There is a constant change of what we call leadership. Whether in our personal lives, religious lives, or work/career lives. I have to ask, how it is do I go about following those that are new as I did with those that come after?

“¹⁶And they answered Joshua, ‘All that you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. ¹⁷Just as we obeyed Moses in all things, so we will obey you. Only may the LORD your God be with you, as he was with Moses! ¹⁸Whoever rebels against your commandment and disobeys your words, whatever you command him, shall be put to death. Only be strong and courageous.’” – Joshua 1:16-18 (ESV)

Well the answer is pretty clear in these verses that I should obey the new as I did the one that came before. Joshua took over when Moses passed on. Chosen by God, he was handed the task of leading the people into the promised land. God provided him with all of the tools he needed and he only needed to follow God and use those tools as instructed with courage and strength.

“⁹Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” – Joshua 1:9 (ESV)

As he spoke with the leaders of the people, Joshua demonstrated the strength and courage that God expected of him and they followed.

Here is where I have been reminded. When the new are following the same guidelines that God laid out and were used by those that came before them, I am to follow them just the same. I should look for the influence of God and not that of man, and when there is a conflict between the two, the influence of God wins out. My duty is ultimately to God and no man is worthy of my obedience if he is outside the influence of God.

I have to be careful in that I am not taking my own path without the guidance of the Lord. When I am working for the Lord, He is my Leader and therefor all that I set to accomplish is with His guidance and the human before me is of little consequence. I must remember that when I am following the law of God, I am above the law of man.

Obeying the new is easily accomplished when those leaders are doing so in line with the law of God. I should be fully aware of the influence that God has on those new and approach them the same as I did those that came before.

When you look to the new what criteria are you looking for in them as you seek to follow? Are you dismissive of the new as you move forward, looking for failure in them before they even get started? Will you obey the new as you did those that came before?

God has placed in front of me positive and negative, and it is my decision as to which I choose.

“¹⁵See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil.” – Deuteronomy 30:15 (ESV)

I have been given all of the available options and God has left it up to me, the sinner to make a choice as to which I will seek. I can choose “life and good” or “death and evil”, positive or negative, but the choice is mine and mine alone.

“¹⁶If you obey the commandments of the LORD your God that I command you today, by loving the LORD your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it.¹⁷But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them, ¹⁸I declare to you today, that you shall surely perish. You shall not live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to enter and possess.” – Deuteronomy 30:16-18 (ESV)

And there you have it, my choice yield that which I chose. When I choose to obey God, I am rewarded with blessings from God. When I choose not to obey, my life will surely be shortened and I will not have the opportunity for prosperity.

Over the past few years, I have chosen to live a word for the year and my word in 2019 was “Example”. The purpose of the word was to be the example of what right looks like in everything that I undertake. I have not done perfectly with being that example, however I will say that I do think about being the example each day and when I stray away from that I realize, repent, and turn back. I have a choice each day to be the example of Christ for those around me and when I choose to be that example I am choosing to obey God and do His will.

Being a child of God is not easy and I struggle with making the choice for “life and good”, especially when there are so many options for instant gratification in the world today. I must remember to choose God over the world and know that when I do, I will prosper beyond anything this world has to offer.

Are you aware that you have a choice each day between “life and good” and “death and evil”? What would it be like if you chose “life and good”? Will you choose to obey God in the interest of being the example of Him in the world that largely does not?

I spend time each day looking into how I can be better. I study here in the mornings and pray that God will provide continued guidance for me. But, is there more I can do? Is there other actions that I should be taking to reach the goal that God has for me?

“¹And when all these things come upon you, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before you, and you call them to mind among all the nations where the LORD your God has driven you, ²and return to the LORD your God, you and your children, and obey his voice in all that I command you today, with all your heart and with all your soul, ³then the LORD your God will restore your fortunes and have mercy on you, and he will gather you again from all the peoples where the LORD your God has scattered you.” – Deuteronomy 30:1-3 (ESV)

Based on these verses, I am to keep taking the actions I am and remember to obey the voice of God. I am doing the study, and seeking the guidance of the LORD my God and therefor I am doing right. But, am I obeying His commands at all times? I like to think I am and as such believe that I am getting what He has in store for me.

This morning I am taking a hard look at myself and my obedience. I am considering I may be doing the actions, but am I truly obeying. Am I taking the action that God has for me, or am I only seeking what He has in store and avoiding the doing? And I fear that may be exactly what I am doing.

