Prepare the Next Generation
Daily Old Testament Reading: Numbers 26-30
Daily Focus Passage: Numbers 27
Moses recognized the importance of transitioning to new leadership when the proper time came. Moses knew that he could not enter the Promised Land because of his disobedience before the Lord, and he knew that the people needed a representative of the Lord to lead them in following the leadership of the Lord. So, Moses approached the Lord to identify an individual with whom Moses could invest to create the next generation of leadership. This critical act sets a model and truth for the significance of preparing the next generation of leaders today.
SEE THE NEED TO PREPARE THE NEXT LEADER
The people of Israel needed a representative leader who charged them and challenged them to follow the leading of the Lord. Moses served as a leader who guided the people to follow the movement of the Lord and called them to follow the Lord's ways, will, and directives. Moses recognized his time as leader was ending and saw the need for the people to have a new leader. Moses could have remained blind to this reality and attempted to lead without preparing another, but being an effective leader caused Moses to see the need to prepare the one to follow him.
In church leadership today, we must see the need to prepare those who will take our place. As a Sunday School teacher, a committee member, a person serving in various ministries, or an individual participating in any portion of the church's ministry, we must understand that part of the task of leadership is to see beyond our leadership timeframe. We must know the necessity of training someone to take our leadership role and prepare the next generation for continued faithfulness in following and serving the Lord.
SEEK THE LORD TO IDENTIFY THE NEXT LEADER
Moses did not trust himself to identify who called had ordained to lead the next generation. Moses intentionally sought the Lord so that the individual prepared by the Lord would be trained for the next leadership role. In seeking the Lord, Moses acknowledged his inability to identify the proper person because human nature would lead people to judge the next leader based on concepts of the world. Moses trusted the Lord to identify the next leader and to call him to the leadership. In seeking, the Lord revealed to Moses that Joshua, son of Nun, would follow Moses.
How do we identify individuals who need to be the next leaders? Do we look at people’s attributes of leadership based on the ideas and concepts of the world, or do we seek the Lord for his revelation? We must fight the urge to place people in leadership based on the metrics of humanity and seek the Lord to identify the people we must invest in to become the next generation of leaders.
SET A PROCESS TO TRAIN THE NEXT LEADER
Moses took Joshua under his wings and demonstrated how to lead the people under the leadership of the Lord—this strategic time of training allowed Moses to share the truth from his engagement with the Lord, his experience with the Lord, and his time leading the people. The investment was part of the training that prepared Joshua to lead the people into the Promised Land—the time of preparation served as a time of growing in a relationship with the Lord and learning how to lead from that relationship.
God has equipped us for a specific task. As we carry out this mission, we receive the call to follow the Lord’s leading and train others to carry on the torch of leadership. We must be strategic and intentional in teaching others, or we will neglect this responsibility. We must set a structure that allows us to invest in the lives of others and participate in the Lord’s work of leading his people.
