Tag Archives: Deuteronomy

Leadership Development!

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-Staying For The Long Term!

This past May marked 17 years of ministry at Morningside Bible Church for my wife and me.  I vividly remember that 1st weekend, of April 2003, when we came to candidate. After a potluck lunch, on Sunday, we gathered together in the gym for some Q & A time & someone asked me how long I could see myself staying here if the church called me to be their Teaching Pastor. I responded that whether it was me; or, some other guy, that the church really needed to call someone who would stay & oversee the ministry for the next 20-25 years.  I admitted that I couldn’t promise I’d be here for 20-25 years; but, that if I was called, I would come with that mindset & it would have to be an incredibly clear leading of the Lord to move us!

-Leadership Transition!

So, here we are 17 years later! I have more gray hear now; and, I think it’s wise to begin talking about a transfer of leadership; even, if it’s still 5-10 years away. We don’t want to be taken by surprise! It is something that we’ve talked about, from time to time, in our Elder meetings. Those were some of the thoughts that came to mind as I read about the successful transition of leadership, for the nation of Israel, from Moses to Joshua as told in the O.T. books of Deuteronomy & Joshua. So, let’s audit how one leader, Moses, birthed another leader, Joshua.

-Disciple A Leader!

In fact, I would suggest to you that a “leader” is what you’ll always get when you disciple someone effectively. You may make a disciple; but, a leader is the by-product. That’s what Jesus got! He took 11 men, &turned them into disciples who became leaders, of the early church, by the power of God’s Holy Spirit. And, it says they turned the world upside down after spending 3 1/2 years under Jesus leadership development; and, the church has thrived whenever it was actively making disciples & training up leaders.

-Long Term Success!

The story of Moses & Joshua is an O.T. example of that. The long term success of any institution is dependent on an effective transfer of leadership! While Moses officially passes the leadership baton to Joshua at the end of Deuteronomy, all the prep work was done during the 40-year interim between the Exodus, from Egypt; and, possessing the land.  It’s for that reason that we can say that Joshua’s story doesn’t really begin the book of Joshua, named after him. It’s where we 1st see him stepping into leadership; but, that ability was learned in the trenches from Moses.

-Investing In Leaders!

Before he could wear Moses’ shoes, Joshua had to live with Moses! He had to be at his side to observe the right way to lead & the wrong way to lead. And, Moses provided him with both good examples of leadership and bad! I can only assume, based on Moses’ humility & meekness, that he often debriefed with Joshua about leadership. You might recall that, early on, Moses began learning the nuances of mentoring, discipling & leadership development from his own father-in-law in Exodus 18. Jethro told him that he was wearing himself out trying to take on all the leadership responsibilities; and, he gave him a method for developing additional leaders; and, from that early lesson, it appears that Moses gained a passion for it. He personally selected & invested in leaders, none, more than Joshua! Next week we’ll spend the time to look specifically at several examples of the way Moses prepared Joshua to lead!

 

Don’t Forget To Remember!

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-Painful Memory Loss!

Depending on your translation, of the Bible, the word “remember” can be found some 165 times combined in the Old & New Testaments. It can be found in the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy 15 times, making it one of the keywords in the entire book! Memory is a terrible thing to lose! Just ask individuals who have watched a loved one suffer from Alzheimer’s or Dementia— diseases of the brain that slowly cause a decline in memory, thinking & reasoning skills!

-A Pelicans Free Lunch Program!

Loss of memory can be deadly; even, to a flock of California pelicans. A few years back it made the news that a flock of pelicans had come to observe how a fishing company began cleaning their catch each day at a nearby dock where they could conveniently discard the fish scraps into the water. The pelicans, drawn to the daily occurrence, soon gave up fishing for themselves & voluntarily domesticated themselves into a life of leisure, just hanging around the dock ‘til the fishermen showed up! But, when the fishing company discovered there was a market for fish scraps, the free meals disappeared & it wasn’t long before the pelicans took on an emaciated appearance that drew the public’s interest & a group of experts came to investigate!

-They Forgot How To Fish!

What they observed was, that, for some reason, the pelicans seemed unable or unwilling to snatch up the abundance of food, in the sea, that most pelicans gladly hunted! What they concluded, from the investigations, was that the pelicans were starving because they no longer remembered how to fish. Isn’t that crazy? Pelicans were created to fish; but, they failed to remember what pelicans do! Getting back to the book of Deuteronomy, there’s a very good reason why that word “remember” is found so frequently throughout the book.

-Remember The Last 40 Years!

Moses is speaking to the 2nd Generation of Israelites who had grown up over the last 40 years in their wilderness journey. All of the 1st Generation is dead except for Joshua, Caleb, and Moses. The people of Israel are at their last campsite before they cross the Jordan River & begin moving into the Promised Land of Canaan. They are back at Kadesh-Barnea for the 2nd time—the same place there were at almost 40 years previously after the Exodus, from Egypt, where they had listened to the bad report from the 10 spies & rebelled against God’s plan for them; and, they began wandering in the desert! So, Moses has gathered the people together so he could speak to them & help them to “remember” the last 40 years!

-Reaping The Consequences!

He also uses this time to rehearse God’s law with them! He exhorts them to have faith & to trust in God as they begin to take possession of the land. Directed by God’s Spirit, Moses is not assuming that this generation will remember the law & the promises that God made, in a covenant, with Israel back when they left Egypt. So, Deuteronomy sounds quite familiar, to the book of Exodus, as Moses restates all the instructions & laws. He reminds them of the consequences their fathers & mothers faced because of their sinful disobedience to God! In doing so, he tells them to “remember” that we always face unpleasant consequences when we fail to “remember” what God says in His Word.  Let us “remember” this lesson—you’re life will always reap bitterness when living contrary to God’s instruction in Scripture! Always!