I have been searching for what is next and where I have been obedient to some things, like the rising to the challenge of daily bible study and self growth and stepping out to plant a church. I also may have not been taking on all that God has in store for the fear of overloading and not feeling as though I would be able to fully devote to the tasks assigned.

“¹⁰when you obey the voice of the LORD your God, to keep his commandments and his statutes that are written in this Book of the Law, when you turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. ⁹The LORD your God will make you abundantly prosperous in all the work of your hand, in the fruit of your womb and in the fruit of your cattle and in the fruit of your ground. For the LORD will again take delight in prospering you, as he took delight in your fathers,” – Deuteronomy 30:10 & 9 (ESV)

Here is where I may be missing. I may not be putting in all my heart and all my soul. I may be doing some of the work of my God, but am I fully prospering as I should? I will only do so by giving all of me all of the time. I am called to obey. Not some of the time, not when it suits me, not with the things that I enjoy and want to do. I am to obey all of the time, when it suits God, and with all things for Him. Through that obedience, God restores me to that place with Him that I long for, a relationship with Him and the prospects of reaching communion with Him in heaven.

When you approach obedience to God, are you fully committed to all that He assigns to you? Are you looking for every, and I mean every, opportunity to do His will? Are you aware that your restoration comes from your obedience to the commandments of the LORD your God?

I was led to the below passage in Deuteronomy this morning as I continue to study the work “obey”. Before I present the passage, I want to disclaim that one has to look deeper at the verse and work to understand as opposed to picking out certain pieces that “justify” the actions taken.

“¹⁸If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey the voice of his father or the voice of his mother, and, though they discipline him, will not listen to them, ¹⁹then his father and his mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his city at the gate of the place where he lives, ²⁰and they shall say to the elders of his city, ‘This our son is stubborn and rebellious; he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton and a drunkard.’ ²¹Then all the men of the city shall stone him to death with stones. So you shall purge the evil from your midst, and all Israel shall hear, and fear.” – Deuteronomy 21:18-21 (ESV)

This passage seems a bit extreme when we are dealing with our own children, but the “punishment” for not obeying is worth noting.

As a parent, I have the responsibility to teach the children that God has placed in my care. I am to guide them to Christ and present salvation to them. I am to be the example they look to as they grow in this world. I am also there to teach discipline and carry out discipline when they are disobedient. I do however have to be careful as to the reasoning behind the punishments handed out to be sure that they are in line with the action driving me to discipline.

In the above passage the “punishment” is not for the son/child getting into trouble in town and having to deal with the authorities. This disobedience is in direct conflict with the fifth commandment as laid out by God to honor your father and your mother. By not obeying your father and mother, you are separating yourself from the teachings they have been charged by God to bring to you. As such the example you are setting is not one in line with God and therefor are not fit to be the child of your parents and the discipline that follows is/must be drastic.

As I read this passage and those that go along with it, including the commentaries, I was challenged to understand as I mentioned in the opening paragraph. I could not see how one could have their child stoned just for not obeying, until I read the commentary indicating the fifth commandment. Oh how eye opening it was to see that it was not about the disobedience, but about the relationship and discipline had with my father and mother.

I want to be clear, I am not a proponent of this type of punishment. The discipline is not about physically putting to death the son/child, it is about holding them to the standard set by God through me as the one placed here to guide them through their growth in the image of God. I am here to provide the example of what right looks like in the eyes of God and teach the discipline needed to work for Him each day.

When you are teaching your children, where are you drawing the lessons? Are you being the example of Christ for them to emulate? Will you punish them for the act of dishonor through disobedience?

“⁴You shall walk after the LORD your God and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice, and you shall serve him and hold fast to him.” – Deuteronomy 13:4 (ESV)

This verse is very pointed in who we shall only serve. I do not see any room for movement to serving any others. I am here to serve God and God alone.

Yes, I have a duty to be a servant and that means I should be looking out for those around me and serve them. I will say that being a servant for others is not the same thing as serving them. I am a vessel of Christ and have a duty to be His hands here in this world. My ultimate service is to Him and the commandments He has for me. I am bound to Him by grace and the salvation He provided for me.

There will be plenty of those around me that will seek to drive a wedge between God and me. I have to be careful as I go out into this world daily. Those that I know will be those that I am most susceptible to following. Those could be prophets, dreamers of dreams, brothers, sons, daughters, wives, friends, neighbors, or even cities. It is up to me to be aware of first doing the will of God and obeying the commandments he gives me. As I am able to follow Him I am able to see those that are working to deceive me and therefor will be able to avoid them and even bring the gospel to them in obedience of God.

