This week at reunion we talked about "Passing the Baton" and how God prepared Joshua to become the leader of Israel after Moses. We looked at a few passages of scripture that revealed to us how Moses did his part in preparing for a smooth exchange of leadership. In Exodus 24:13-14 we see how Joshua was groomed by being Moses aide. Deuteronomy 34:9 shows us how he was filled with the spirit of wisdom and in Numbers 27:22-23 Joshua is commissioned as Moses laid his hands on him. God had a plan in how transitions in leadership were to be done smoothly. He wasn't going to drop the baton.

And this isn't the only example....

As Jesus approached the end of his ministry on earth, he prepared those to whom he was going to pass the baton, those who were going to be the leaders in the early church. If we study the gospels, we see how he did this. In Matthew 26:36-44 we see how Jesus chose just a few to be with him in his intimate moments with God. While there were 12 who were his disciples, we see that of those 12 he had a small group of three that he invested even more of himself into. Peter, James and John spent time with Jesus that helped them become strong leaders.

In John 13 we see how Jesus prepared his disciples for his departure by modeling the role of a servant leader. And in John 14:15-17 Jesus lets his disciples know that the Spirit of truth will be with them. He was preparing these men to take the baton.

God has created a master plan for all of us. He has given us his word and provided the model of how we are to be the leaders that he wants all of us to be. Are you preparing yourself to be ready to take the baton as it is being passed to you? Or are you preparing those who are to come after you?

Parents, how are you modeling the type of person you want your kids to become? How are you preparing them to be the future leaders in the church? You can begin by talking to them about what they learned about Joshua this week and how God uses us to accomplish his plans.

Steve