The time will come when the next generation will step in to lead the Church. Will we have been investing into them in preparation for this inevitable change? Older ones – who are you investing – spending time, praying for, showing interest - in? Will you let all of your experience die with you or will you share it? Younger ones – are you strategically spending time with older Christians you admire?
“Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him…Give him some of your authority so the whole Israelite community will obey him.”
~ Numbers 27:18,20
“Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him…Give him some of your authority so the whole Israelite community will obey him” Numbers 27:18,20.
Moses was one of the most powerful leaders in history. This photo I took is the view of the promised land from Mount Nebo where he died. He had led the Israelites through this kind of territory for forty years – phenomenal! Charlton Heston played Moses in the 1956 movie The Ten Commandments. 10,000 Arabs were hired to play the Israelites leaving Egypt, and as Heston would walk through the crowd, they would murmur “Moussa! Moussa!” Such is the lasting legacy of this man.
All that said, he was not allowed to go into the Promised Land but could only see it from afar on Mount Nebo. The reason why is the subject of another blog – suffice to say that his time was done, and it was now time for a younger man to take the helm. This man was Joshua, who had studied under and worked with Moses for a long time – he would be the one to lead the people into the promised land.
This is true for you and me also. The time will come when the next generation will step in to lead the Church. Will we have been investing into them in preparation for this inevitable change? Older ones – who are you investing – spending time, praying for, showing interest - in? Will you let all of your experience die with you or will you share it? Younger ones – are you strategically spending time with older Christians you admire? What if you bought them coffee once in a while and asked some well-placed questions? Someone has said we all need three people in our life: a Paul (older, wiser spiritual mentors); a Timothy (a younger person showing spiritual promise); and a Barnabas (an encourager).
Let me leave you with this challenge – to prayerfully ask the Lord to lead you and then keep your spiritual eyes open!
This Sunday evening, I will be sharing a travelogue of our recent trip to Israel and Jordan. I want to show some pictures and tell some stories that I hope will fire your imagination and your love for the Holy Land. 7pm in the Coffee Connection – I’ll take 45 minutes to an hour – we’ll have a good time together!
Pastor Leon Throness
