Success

Monday, June 3, 2013

Moses, Israel’s first leader was dead.  God told Joshua to take Moses’ place to lead the people in possessing Canaan, the Promised Land.  Joshua had been there from the beginning – the plagues, the Exodus, gold calf, 40 years of wandering.  As Moses second in command he’d seen it all.  Yet in God’s first few sentences to the new leader, what dominates the Lord’s message to Joshua is “be courageous”.  It seemed hardly necessary; a bit of restating the obvious.  Joshua was already a man of courage and action. 

But, sandwiched in-between the “be brave’s” was the caution to let God’s Word be the glue that would hold together everything.  God told Joshua to constantly meditate on the Word, with the purpose of obeying it.  Ah….there’s the rub.  It’s easy to read and even understand – but, obeying requires a more industrial strength faith!

And that’s where God’s “be courageous” comes in.  Courage and success are linked.  It’s not a matter of summoning-up enough bravado, or false courage to convince others you are strong and capable (or even convince yourself).  To be courageous means to trust someone else’s strength; it means to have faith.

God told Joshua to meditate on all God said, put it into action and remind the people that everything depended on obeying the Word of God.  It takes faith to lead that way.

How do you lead in your home, school, business or community?