Leaders, Remember The Final Destination
This year I started reading the Bible from beginning to end. Right now I am at the end of the book of Numbers. Honestly, it isn't always captivating, it can be repetitious, and (from a leader's perspective) the Israelites can be very upsetting. After reading 3 books in the Bible on the Israelites' journey in the desert toward the promised land and Moses' experience leading these people, I started to get fed up.
I understand the sacrifice, energy, faith, heart, and hardships that goes into leading people. The Israelites' constant rebellions and unfaithfulness to God had me frustrated. I really sympathized with Moses and imagined myself in his shoes. I imagined how disheartened he must have been, how exhausted he felt (not just in leading a nation, but in leading a people that constantly turned on him), and how stressful his position was. I imagined him wanting to quit every other day.
As I thought about Moses, it dawned on me that even though he was the man God could count on and who was closest to Him, it didn't get him into the promised land any faster. He couldn't get there until the Israelites (the people God placed him over) were ready (and even then he didn't get to set foot on it-more on that later). God began to use Moses' experience in the desert to teach me more about leadership. The main point He taught me is that we cannot confuse checkpoints (what's temporary) for the final destination. Our main goal in ministry is to see people get saved and raise up more people that can go out and spread the message of salvation. Heaven and a relationship with God are the final destination (not a small group, church, ministry, sexual orientation, or new life stage).
I learned that it is important for leaders to keep in mind that you will be where God has your sheep (the people He has placed you over). Moses had to wait with his people an extra 40 years as God punished those who were unfaithful to Him. Here's what happened: God commanded Moses to send a group to explore the land of Canaan, which He promised to give the Israelites (Numbers 13:1-25). All the men who had gone except for Joshua and Caleb painted a terrible and hopeless picture for the people and discouraged them from going in to take the land (Numbers 13:26-33). This caused the people to raise their voices and cry that they should have been left to die in Egypt (in fact, they began to think about going back; Number 14:1-4). Moses, Aaron, Caleb and Joshua were distressed. Caleb and Joshua tried to encourage the people to take heart, but the people only became angry and planned to stone them (Numbers 14:5-10). God was enraged by their faithlessness and punished the people, claiming, "Your children will be shepherds here for forty years, suffering for your unfaithfulness, until the last of your bodies lies in the desert" (Numbers 14:10-35).
Moses was ready to go at God's command, but because the people had been faithless and chose not to trust in God's promise, the people were set back another 40 years on their journey to the promised land. Some of us get caught up in temporary destinations. If the goal of Moses' ministry had been to get people to the promised land, then Moses would have been allowed to go on ahead in the journey to Canaan with Aaron, Caleb, Joshua, and the children. But, that's not what happened. God didn't release them. He still expected Moses to be a spiritual leader to the people as they served out their punishment and lived the rest of their lives. He was still expected to lead the unfaithful because even though they did not reach the promised land, they may still be able to reach Heaven.
Even when it looks hopeless and your people aren't moving forward, if these are the ones God has for you to lead, than you need to continue to lead them. In leadership, it is easy to want to leave behind those who are not getting it and who aren't ready in order to run into the "promised land" or the vision God has given you. Maybe God gave you a vision of what your ministry, group, or church could be, but you can't just cut out the people who are unfaithful and move forward unless He has directed you to do so. They may not ever reach the temporary place you are hoping for them to get to, but in the time they are with you, you may be showing them how to have faith and be pointing them to God.
Moses didn't get to go to the promised land. I believe it is because he gave up on his sheep. He got tired of being God's image for the Israelites. We can see this through his attitude toward the people in Numbers 20:1-13. The Israelites journeyed to the Desert of Zin, but there was no water for them so they grew hostile. Again they opposed Moses and Aaron, wished they had died before, and complained about being brought out of Egypt. When the two leaders approached God about the situation, He told them, "Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink" (verse 8). God's instructions could not have been clearer. Unfortunately, Moses did what God told him to, but not in a way that showed that God still was interested in the concerns and livelihood of his sheep. He called everyone together and said, "Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?" Then, he hit the rock twice and water gushed out (verses 10-11).
Moses was understandably frustrated, but that did not give him any leeway with God, who said to him and Aaron, "Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them" (Numbers 20:12). Neither of the men had mentioned that God was giving the people water. They just grudgingly provided for the need. Sometimes we get that way. When people aren't where we want them to be and it seems that they won't even get there, we sometimes continue to serve them but stop ministering to them. Moses treated the promised land as the final destination rather than getting his people to Heaven and so he lost sight of the fact that he still had to show the people how to honor God as holy.
Even when you "know" (be careful with assuming because I've been surprised by which people have grown in God and which people have walked away from Him) that there are certain people who aren't going to stick it out to the end, it doesn't give you the liberty to stop ministering to them. You be the Gospel to them even until they're no longer around and you are ready to lead your group into the promised land. Otherwise, God will keep you from seeing it too. God isn't interested in simply having leaders who know what's right. He wants leaders who can live it and display His heart and holiness to the people. After water came from the rock, the Israelites didn't honor God because of the attitude Moses had. We act like we're the ones who have to provide and put up with faithless people, but really, it's God. When we get into the mindset that this is our nuisance/problem, then we forget how God is providing for and handling it. We forget the grace God is showing them rather than allowing the people to be reminded of it.
