“Leadership is not about titles, positions or flowcharts. It is about one life influencing another.”
JOSHUA 1-3
JOURNAL
Joshua steps into leadership after the death of Moses carrying enormous responsibility. He will lead a fearful people into unknown territory filled with battles, uncertainty, and resistance. What stands out is that God does not begin by giving Joshua military strategy or political wisdom. Instead, God gives him a discipline. He commands Joshua to be strong and courageous, but then immediately explains where that strength and courage will come from. They are not personality traits or emotional states. They are the result of devotion to God’s Word. God tells Joshua not to turn from the law to the right or to the left and to keep the Book of the Law always on his lips, meditating on it day and night. Joshua’s success would not come from talent, intelligence, or natural bravery but from daily submission to Scripture.
This strikes me deeply today. Committing my life to God cannot remain simply an emotional decision or spiritual intention. True surrender requires discipline. It requires structuring my life around knowing God through His Word. To follow Christ means committing not only my heart but my habits. Scripture becomes the place where strength is formed, where courage is cultivated, and where direction is clarified. When God calls Joshua to lead, He first calls him to read, to meditate, and to obey. Leadership begins with obedience long before it is ever visible to others.
The story of John the Baptist reinforces this same principle. Before John ever preached, before he influenced a nation or prepared the way for Jesus, Scripture says he grew strong in spirit while living in the wilderness. His public impact was preceded by private formation. Strength was built in hidden faithfulness. Both Joshua and John remind me that God shapes His servants long before He uses them publicly, and the common thread is immersion in God’s truth.
One of the gifts of reading the Bible each year is realizing how often I have read these passages without fully understanding them. Today it feels unmistakably clear that courage is cultivated, not felt. When I neglect Scripture, I drift toward fear, distraction, and my own limited understanding. When I return to God’s Word, my footing becomes steady again. God promises Joshua, “As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.” That promise still stands, but the pathway into living confidently inside that promise is daily engagement with His Word.
Following Christ means disciplining my life around Him. Reading Scripture is not a religious obligation but the training ground for faithfulness. Day and night, through repetition and reflection, God forms the heart capable of walking in courage and peace. Strength comes through surrender, courage grows through obedience, and both are sustained by knowing and living according to God’s Word.
Joshua steps into leadership after the death of Moses carrying enormous responsibility. He will lead a fearful people into unknown territory filled with battles, uncertainty, and resistance. What stands out is that God does not begin by giving Joshua military strategy or political wisdom. Instead, God gives him a discipline. He commands Joshua to be strong and courageous, but then immediately explains where that strength and courage will come from. They are not personality traits or emotional states. They are the result of devotion to God’s Word. God tells Joshua not to turn from the law to the right or to the left and to keep the Book of the Law always on his lips, meditating on it day and night. Joshua’s success would not come from talent, intelligence, or natural bravery but from daily submission to Scripture.
This strikes me deeply today. Committing my life to God cannot remain simply an emotional decision or spiritual intention. True surrender requires discipline. It requires structuring my life around knowing God through His Word. To follow Christ means committing not only my heart but my habits. Scripture becomes the place where strength is formed, where courage is cultivated, and where direction is clarified. When God calls Joshua to lead, He first calls him to read, to meditate, and to obey. Leadership begins with obedience long before it is ever visible to others.
The story of John the Baptist reinforces this same principle. Before John ever preached, before he influenced a nation or prepared the way for Jesus, Scripture says he grew strong in spirit while living in the wilderness. His public impact was preceded by private formation. Strength was built in hidden faithfulness. Both Joshua and John remind me that God shapes His servants long before He uses them publicly, and the common thread is immersion in God’s truth.
One of the gifts of reading the Bible each year is realizing how often I have read these passages without fully understanding them. Today it feels unmistakably clear that courage is cultivated, not felt. When I neglect Scripture, I drift toward fear, distraction, and my own limited understanding. When I return to God’s Word, my footing becomes steady again. God promises Joshua, “As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.” That promise still stands, but the pathway into living confidently inside that promise is daily engagement with His Word.
Following Christ means disciplining my life around Him. Reading Scripture is not a religious obligation but the training ground for faithfulness. Day and night, through repetition and reflection, God forms the heart capable of walking in courage and peace. Strength comes through surrender, courage grows through obedience, and both are sustained by knowing and living according to God’s Word.
No comments:
Post a Comment