The NIV 365 Day Devotional

Faith is Personal

After Joshua’s death, the people of Israel became complacent. The passage says they “forsook” the Lord (verse 12), which means they turned away from him. But their turning away wasn’t toward nothing; they turned to other gods. As a result, they suffered. Why? Because they turned from the living, available God toward false gods, who only bring emptiness and loss.

The truth? We cannot borrow faith. Nor can we rely on our parents’ or grandparents’ faith to save us. Although the Israelites who entered the promised land with Joshua saw great deliverance and worshiped God with abandon, the next generation failed to do so. They didn’t personalize their faith; they chose not to pursue God for themselves. This led to a vacuum of belief.

It is a privilege to actively put our faith in God. Whether you’ve had faith examples through your family or you have no spiritual heritage, right now you have the opportunity to love and worship God with your whole heart.

Ask him to come near, even if you have ventured far. God loves to answer the prayers of those seeking him. He loves you.

Taken from the NIV Radiant Virtues Bible.