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In more than three decades of my Christian life, I have been blest by 2 types of Daily devos'
(matter not exceeding 500 words) in universal Christian literature.
Not only those Devos' which have a different theme everyday but also the ones
which revolve around a certain theme over a period of time, say a fortnight have
richly edified me. In fact, both styles have their own inherent advantages.
If the former style caters to the varying spiritual needs of a christian from day-to-day,
the latter aims 'to ground' a child of God in a certain subject in order he derives the full
benefits of the deep insightful study of a certain topic, spread over a fixed span of time.
In my Daily devo page, I have consciously tried to go in for 'a blend of both the styles'
whereby within a constant theme, I would be aiming to focus on different facets of it which admittedly
is a closer imitation of the 'Constant theme' style than the 'Varying topics' one.
For starters in the first month of January I would be dwelling on the theme of the
"Christian Journey", with the material being arranged in a Book-like format under which the pages
would be opened ( i,e..displayed on-line) on each succeeding day.
So here's wishing you a happy & an edifying read....
Suresh Manoharan
January 28th
Passing the baton
Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel,
"Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that
the LORD swore to their forefathers to give them, and you must divide it among
them as their inheritance. The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you;
he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."-
Deuteronomy 31:7
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As we are winding down, our meditation on the similarities that exist between the two
great journeys - that of redeemed Jews to the Promised Land and Christian's heavenward
journey - let's ponder awhile once again on arguably the greatest leader, who walked on
planet Earth before Christ, especially on his graceful departure from the scene.
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In the Old Testament history, Moses stands head and shoulders over any other
leader before or after him. Leaders who pant and puff to lead people of much smaller
number than Moses, can only marvel at his leadership qualities even while empathizing
with him on the struggles such a staggering (of leading millions of rebellious people)
responsibility brought in its wake. Why, at
one point, we see him almost throwing in the towel,
(Numbers 11:11-15) but thanks to the
Almighty's supernatural intervention, he wriggles out of that grim situation and presses
on...continuing to be an exemplary leader.
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Even, when it came to passing the baton to his successor Joshua (refer the above
captioned scripture portion), Moses is all grace and poise. A perfect example of a
great leader graciously making way for his strong successor. It is difficult to
trace even an iota of envy in his tone, as he hands over the mantle to an able Joshua
but rather only words of loving advice, brimming with wisdom and care for the welfare
of his successor, emanate from him.
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Even as we- the modern day leaders, holding positions of authority in our churches-
simply marvel at the character of this great leader and try to imbibe his great attributes,
-especially the one which would make us gracefully make way for the younger lot when our time is
up - let's ponder on two issues, before concluding today's meditation
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a) Moses' initial reluctance to assume, any responsibility of any kind
(Exodus 4:1-17)
and how God finally persuaded him to take-up the leadership assignment. Doesn't it speak
volumes about Creator God's infinite ability in spotting latent talent in men, even while
it speaks eloquently about Him finding the right men for the right tasks?
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b) Finally, who were blessed by Moses' empathetic & peerless leadership? God's emancipated
people! Yes that same, intemperate, rebellious lot (I see a lot of me in them)! How much,
He has loved them that He gave them leaders like Moses! Much later in
I Kings 10:9, we see
similar sentiments being expressed by a dazed Queen of Sheba on seeing the wisdom and grandeur
of King Solomon. Really God loves us for not what we are but inspite of we being what we are!!!
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Why, even, when it comes to giving us leaders, the good Lord chooses', nothing less than the best!
Now shouldn’t we, thank Him for that!
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Prayer:
Father, Your love and care is simply mind-boggling. Let our love for Thee borne out of gratitude
keep perpetually flowing in our hearts. In Jesus' name. Amen.
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