Leadership lessons from Joshua

Joshua 4

⁴ So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, ⁵ and said to them, "Go over before the ark of the LORD your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, ⁶ to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, 'What do these stones mean?' ⁷ tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever."

Some believe the axiom that leadership is influence. The leader knows his influence is specifically useful for the mission set before him or her. For the most part leaders influence those people whom they have direct or indirect contact with. Now with advancements in technology direct contact may mean communication via the internet or cell phone as well as face-to-face interaction. Today, the leaders influence is expansive to say the least. Nonetheless, the Kingdom leaders influence is even vaster. In looking at the nature of the Kingdom leader’s influence, we are introduced to a broader paradigm when we are considering the leaders function in the Kingdom of God. In the Kingdom the leaders actions not only affect those people who he or she has contact with whether directly of indirectly, but they will affect their progeny for all time as well. Look at the text in vs. 5 - 6 God command’s Joshua to take up a stone from the River Jordan and place it on the opposite bank. What was the purpose of this action? “The purpose was to serve as a sign… In the future, when your children ask you, 'What do these stones mean?' ⁷ tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.” The stone that Joshua was commanded to set up were to be a memorial to God’s power and faithfulness. The scope of Joshua’s influence here is remarkable…vs. 7 says “These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever." The Scriptures makes it clear Joshua’s influence would last forever. Joshua’s obedience to God leads to the establishment of a eternal reminder of God’s faithfulness. Joshua’s obedience would influence believers for millenniums to come. Rarely do leaders think about legacy usually that term is used within the context of family; however, in the Kingdom its inhabitant are family and for the kingdom leader his or her influence is just as big as is their family is great. Leadership is influence; the leader knows his or her influence is designed to accomplish a mission. With the advancement in technology the leaders influence is expansive to say the least. However, the Kingdom leader’s authority is even larger. In the Kingdom the leaders actions not only affect those people who he or she has contact with whether directly of indirectly, but they will affect their progeny for all eternity.