The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Joshua 1:1-4, “Now it came about after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, that the LORD spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ servant, saying,
2 “Moses My servant is dead; now therefore arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel.
3 “Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to you, just as I spoke to Moses.
4 “From the wilderness and this Lebanon, even as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and as far as the Great Sea toward the setting of the sun will be your territory.
5 “No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you.”

If you were asked to identify Israel’s greatest leader, who would it be? The answer is simple: whomever the LORD Him-self nominates. Undoubtedly, there were those in Israel who viewed Moses as their supreme leader. There will never be another leader like Moses! Yet, in time –the LORD’s time—their leadership changed. Moses died and the LORD replaced Moses with Joshua. He would lead that mighty nation of some millions of people. The LORD never allows His people to be without a leader.

I was a young preacher, serving in a small Missouri church. When I returned home from church that Sunday night, I learned that my home-church pastor had that day tendered his resignation. We were close friends, and I was pained at the thought of losing him. The next morning, I knocked on his home door and gave my best effort to dissuade him from resigning. Yet, my efforts were all in vain.

In time, my home church called another pastor. His leadership
style varied considerably from the former pastor; yet, I learned that when the LORD moves one man out, He moves another man in. The LORD is not without His servant-leaders.

Leadership styles do vary; yet when the predominant emphasis comes consistently from Scripture and focuses upon the LORD Jesus Christ, the responsibility of the congregation is to faithfully and prayerfully follow the leader.

Are you praying for the pastoral leadership of your church? You should be! For unless you’ve “walked a few miles in his shoes,” you have no idea of the multiple pressures that fall upon leadership.

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom