As I write, we are witnessing a flurry of activity on international stock markets as investors seek to 'take profits' after steady gains over the last few months. I am always amazed at the urgency and diligence with which stock-holders monitor their investments, acting swiftly to prevent losses or capitalise on gains.
And as we rapidly approach the last days, I am reminded about Gods call for us to be urgent and diligent in tasks pertaining to the advancement of His kingdom particularly that of investing in the next generation.
 The problem is, an often repeated truth becomes an empty slogan its repetition slowly inoculates us into a mode of inaction, apathy and complacency!
At some point we mentally assented to the statements validity, and at the same time figured that we had taken it on board. But as time goes by, the initial urgency diminishes and we are left with a slogan.
Israel was blessed to have a leader like Moses, who took the trouble to groom a godly successor in Joshua.
However, every generation must adopt the same mindset. We must intentionally set about identifying, training and grooming the next generation because as we see at the beginning of the book of Judges, there was no one to carry on Joshuas good work and build on the gains that he had made.
Joshua had made great strides during his generation but unfortunately failed to hand on the baton to the next. The result many years of leadership instability and spiritual demise.
My constant prayer is for spiritual fathers to rise and invest in the next generation. And please, no more mere amens! Nike has a lot to teach us Just do it!
Like Joshua, we are in severe danger of succeeding in this generation but having no spiritual legacy in the next. We are not going to live forever&but there is still [just!] time, I believe, to determine whether we are going to leave behind a Joshua or a Judges generation.
At NECF, as we embark on a nation-building policy, we must not neglect to focus on the group who will be the pillars to sustain the current move of God in our land. The Joshua generation will be people with the energy to take the new territories that God is calling the churches of Malaysia into.
No doubt, as older men, we should have accumulated wisdom, experience and connections, but like Moses we also need the energy, strength and push of the younger men to bring Gods work to completion.
In my recent travels to Europe, I noted sadly that more than 80 percent of the churches there have congre-gations where the number of young people is less than 10 percent of the membership.
My concern for the nations, as for ours, is for the vitality and health of the Church of Jesus Christ in the generations to come.
Its time to be practical. Lets begin to just do it. Believe in our youths, encourage them, sponsor them and make room for them.
Without doubt, unlike the current stock market situation, it is time to buy, buy, buy as we seek to buy into and invest in tomorrows successors, today.
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