Marks of Leadership

When Joshua heard the Lord telling him, "...proceed to cross the Jordan..."  (Joshua 1:2), he must have been shaking in his sandals.  While he had felt the pressure of the hands of Moses upon him blessing him for leadership, the moment of blessing and the moment of facing the task of taking the people home was two different things.  It is always one thing to consider what God is calling us to do and another to get on with it.  Certainly, Joshua had plenty of time to think about it during those thirty days the Hebrews sat still mourning the death of Moses.    

It may be that the Lord sensed the apprehension in Joshua for in the divine words of commissioning which comes in the first nine of verses of the book bearing his name, Joshua is told to  "...be strong and courageous..."  (vs. 6, 7, 9).  Of course, Joshua had already proven himself as one who was made of both of those virtues so the words may have been a reminder to remember a time when he had been both strong and courageous when his was the minority opinion.   What is also very obvious from this part of the story is that the real spiritual leaders never stand alone, nor do they depend on themselves for the going forth.  Joshua kept hearing words from God like, "...I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you...do not be frightened or dismayed for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."  (Joshua 1:5, 9)  

This is one of the undergirding realities in the lives of spiritual leaders.  Their mission is not ego based and does not point to themselves, but is God driven and is about the work of the Kingdom of God instead of the person doing the leading.  There are a lot of would be leaders out there disguised as spiritual leaders. When the leader stays too much in the spotlight eager to take the accolades, it is always a good thing to take a second look before jumping on board.