Joshua 1:1-6 - After the death of Moses the
servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and
all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about
to give to them—to the Israelites. I
will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. Your territory will extend from the desert to
Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the
Mediterranean Sea in the west. No one
will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with
Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Be strong
and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore
to their ancestors to give them.
How’d you like to be the leader to
follow Moses? Such was the task given to
Joshua. Not only that, he is given the
task of finishing what Moses was supposed to do – lead the Israelites into the
promised land. Joshua had the blessing
of Moses to do this, but still, how hard would that be? It had to be hard for Moses to not get to
finish the task of his lifetime and to still be gracious enough to bless Joshua
to do in his place. How hard for Joshua
to try and walk in Moses shoes.
So today we celebrate leaders with
the humility of Moses and the courage of Joshua. These two Old Testament heroes move God’s
promise to Abraham forward through the establishment of a homeland for God’s
chosen people that endures to this day.
So have others in our own day. Take some time to thank God for the
leaders that have made God’s promise more real to you. If you have the opportunity, tell them what
they have meant to you. If they have
already passed, thank God for them. I
will name one of mine here.
His name is John Ortberg. I don’t know him personally, but I have
followed his career, listened to his sermons and read his books since I was a
first year full-time pastor twenty-eight years ago. His ministry has shaped my own and helped my
faith to grow more than any other one influence in my life. He helped grow two different churches into
ministries of international significance.
I thank God for him.
Who are your spiritual heroes and
why? Maybe you never thought about it,
but I believe there is value in taking time to remember that you didn’t get
where you are by yourself. It helps you
be motivated to do the same for those coming up after you. I’m
guessing that it did indeed pain Moses not to be able to lead God’s people into
the promised land. However, I’m quite
sure that if he couldn’t do it, there is no one Moses would have rather see do
it than Joshua. Who are your Moses’s and
who are your Joshua’s?
Prayer: God thank you
for the leaders that have made us who we are.
Help us to do the same for others.
Amen
Prayer Focus: Pray
for God to raise up a new generation of leaders to carry God’s kingdom forward
in this critical time.
Song: Josh Groban –
Thankful
No comments:
Post a Comment