We are called to lead people to God and Heaven, not to a new ministry, the next stage of life, provision, etc. All those other things are good, but when we focus on them, our attitude and perspective is limited to the here and now rather than set on the eternal. They are not the end all be all. When we remember that God is, we will constantly be reminded of the patience we need to have in leading the people He has placed us over. Anyone can give up on someone, but it really shows people God's character when we stick with them and believe in them. Keep reminding them of His grace through your steadfast leadership and love for them.
As I thought about Moses, it dawned on me that even though he was the man God could count on and who was closest to Him, it didn't get him into the promised land any faster. He couldn't get there until the Israelites (the people God placed him over) were ready (and even then he didn't get to set foot on it-more on that later). God began to use Moses' experience in the desert to teach me more about leadership. The main point He taught me is that we cannot confuse checkpoints (what's temporary) for the final destination. Our main goal in ministry is to see people get saved and raise up more people that can go out and spread the message of salvation. Heaven and a relationship with God are the final destination (not a small group, church, ministry, sexual orientation, or new life stage).
I learned that it is important for leaders to keep in mind that you will be where God has your sheep (the people He has placed you over). Moses had to wait with his people an extra 40 years as God punished those who were unfaithful to Him. Here's what happened: God commanded Moses to send a group to explore the land of Canaan, which He promised to give the Israelites (Numbers 13:1-25). All the men who had gone except for Joshua and Caleb painted a terrible and hopeless picture for the people and discouraged them from going in to take the land (Numbers 13:26-33). This caused the people to raise their voices and cry that they should have been left to die in Egypt (in fact, they began to think about going back; Number 14:1-4). Moses, Aaron, Caleb and Joshua were distressed. Caleb and Joshua tried to encourage the people to take heart, but the people only became angry and planned to stone them (Numbers 14:5-10). God was enraged by their faithlessness and punished the people, claiming, "Your children will be shepherds here for forty years, suffering for your unfaithfulness, until the last of your bodies lies in the desert" (Numbers 14:10-35).
Moses was ready to go at God's command, but because the people had been faithless and chose not to trust in God's promise, the people were set back another 40 years on their journey to the promised land. Some of us get caught up in temporary destinations. If the goal of Moses' ministry had been to get people to the promised land, then Moses would have been allowed to go on ahead in the journey to Canaan with Aaron, Caleb, Joshua, and the children. But, that's not what happened. God didn't release them. He still expected Moses to be a spiritual leader to the people as they served out their punishment and lived the rest of their lives. He was still expected to lead the unfaithful because even though they did not reach the promised land, they may still be able to reach Heaven.
Even when it looks hopeless and your people aren't moving forward, if these are the ones God has for you to lead, than you need to continue to lead them. In leadership, it is easy to want to leave behind those who are not getting it and who aren't ready in order to run into the "promised land" or the vision God has given you. Maybe God gave you a vision of what your ministry, group, or church could be, but you can't just cut out the people who are unfaithful and move forward unless He has directed you to do so. They may not ever reach the temporary place you are hoping for them to get to, but in the time they are with you, you may be showing them how to have faith and be pointing them to God.
Moses didn't get to go to the promised land. I believe it is because he gave up on his sheep. He got tired of being God's image for the Israelites. We can see this through his attitude toward the people in Numbers 20:1-13. The Israelites journeyed to the Desert of Zin, but there was no water for them so they grew hostile. Again they opposed Moses and Aaron, wished they had died before, and complained about being brought out of Egypt. When the two leaders approached God about the situation, He told them, "Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink" (verse 8). God's instructions could not have been clearer. Unfortunately, Moses did what God told him to, but not in a way that showed that God still was interested in the concerns and livelihood of his sheep. He called everyone together and said, "Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?" Then, he hit the rock twice and water gushed out (verses 10-11).
Moses was understandably frustrated, but that did not give him any leeway with God, who said to him and Aaron, "Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them" (Numbers 20:12). Neither of the men had mentioned that God was giving the people water. They just grudgingly provided for the need. Sometimes we get that way. When people aren't where we want them to be and it seems that they won't even get there, we sometimes continue to serve them but stop ministering to them. Moses treated the promised land as the final destination rather than getting his people to Heaven and so he lost sight of the fact that he still had to show the people how to honor God as holy.
Even when you "know" (be careful with assuming because I've been surprised by which people have grown in God and which people have walked away from Him) that there are certain people who aren't going to stick it out to the end, it doesn't give you the liberty to stop ministering to them. You be the Gospel to them even until they're no longer around and you are ready to lead your group into the promised land. Otherwise, God will keep you from seeing it too. God isn't interested in simply having leaders who know what's right. He wants leaders who can live it and display His heart and holiness to the people. After water came from the rock, the Israelites didn't honor God because of the attitude Moses had. We act like we're the ones who have to provide and put up with faithless people, but really, it's God. When we get into the mindset that this is our nuisance/problem, then we forget how God is providing for and handling it. We forget the grace God is showing them rather than allowing the people to be reminded of it.
We are called to lead people to God and Heaven, not to a new ministry, the next stage of life, provision, etc. All those other things are good, but when we focus on them, our attitude and perspective is limited to the here and now rather than set on the eternal. They are not the end all be all. When we remember that God is, we will constantly be reminded of the patience we need to have in leading the people He has placed us over. Anyone can give up on someone, but it really shows people God's character when we stick with them and believe in them. Keep reminding them of His grace through your steadfast leadership and love for them.
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