Leadership lessons from Joshua

Exodus 17

It is interesting how promotion happens in the Kingdom of God. Outside the Kingdom of God promotion usually happens in a variety of ways: an individual is promoted because he or she is in the family, a person is so successful they are put into a leadership position, someone is a good “fit” for an organization, or lastly because a relationship between the successor and the succeeded will result in benefits for the one who is succeeded, (i.e. a CEO gives up the reigns of leadership to a successor who will ensure the CEO and his or her family is taken care of after the leadership transition.) However, in God’s nation we see something completely different. We see that even in leadership succession, trusting Him is essential. In Joshua 1:1, after, Moses’ death we see God not only promoting Joshua but spreading his fame among the nations. Interestingly, it looks like God had his eye on Joshua for a while. Look at Exodus 17:8 – 17; roughly twenty years before God promoted Joshua, here in Exodus we see the first mention of the soon to be leader of Israel during the battle against the Amalekites. In vs. 9 we see Moses commanding Joshua to “Choose…some men and go out, fight with Amalek.” The Scriptures don’t say exactly why Joshua was chosen to lead this military campaign against the Amalekites, but after God supernaturally gave the Israelites the victory (vs. 11) we see the Lord say something very peculiar to Moses regarding the young leader: in vs. 14 “Write this for a memorial in the book and recount it in the hearing of JOSHUA, that I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.” The point, true promotion in the Kingdom comes from God not from man. And, the question is: “Can we trust God to raise-up godly leaders?”

John 2 devotional

John 2: 11

This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.

Application: Have you ever had the thought your issues were so small God could not possibly care about them? Or, you may have even asked, does God care about me at all? Well my friend fortunately the answer is a resounding yes; God does care about you!!!! That is why He sent Jesus to show you how much He does care and not only does he care about your soul, he also cares about your “little issues as well.” The story when Jesus turned water into wine is a great example of how much he does care about our “little issues.” Jesus was invited to go to a wedding of a friend of his mother. During the wedding a most disgraceful thing happened. They ran out of wine! Today, that is almost like getting kicked out of a church on the day of your wedding because you wrote a bad check to pay for the space! How embarrassing. Well, Jesus’ momma would have none of that she went right over to Jesus and asked him to help them. What was Jesus response? “Ma’am, what does your concern have to do with Me?” Jesus often did this. He was not being rude to His mom. What he was doing was letting his disciples who were sitting around Him know that this was not His issue but his mom’s. Now his disciples, who had never seen Him perform a miracle, must have been thinking ‘Man, this young couple is going to be so embraced there is no hope for them, what a shame!’ However, Jesus had other plans, once he established this issue was the couples and His mothers, He was able to reveal the heart of God. How did he do that? By giving this poor couple, who could not even afford enough wine for their wedding party, a finical blessing that lifted them from poverty to plenty. LOOK at verse 6 again! It says there were six water pots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons of water. Think about it twenty or thirty gallons is about the size a baptismal pool. And, there were six of them! So on the last day of a week of celebrating a wedding Jesus turns six baptismals full of water into six giant wine bottles!!!! Did you think they sold any of it? Why did Jesus do it? Because he did care about their issues, and do you know what he cares about yours as well. Jesus’ actions showed the heart of God by blessing in abundance the friend of his mother. My friend, Jesus cares about the mundane needs of everyone’s life, even yours! God cares about the small details in your life; God cares about you!

Three action steps:

1. Take the time to memorize this verse.

2. Think of one time when God actually helped you out in a small matter.

3. Write down when you knew God actually answered one of your prayers.

The Way of Love

1 Corinthians 13

1 If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don't love, I'm nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. 2If I speak God's Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, "Jump," and it jumps, but I don't love, I'm nothing. 3-7If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love.

Love never gives up.

Love cares more for others than for self.

Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.

Love doesn't strut,

Doesn't have a swelled head,

Doesn't force itself on others,

Isn't always "me first,"

Doesn't fly off the handle,

Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,

Doesn't revel when others grovel,

Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,

Puts up with anything,

Trusts God always,

Always looks for the best,

Never looks back,

But keeps going to the end.

8-10Love never dies. Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit. We know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about God is always incomplete. But when the Complete arrives, our incompletes will be canceled.

11When I was an infant at my mother's breast, I gurgled and cooed like any infant. When I grew up, I left those infant ways for good.

12We don't yet see things clearly. We're squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won't be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We'll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!

13But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.

The point...you can be God himself but without love you would have nothing. Not my words they are His. vs 1 - 7

For the believer we need to focus on growing in our love because it is the one quality we will utilize for all eternity. 8 - 13

The World is now truly yours!

John 1 devotional
John 1: 10 – 12
He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become the children of God, to those who believe in His name.
Do you ever wonder why you don’t fit in with the crowd? Or, why the harder and harder you try to be like other people the harder and harder it is to stay happy? The reason for that weird feeling is that you are different. You don’t fit in with the crowd. And, that is the truth my friend. You may be asking, “Why don’t I fit in with the crowd?” Well, God has placed something in your heart that will not allow you to settle for anything less than the absolute truth. Now, when most people are confronted with that truth, they turn the other direction because they don’t like what the truth says about them. But, you are different; because you have made the choice to accept the truth as it is and you did not run from it, God has blessed you. As a result of your choice, God has given you the greatest treasure any man or woman could ever receive—eternal life. Eternal life comes from accepting Jesus Christ as your Savior. Jesus Christ is the truth and since you have accepted him as your Lord and Savior and have been filled with His Holy Spirit, you have just begun a journey without ending: a journey that will lead you to an understanding of who God is, whom you are, and why you were born? John 1: 12 says, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become the children of God, to those who believe in His name.” Because you have put your trust in Jesus you now have become God’s baby. As a result of being God’s child, you now can receive the benefits of having God’s last name. The World is now truly yours!

Booker T. Washington

Booker T. Washington