“¹⁸if you obey the voice of the LORD your God, keeping all his commandments that I am commanding you today, and doing what is right in the sight of the LORD your God. ¹⁷Noe of the devoted things shall stick to you hand, that the LORD may turn from the fierceness of his anger and show you mercy and have compassion on you and multiply you, as he swore to your fathers,” – Deuteronomy 13:18 & 17 (ESV)

I will be tempted by those around me to follow them, obey them, and go with the latest fad or fancy new thing. I have to remember that I am to serve and obey only one, my LORD and God. All others will take me away from Him and therefor away from what is right.

What new fad or thing has taken your eye off of God and His commandments? Are you aware that those around you may be the ones leading you astray? Will you focus your attention on the commandments of the LORD your God: ONLY?

“²⁸Be careful to obey all these words that I command you, that it may go well with you and with your children after you forever, when you do what is good and right in the sight of the LORD your God.” – Deuteronomy 12:28 (ESV)

I am of this world and now, thanks to the salvation I have accepted as given by God, I have a new home waiting for me in heaven. God offered, and I accepted, salvation through the death and resurrection of Jesus, and therefore I am to inherit my place in heaven.

Now that I have accepted I have a responsibility to bring that same salvation to my family as I obey the commandments of God. As noted in verse 28 above, I am to obey the commandments that they may go forward with my children. The only way that will happen is that I must be passing along to them the way that is provided to me by God. This way they will know which way is the right way.

I know that each of them have their own path to take as given to them by God. I do not expect them to take the same path as I have or will take. I do expect that they will see me as an example of obedience to the commandments of God in my life, and as they see that example, they will seek to obey the commandments given them by God as well.

As I am able to obey and demonstrate to my boys what it looks like to obey, I trust that they will follow suit and obey as well. I cannot save them from the destruction that comes from not following Christ, I can only show them the way and pray that they will find the guidance from God so that they will be able to forge the path that He has for them and their children that are come come.

My boys know of my morning study and this is just one example of what obedience to God looks like. Each of them have the ability and responsibility at Christians to follow and obey the commandments of God. I will continue to pray that they will and pass them on to the next generation in our lineage.

What are you passing on to your family? Are you demonstrating to them the example of obedience to God? Will you pass on obedience to the commandments of the LORD and pray that obedience continues for generations to come?

“¹³And if you will indeed obey my commandments that I command you today, to love the LORD your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, ¹⁴he will give the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the later rain, that you may gather in your grain and your wine and your oil.” – Deuteronomy 11:13-14 (ESV)

God is very clear to the people the consequences when they follow Him. I am a child of God and therefore I am held to the same consequences when following God. No, I may not have to think about getting the rain for my crops, but I am to simply do the will of God and therefore I will be blessed with that which I do need.

And what if I choose not to obey God?

“¹⁶Take care lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them; ¹⁷then the anger of the LORD will be kindled against you, and he will shut up the heavens, so that there will be no rain, and the land will yield no fruit, and you will perish quickly off the good land that the LORD is giving you.” – Deuteronomy 11:16-17 (ESV)

It seems to be pretty clear here. When we choose not to obey God, the blessings set aside for us will be significantly limited to the point of our demise. I am charged with obeying and for that obeying I will be blessed beyond anything I could imagine, and when I choose to not obey the Lord, I will be on my own and not provided that which is needed for my long term prosper.

“²⁶See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse: ²⁷the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you today, ²⁸and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside from the way that I am commanding you today, to go after other gods that you have not known.” – Deuteronomy 11:26-28 (ESV)

God has set me up for success by providing the blessings I need. All I have to do is obey His commandments and I will be provided for in ways that at this moment I may not fully understand, but they are there and all I need do is claim them.

Are you aware of the commandments that God has given to you to obey? What if you were to ignore those commandments? What if you were to obey them, what blessing will you realize?

I find myself daily fighting for what is right. I do what I believe to be the will of God. I am working for God and with that I am blessed to know that God is with me through it all.

“²⁰Behold, I send an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared. ²¹Pay careful attention to him and obey his voice; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgression, for my name is in him. ²²But if you carefully obey his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries.” – Exodus 23:20-22 (ESV)

Moses is hearing from God here. He is hearing that God is in the corner of the Israelite people and as they follow Him then they will succeed in all that they set out to accomplish. The people have a choice and that choice will either lead to their destruction or their triumph. Each of these decisions and results may not come for some time. As in with the Israelite people, it was years before they inherited the promised land. They obeyed and were rewarded, but not for quite some time.

