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For many years, I have looked at the following verse as a target for my own life, leadership, and influence:

Israel served the LORD throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the leaders who outlived him — those who had personally experienced all that the LORD had done for Israel. (Joshua 24:31 NLT)

I want those I love, lead, and influence to faithfully and passionately live for God! I hope that when the final chapter of my life is written that people can say that God used me to inspire others to live for him!

Yet as powerful as this description is, Joshua, Caleb, and those they drew into their circle of leadership failed in one crucial area: their faithfulness, their experience of God, their physical and spiritual vitality was not passed on to future generations. When this circle of faithful leaders passed from the scene, God's people enter one of the darkest eras of Israel's history — a period of repeated moral failure called the period of the Judges.

This observation should stir and humble each of us. In an era where patience is considered a weakness rather than a virtue and urgency dominates our every plan and perspective, we must hear the warning of Israel's history — even if it casts a shadow on some of our greatest heroes! We must live for more than just our own time.

The apostle Paul knew the heart of this issue. He urged his "son in the faith," Timothy, to do the following:

Timothy, my dear son, be strong with the special favor God gives you in Christ Jesus. You have heard me teach many things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Teach these great truths to trustworthy people who are able to pass them on to others. (2 Timothy 2:1-2)

He lived intentionally to pass along faith.

Paul heard the message of Israel's past. While he lived with passion and urgency in the present, he also lived intentionally to pass along faith into the future "generationally."

Notice in his message to Timothy, he urges Timothy to see 4 generations as the target of faith.

1. me (Paul)
2. you(Timothy) and many witnesses
3. reliable witnesses
4. others

Look Great, Feel Great: 12 Keys to Enjoying a Healthy Life Now by Joyce Meyer Joyce guides us to a healthier way of living, reminding us that turning every issue over to God gives us the strength to make lasting changes.

Phil Ware is minister of the Word at Southern Hills Church of Christ in Abilene, Texas. For the past 10+ years, he has also been co-editor of HEARTLIGHT Magazine. For more details, click here.

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