Thursday, November
2, 2017
“Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead
these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give
them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses
gave you. Do not deviate from them,
turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you
do. Study this Book of Instruction
continually. Meditate on it day and
night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all
you do. This is my command—be strong and
courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged.
For the Lord your God is with
you wherever you go.” Joshua then
commanded the officers of Israel, “Go through the camp and tell the people to
get their provisions ready. In three
days you will cross the Jordan River and take possession of the land the Lord your
God is giving you.” Joshua 1:6-11(NLT)
In
the ordinary course of American politics a president takes the oath of office
in January every four years. I’ve
watched that on TV since John F. Kennedy in 1961. It is an impressive and presidential occasion.
One
question that is always present with me as I watch the event is about what is
going on in the mind of the one taking the oath of office. You have to wonder…amidst all the pomp and
circumstance, exactly what
is the person who is going to make all those decisions over the next four years
thinking.
You
didn’t have to guess about that for long with Joshua. As soon as Moses died God spoke to Moses’ protégé
and gave him some straightforward orders; in the next heartbeat Joshua began
leading by following all God had commanded.
The
most poignant of God’s instructions to Joshua was that he must be courageous,
not letting fear drive his leadership, but rather acting as a student of God’s
Word, carefully obeying the instructions of God. This is the key quality of a godly leader, one
who puts aside self, poll numbers and press reports in favor of pleasing
God.
The
best question a president, CEO, Boy Scout Troop Leader, pastor, teacher, father
or mother could ask of oneself is: am I leading my way or God’s way?
For You
Today
No
matter your station in life you do lead people.
Sometimes you’re elected, and sometimes it is simply because of the
place you’re in at the time. People will
follow because, at times, each of us needs someone else to lead.
And
so, a couple of questions about leading and following:
· What kind of leader do you follow?
· What kind of leader are you?
· And most importantly, what kind of leader are
you going to be?
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