From a young age we
are taught about “following the leader.” People talk about leadership all the
time. Hundreds of books, speakers, sermons, classes, and whole institutions
seek to instill “leadership qualities” into people. Why are we obsessed with
leadership?
There are probably
many answers for that question. I think one of the fundamental reasons that we
are all looking for leadership is because we were made to follow The Leader. We were created to report to a higher authority.
Our society seeks to raise up strong leaders, because we want someone that we
can follow.
Obviously I’m not saying
we don’t need human leaders, or that grooming leaders to be leaders is wrong.
But it shows us something about ourselves. We need someone to follow! We need a
commanding officer.
I think one of the
best biblical examples of leadership is Joshua.
Joshua was anointed
by God to lead the Israelites to the Promised Land. God gave him a “job
description”, and then empowered him to fulfill it.
God said to Joshua in
verse 1:8-9
“Keep this
Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you
may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and
successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be
afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever
you go.”
Wow, what an interaction. Imagine, God calling you to lead a nation.
Could you do it?
God called Joshua to lead a nation, but Joshua was not alone. Joshua was under
the authority of God. Look at this interaction in Joshua 5:13-6:2
“Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in
front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked,
“Are you for us or for our enemies?”
“Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in
reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord
have for his servant?” The commander of the Lord’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are
standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.
Now the gates of Jericho were
securely barred because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in. Then the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands,
along with its king and its fighting men.”
Joshua was a great leader, because he recognized that he was a servant to
“The Commander of the Lord’s Army.” He asked for the Lord’s leadership, and
followed it to a T. And guess what happened?
This great video will sum it up for you!
(what’s up with the childhood flashbacks?!)
Joshua, who
was not actually a cucumber (unfortunately),walked in faith, under the
authority of the true Leader. When we look back on the Old Testament nowadays,
we can see that “The Commander of the Lord’s Army” was Jesus. What a job title.
Jesus is our commander!
I want to
emphasize that the best way to fulfill our job description, laid out in Genesis
1:28 and last week’s blog post, is to know our Commander.
Once again,
remember the theme verse:
No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits,
since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him."
2
Timothy 2:4
If we don’t know our Commander, the one
who enlisted us, then how can we follow his leadership? How can we please him?
Joshua recognized his Commander, and he “fell
facedown to the ground in reverence.” Joshua turned out to be a very successful
leader, and he won many battles. He was so successful because he knew and
revered the Lord, and he followed the commands of the “Commander of the Lord’s
Army.”
We have to trust Jesus in his directions.
Everything He calls us to, He also empowers us to do it. And we trust that He is truly doing the best
thing for us. That is the mindset of a soldier. A soldier will “not be afraid” and
“not be discouraged,” because they can trust that “the Lord your God will be
with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)
We are no longer civilians, because we can
have a relationship with our Commander. We seek to please Him. And remember, “He
is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him” (John Piper quote,
used in last week’s blog.) I encourage you to know Jesus, your commander. I
encourage you to follow Him, because you were made to follow Him. We are all
made to follow a leader, and Jesus Christ is the perfect Leader. Lay down your
life, and stop worrying about civilian affairs. Your commander has called you
to a battle. Meditate on His words, His instructions, His battle plans, day and
night. Follow Jesus, your commander, for He knows what is best for you!
As always, if you ever have any questions, rebuttles, or you need prayer, or any clarification, please contact me via facebook (Tobin James Kriwiel), or comment on a post. Thanks for reading, I pray that you are blessed.
No comments:
Post a Comment