Taking the Lead

"Now it came about after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, that the Lord spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ servant, saying, 'Moses My servant is dead; now therefore arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel. Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to you, just as I spoke to Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon, even as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and as far as the Great Sea toward the setting of the sun will be your territory.'" -Joshua 1.1-4

The time has come for Joshua to take on the leadership of Israel. Moses has fulfilled his role and God has taken him. Now God instructs Joshua to rise up and lead the people into their inheritance. What must have been going through his mind at this moment?

I remember when I took my first role as a lead pastor. I did not have the pressure of following in the footsteps of Moses, but at the time I was only 24, and stepping into a congregation that was made up mostly of people my grandparent's age. At first their was excitement about finally being able to do what I was called to do, and I thought it would be the first step in a bright future. Then there was the uncertainty. Having never done this before, not having a full grasp on everything that I would need to do, made me hesitant to even look for a position like this. And then there was my second Sunday on the job. I was called to the hospital to be with a family who didn't know if a husband, father, and grandfather was going to make it through the night. It was an overwhelming moment and I'll admit that I broke down and cried privately.

I was only responsible for a group of about forty, not over a million. I didn't have to follow the greatest leader Israel had ever known. But God had called me to lead, and to an extent I think I can relate to Joshua.

I'm sure there was some excitement, the time had come to enter the land, and he would get to lead the people forward. I'm sure he felt uncertain about leading such a multitude of people, following such a great leader. I'm sure the must have been a moment when he broke down in an overwhelming moment. But Joshua took the lead. He didn't rush forward in excitement, he waited for God. He didn't shrink back because of the unknown, or flee because of how big the job was. He listened to God, and moved forward.

Men, what happens when we are called to take the lead? Do we jump in with both feet out of sheer excitement, not pausing to consider the best course of action or even survey the situation? Do we look at the task at hand where we look at how inadequate we are either because of the job or the shoes we'll have to fill, and hide from the call? Do we look at the difficulty and simply run away, refusing to play the part God has called us to because it is too hard? Or do we wait for God to speak, trust Him, and move forward taking the lead by following Him?

God has created men to lead, and calls each of us to some form of leadership. Let us be men who patiently, and humbly take the lead. Let us not be too excited that we fail to count the cost. Let us not be afraid and refuse to act. Let us not be overwhelmed and run away. Let us trust God, depend on God, and take the lead.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor