“No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Joshua 1:5)
In today’s passage, God hands over to Joshua the key promise behind Moses’ confidence as a leader and as a person. Over the course of his life, Moses had learned to believe this promise, and it gave him the courage to make hard choices, to do amazing things, and lead people under his influence.
The promise is simple: “I will be with you; I will never leave you.” We think of being an adult or a leader in just the opposite way. We grow up and away from our parents and teachers to lead our own lives, to be independent, to take care of ourselves, not to NEED anyone.
But that’s a lie. Real leadership, real maturity, is all about needing God more than anyone else. It’s about relying on God as the source of all of our strength and wisdom and courage. Moses knew and Joshua learned that leadership isn’t about the person in the top position; it’s about the God who supplies that person with everything he or she needs.
Think: God has promised all of His children, “Never will I leave you.” What does that promise mean to you? Does it help you to be any more confident or courageous in your everyday life?
Pray: Thank God for His promise to never leave or forsake you. Ask Him to help you to need Him more.
Do: Read Matthew 28:19-20 and notice the very last sentence of Matthew’s story of Jesus on Earth.