The Leadership Dare
Joshua 1:1-11, 16-18
Moses had been a great leader, but now it was time for him to pass the leadership role to Joshua. His God-given mission had been accomplished and now it was time for someone else to lead the lsraelites into the Promised Land. Joshua was appointed by God to be the next leader and had been trained for the task for 40 years by Moses.
God has a plan for everyone, but it can be accomplished only when His people are willing to surrender their will to His will, and Joshua had been submissive to God’s training through Moses. He was well prepared for the task that was before him: to lead the people to conquer the Promised Land.
After Moses’ death, the Lord spoke to Joshua and told him to lead His people across the Jordan into the Promised Land, and that He would be with Joshua just as He had been with Moses. Joshua had to be strong, courageous and obedient. God had given the laws to Moses, and if he obeyed every law and led the people to obey these laws, they would succeed.
Joshua called the leaders of lsrael to get the people ready to cross the Jordan so they could conquer the land the Lord had given them. He also called on the leaders of the tribes of Reuben, Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh, and reminded them of their agreement with Moses. The Lord had given them a homeland on the east side of the Jordan River, but their troops, fully armed, had to lead the other tribes across the Jordan to help them conquer their territory on the other side and stay with them until they conquered the land.
They agreed to follow through with their pledge to Moses and to obey Joshua as their commander-in-chief, just as they had obeyed Moses. ln order for a leader to accomplish his mission, everyone must agree with the leader’s plans and be willing to follow, support and obey him.
Just as God prepared Joshua for this great undertaking, He prepares those who are willing to surrender their will to His will. It took 40 years of training for Joshua to be prepared to be the leader of his people as they conquered the Promised Land. We owe much to those leaders who have gone before us and have prepared us to conquer our Promised Land. Now, with God’s guidance, it is our turn to train the next generation so that they will be prepared to enter and conquer their Promised Land.
Will you dare to be bold and accept the leadership position the Lord has for you?
Johnston– Lessons in the ETB series for the summer quarter are being written by Virginia Johnston, a member of First Baptist Church, North Charleston, where her husband Dan is pastor.