Fresh Legs

Moses said to the Lord, 'May the Lord, the God of the spirits of all mankind, appoint a man over this community to go out and come in before them, one who will lead them out and bring them in, so that the Lord’s people will not be like sheep without a shepherd.'
Numbers 27:15-17

It is always hard to follow a great act. The greater the act the more difficult it is to fill the shoes of someone who has served in such an incredible way. How many of us remember the name of the Prime Minister who stepped into No. 10 after Winston Churchill? It’s always hard to follow a great predecessor, their shoes seldom fit. When the great leader Moses came to the end of his ministry there are three important lessons we learn:

Firstly, when God removes He replaces – When a man of God is moved or dies, nothing of God dies. Moses recognised this when he said to the Lord, 'May the Lord... appoint a man...' v15

Secondly, when God appoints He anoints – The beautiful thing about the Lord is that He sees what is on the inside of us, '[He is]... the God of the spirits, of all flesh [and He]... appoints' v16. God's view of us is better than any x-ray or MRI scan – it's a miracle that He chooses us, let alone uses us.

Thirdly, when God empowers and envisions, the leader is effective – When Moses stood down there were many skills and ministries that would be needed in his successor. But Moses knew the three that would be needed the most. God would need a man with:

1. spiritual appetite - 'a man who would go out and come before them'.
2. spiritual leadership - 'who will lead them out (wilderness) and bring them in (the promised land)'.
3. 'who would be a shepherd'.

Joshua would be God's choice to succeed Moses. As Moses stood on the Mount that day and looked into the promised land he saw the battles that lay ahead and he knew that God needed someone with what soccer managers call 'fresh legs'. Moses knew when to step aside and let God's vision and dream continue through another leader.

Today, we stand at another great moment in the history of His church here in Gorsley. As Nathan Jones steps into the role as Youth Pastor, we know that God will 'anoint' the one He 'appoints'. Let's get behind him and support, pray for and encourage him in all that he does to serve Christ.