Unknown FeedStarting my prep for this weeks message. The topic is JEALOUSY. Looking at the relationship between Saul and David. I think this is a HUGE issue for all of us…especially pastors! So I guess I’ll have probably have some extremely authentic illustrations this Sunday. Should be a fun week…
Another one of my core values is leadership. Strong, godly leadership is essential in our homes and in our churches. When I think of examples of leaders from the Bible, I immediately think of Joshua. About 4 years ago I did a message series on Joshua and his fearless leadership qualities. Here’s a few of the leadership lessons from one of my messages in that series.
Lesson #1: A leader must learn to take orders from those over them.
Sometimes we might not like our assignment or our position or our lack of authority, but our job is to follow orders! Joshua went through a leadership boot camp under the supervision of Moses. He had to experience the life of a subordinate first in order to become a great leader.
Lesson #2: A leader must learn to be completely dependent upon God for wisdom.
Joshua got the privilege of spending a lot of time with Moses in the presence of God…imagine being able to witness Moses and God talk as friends! God wanted Joshua to learn the source of Moses’ strength…that it came from a personal relationship with Him. Why else would God let Joshua have a peek inside and witness this personal relationship.
Lesson #3: A leader must be willing to stand alone or in the minority when he is standing for what is right.
Remember the spy mission? There was a dispute in the report of the 12 spies. Only Joshua and Caleb believed their God was powerful enough to conquer the land of Canaan. God wanted Joshua to learn early on in his life that being a leader will often mean standing alone.
Lesson #4: It takes time to prepare to be a fearless and faithful leader of others.
Joshua’s prominence in Israel came only after many years of dedicated service to God. Joshua faithfully served Moses. Joshua proved himself worthy of being trusted as a leader. It actually took 40 years, but Joshua’s faithfulness paid off. Many people today want to be leaders, but they want to bypass the process of demonstrating faithfulness over a period of time. The steroid crisis in sports is a prime example of people taking short cuts to success. To become a great leader, we must be willing to put in the time…being faithful over what God has given us to do.
Lesson #5: A leader must realize the unique balance between dependence on God and confidence in the strengths and abilities that He has created in him.
Without question, God used the MAN Joshua to achieve His goals. But Joshua knew it was GOD Himself who would truly guide and direct Israel. It’s God’s power who rolled back the water of the Jordan so they could cross. It’s God’s strength which caused wall of Jericho to collapse. It’s God wisdom allowing Joshua to strategize against enemies. This is a divine mystery…God does use our faithfulness, our commitment, and our human capacities and capabilities. But in reality, without Him, we’ll accomplish little…and what we do achieve may turn out to be wood, hay or straw without lasting results.
Lesson #6: A leader must begin to serve God now in order to prepare for future responsibility.
It takes time & preparation to equip us to handle important spiritual responsibilities. We must spend time faithfully serving God in less demanding roles while learning from more mature and experienced people…we all need MENTORS! Joshua’s strength was deeply rooted in the lessons he learned from Moses – his example, role model and mentor.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.
4 Quick Thoughts for today:
Check out this incredible evangelistic video from Francis Chan. It’s about 15 minutes long…but well worth your time. Then pass it on to others you know that need to see it.
One more list…the day after:
More that I am thankful for…
I’m going to post some random things that I am thankful for over the next few days…
I am thankful for…
I don’t pray for illustrations…but it’s always a little scary when you do a series on a topic like Stress Relief. It’s like God says, I want to make sure you really feel what you are saying. You say you want to be authentic…so here’s a chance to put what you preach into practice. No, I’m not complaining…just laughing at how God works.
I got home last night at Midnight from 2-day somewhat exhausting conference. So for a few minutes this morning my wife and I were trying to rehearse the next 10 days of activities and how we were going to make it all happen. Then I said…what were my points last Sunday about dealing with Stress from Busyness? Oh yea…I need to RELAX. I need to let God restore my soul.
We all have a lot to manage in our lives…we just need to remember to relax and focus on what matters most. I’m working on that…
I just read this in a Church Leadership Weekly e-mail I subscribe to…and it was too good not to pass on. Yes, we’ve heard this same stuff before…but we ALL need these reminders!
These lessons come from Jimmy Draper. Many have been greatly influenced by his ministry. He is known by those close to him as a man who lives out these lessons. They are:
I was reading from Luke 17 this morning and verse 10 jumped out at me. Jesus was speaking here and he said, “When you obey me you should say, ‘We are not worthy of praise. We are servants who have simply done our duty.’”
This thought hit me…how often do we want to be praised simply for doing our duty? How often do we want praise for simply being obedient to God? As his servants our obedience should just be natural. He deserves that. We don’t deserve praise for simply behaving ourselves. In fact if our obedience to God is done in an attempt to gain praise…we’ve got the wrong motive. We should simply obey and serve God because He is our loving master and Saviour.
