Saturday May 11
Our Great Commission
Joshua 1:1-9
1 After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, it came to pass that the LORD spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' assistant, saying:
2 "Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them--the children of Israel.
3 Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses.
4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the River Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your territory.
5 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you.
6 Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.
7 Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.
8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."
Everything rises and falls on leadership. Every failure can be attributed to a leadership failure. I believe God has given everyone the responsibility of leadership. Every person is a leader in some way. We are either leading others to do right and live a better life or we are leading others to do wrong and live a bitter life. As parents we are called to lead our children in the paths of righteousness. And first, we lead them by our examples.
This weekend is Mother’s Day, a special day that we recognize and honor our mothers. I heard a quote years ago that I believe is so true: “The hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rocks the world!” We all have the opportunity to make the world a better place to live by fulfilling our God given responsibility of leadership.
As we said yesterday, leaders need encouragement. Especially in our role as leaders we are going to meet the giants of discouragement and despair and will want to give up. When we study the Book of Joshua, we see that Joshua had to face the giants in the Promise Land and deal with all sorts of discouraging issues. What keeps leaders going when everything around them is falling apart and no one wants to listen.
In the first nine verses of Joshua 1, God gave Joshua at least three sources of encouragements. In verses 1-2, God gave Joshua a calling and a commission. In verses 3-6, God gave Joshua the promise of His presence. And in verses 7-9, God gave Joshua His Word that would give him assurance and guide him to success.
Joshua was called and commissioned to achieve at least three things: lead the people into the land, defeat the enemy, and claim the inheritance (vv. 3-6). Joshua was motivated every day by the fact that it was the LORD that gave him his calling and direction for his leadership for the people of Israel. When we know our calling is from the LORD Himself it should be a great source of encouragement.
In Matthew 9:36-38, Jesus looked on the multitudes and was moved with compassion because they were weary and scattered and like sheep without a shepherd. He then told His disciples, "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest."
The harvest fields are all the people of the world, and we have a great commission from the Lord in Matthew 28:19-20 and Mark 16:15, to preach the Gospel and tell these precious souls of God’s great love. This commission from the Lord should encourage us and motivate us today to tell someone about Jesus!
God bless!
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