I continue to have the same choice each day. If I choose to obey the Lord, then I will be rewarded. If I choose to defy Him, then I will have to suffer the consequences. It may be some time before I realized the result of my choice, and truly, I may not even know at the time why I am experiencing whatever result. What I have to be conscious of is that all of the results in my life are the result of the choices I made.

My choices are for me and for me alone. I choose to obey God or to defy Him. When I choose, I am bound by the results of my choice. When I choose God, He will be in my corner and provide conquest where I need it and for that I have to be ready. I am to continue to obey Him at each turn of my life and for my obedience, I will be rewarded. I have to remember though that the reward may not be right here, right now and therefore I have to continue regardless of the result in the moment.

I am a child of God and as such am an heir in heaven. Thank you God for the salvation you provided to me and for giving me the chance to accept. I choose to obey, know that you are on my side and will fight the battles alongside me as do your will.

When you go into the world, are you aware of the side God fights on? Are you choosing to obey God so that He will be on your side? Will you align yourself with God so that He will be your ally?

Until now, I have been writing of being self-controlled. As I read this morning, I am reminded to teach self-control to others.

“¹But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine. ²Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. ³Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, ⁴and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, ⁵to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. ⁶Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled.” – Titus 2:1-6 (ESV)

Paul writes to Titus encouraging him and providing wisdom in his work for Christ. Here in Chapter 2 Paul gives Titus guidance in teaching sound doctrine. I notice that Paul does not leave out any demographic. He speaks of men and women, old and new. And with all of them he brings forward the teaching that they should be self-controlled. All should be self-controlled in their approach to life as a follower of Christ.

I am at a point in my life that I study, study, and study. Whether it is how to improve myself, or how to be in better alignment with God, I am committed to continue my growth. One of those areas of growth is in emotional intelligence, and what is key of emotional intelligence is being self-controlled. I am committed to improving my self-control so as to use it in my approach to spreading the gospel and honoring God.

“¹¹For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, ¹²training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, ¹³waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, ¹⁴who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” – Titus 2:11-14 (ESV)

I have accepted the gift of salvation and with that gift God is training me to do His work here in this world. Part of that work is what I do here, sharing my thought and teaching God’s word.

When you are in the world, are you aware that all are to live by the same qualities? Self-control is not just for you, but for those all around you, are you holding them to that standard? Are you working to teach self-control to all with the intention that they use it to further the gospel?

“²Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, ³not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money.” – 1 Timothy 3:2-3 (ESV)

Overseer = Leader. You can see here that Paul is providing Timothy with characteristics needed to be the leaders in the church. The one characteristic that stands out to me is “self-controlled”. One must be self-controlled to be an overseer/leader in the church.

Being self-controlled does not mean that we allow others to push us around and we are fully submissive. No, what I see now as I have been studying these past weeks, months, and years is that self-control means that I have to pick my battles and when I do “push back” it is based on facts and the events themselves without bringing emotion into the process. It is that emotion that brings irrational thought and that irrational thought is what gets in the way of the decision making process.

I am by nature a quiet person. I am reserved and usually sit and wait for things to unfold before I engage. I want to make sure that when I do engage it is at a time when I am able to think clearly of the full situation and determine the best for all involved. I will admit that the “best for all” may not be a “win for all”, but it will be the more logical of scenarios and the benefit may not be realized for some time.

The self-controlled are those that will allow failure in the interest of learning. That failure is difficult to take unless one is able to remove the emotion and see the bigger picture of how decisions affect all of those involved. An overseer/leader must have this quality to be sure that the team, church, and God are glorified through the decisions made.

As I look at these and the other qualities of Christians, I am reminded that all of these are in place to bring glory to God the Father. I know it may sound the same and it is the answer that Christians are taught to give when asked why we do things, but isn’t it true that we are placed in this world to glorify God? And as that is true, isn’t it also important that we learn what qualities will give us the greatest chance at success.?

Overseers/Leaders need to have the qualities listed in the verses above. Not for their own sake, but for the sake of those they oversee/lead. Others should see the example of what right looks like as a child of God and that starts with being self-controlled.

What characteristics do you believe make good Overseers/Leaders? Are you living up to the qualities that define the position you are/may be in? Will you be self-controlled in your leadership whether in the world or in the home?