Leadership lessons from Joshua

Joshua 3:7

⁷ And the LORD said to Joshua, "Today I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses.

It is especially important to have a balanced perspective when it pertains to the Kingdom of God. Many times when people articulate what they would consider the values of the Kingdom, without truly understanding the heart of the King, they derive false conclusions and end up in frustration. God’s heart is souls and he will do everything righteously possible to save them. How do we know that? John 3:16 states "This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn't go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again.” God cares so much for people that he is willing to take any measure to make that happen even exalting a leader at the risk of him or her falling into pride. Every believer should know how much God hates pride…Proverbs 6:16-17 There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him: ¹⁷ haughty [proud] eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood…” Pride is the cancer of the Kingdom of God. However, anyone knows that being exalted is one of the fastest ways of developing a spirit of pride. Yet, we see two amazing things about God’s decision to exalt Joshua that gives us a balanced perspective on being exalted in the Kingdom. 1) God trusted Joshua to handle the type of fame that would come his way because of his success as a general. 2) Joshua’s exaltation was for one purpose. Verse 7 says “so they may know that I am with you.” So, we understand that God does not have any issues exalting His Kingdom leaders; however, they must be trustworthy and understand that the only purpose for their fame is to make the name of their God famous! It is imperative to understand God cares so much for people that he is willing to do anything to save them; even exalting a leader at the risk of him or her falling into pride.