Focal Passage: Joshua 1:1-11, 16-18
I remember growing up challenging one another to do something. We would point and say, “I dare you.” If this wasn’t enough, we would call out, “I double dare you!”
God does not say, “I dare you” in the passages we are studying this week, however He does put out a challenge by the example of Joshua. The challenge? To accept positions of leadership in our respective churches.
John Maxwell teaches that leadership is influence. Every one of us are leaders – whether we realize it or not. Every person influences at least one other. This influence may be positive or negative. People watch us regularly, and the way we act creates an influential response in that person. This should challenge each of us to be aware of even the small things we do.
I used to be a principal of a Christian elementary school. As I walked around the building and grounds I would stop and pick up any trash. A second grade student asked me why I did this. I told them that I wanted our school to look nice for others. The next day I saw that same student picking up some trash on the playground. Another student asked them why.
The response, “Don’t you want our school to look nice?” My example led others to respond in like manner. I realized that this works both for the positive and could also work to the detriment of others.
God grants us many opportunities to “lead” others by the influence we have. We may be like those who say that nobody is following them. But, people watch us regularly. The clerk at the store, our neighbors next door, the young child at church – we may not see it, but they are watching.
In every church there are jobs and positions that need to be filled. God has placed people in the respective churches to fill those needs. When a church is lacking leadership – it is usually because those whom God has placed and called are not accepting the call. Step up – “I dare you!”