursue after
   pleasure, which soon became their God, so that we read that they served the
   gods of the Amorites.

Is this sound familiar? As I said earlier,
When they serve God, God prospers them and, in their prosperity, they forget
God and serve other gods. And over and over, and over.
Why does it seem to repeat itself throughout the history of the church? How
can we escape this cycle?
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, our next generation is growing up in this
world just like the 3rd generation of Israelites in the promised land.
It is time for us to evaluate our own personal life and see where we stand in the
relationship with our Heavenly Father.
In our prosperity did we forget our God?
In our prosperity are we serving other gods like self, job, wealth, status?

Kurian Varghese