Day 6—Tuesday, February 24

Numbers 27:15–19

Moses said to the Lord, May the Lord, the God who gives breath to all living things, appoint someone over this community to go out and come in before them, one who will lead them out and bring them in, so the Lord’s people will not be like sheep without a shepherd.”

So the Lord said to Moses, “Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit of leadership, and lay your hand on him. Have him stand before Eleazar the priest and the entire assembly and commission him in their presence.

God identified Joshua as “a man in whom is the spirit of leadership,” while Moses was still looked to for guidance by his people. It is natural to see the person in charge, the one making decisions, as the leader, but Joshua had the spirit of leadership in him for this moment. The Bible does not see those in charge and those who are leaders as perfectly overlapping. In Matthew 20:28 Jesus says “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve…” Philippians 2:3 speaks about having humility and putting others above ourselves. 1 Timothy 3:2-3 describes a leader as “above reproach, faithful, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, sober, gentile, not a fighter, not a lover of money.” Leaders are such because of their behavior and their faith.

Taking inspiration from the senior sermons on Youth Sunday, leaders can be like the mustard seed. The seniors’ sermons spoke about the strength of the mustard seed, its resilience, its weed-like subversive nature to spread, and its ability to provide support and a place to land despite its small beginnings. I believe this is the type of faith God calls us to have, and the type of leader God calls us to be despite our position or age. God does not call us to be the kind of leader that is big, loud, and in charge. Rather, the kind of leader who is strong, consistent, supportive, and safe. The Bible shows us a leader’s behavior is caring, loving, kind, peaceful, humble, forgiving, and gracious. A Leader’s actions can be small and simple like mustard seeds but have powerful impacts through their examples of faith.

In my life, the truest examples of leadership have come from those people who would rather work “behind the scenes.” My wife does not like the spotlight. She is not the loudest in a room, and she has no aspirations of being “in charge” of others. However, she is the truest leader I have known. She is strong in her compassion, consistent in character, caring for anyone who needs it, loving in her actions, kind to all, peaceful in her nature, humble in attitude, she forgives quickly and completely, and is grateful for what she has. I seek to be as good of a parent, friend, and spouse as she is. My wife will never speak before a large crowd or write a devotion for a congregation to read, but she will have an impact on the words that are said because of the example she has set.

My wife is not perfect, but God does not call us to be perfect. Leaders are humble about their imperfections, give themselves and others grace, and try to follow the path of faith each day. We are not all CEO’s, politicians, judges, or generals. We ARE all called to be servants to each other, to be gentile, to be faithful, to be peaceful, to be worthy of respect. Even when we feel as small as a mustard seed, we can still be the kind of leader God has called us to be.

Prayer:

God, thank you for your grace, for your peace, and for your love. I want to be the leader you have called me to be. Help me find ways to serve others. Soften my heart for compassion. Move my actions to peace. Give gentleness to my touch. Make me a leader in my actions even when they are unseen. Give me strength to try again each day. Amen.

-Matthew Walker