Be Strong And Courageous!
BRD REFLECTIONS:
Deuteronomy 31 and Psalm 133 (NIV)
(Tina Khoo, PTM: Membership & Volunteer Care)
READ:
I read Deuteronomy 31, and I noticed how the phrase “Be strong and courageous… the Lord your God goes with you” appears repeatedly in verses 6-8 and 23. This caught my attention as something significant.
OBSERVE:
Deuteronomy 31 narrates the transition of leadership from Moses to Joshua. Moses informs the Israelites that he can no longer lead them and that God will enable them to cross the Jordan River and conquer the land. God reveals to Moses that the people will forsake Him and worship other gods, and He instructs Moses to compose a song as a testimony against them.
Moses is aware of how the people have been unfaithful to God on numerous occasions. He has witnessed how they grumbled, rebelled and worshiped idols. And now he tells Joshua, the new leader, that they will do the same thing again. They will desert God and break the covenant He established with them.
APPLY:
I wonder how Joshua felt when he heard that. Perhaps he was eager to be the leader, but perhaps he was also fearful and anxious. How could he lead such a stubborn and rebellious people? How could he face all the adversaries and obstacles ahead? The only thing that gave him confidence was the assurance from God: “Be strong and courageous…the Lord your God goes with you”.
I have been serving at WMC for 20 years. During this time, I have worked with 4 different pastors-in-charge and several LCEC chairpersons. I admire them a lot because they had to cope with a lot of challenges in the church. While Christians today do not blatantly break the covenant with God, rebel against God, or worship other gods, we have our share of challenges. Today we face an increasing number of the younger generation Christians not identifying with church life, believing that salvation is just one’s right to personal happiness, forsaking the church or leaving the faith altogether. This is in contrast to the pursuit of the social holiness that our Methodist tradition is known for. There are many things that distract us from following Jesus faithfully. This is not because our leaders are bad, but because we live in a fallen world.
That’s why leaders like me need to cling onto the promise that God is with us, He gives us strength and courage to serve Him, even when things are tough. He who called us is faithful. We are to take courage because God who began the good work in us will Himself carry it onto completion. We may not see the fruit of our labor in our lifetimes, but God’s plan will not be thwarted. Our responsibility is to obey His calling.
DO:
1. As a leader, I will continue to draw close to God by keeping my personal devotion time with God, practising the spiritual disciplines of reading the bible, praying, and dedicating time for silence and solitude. I will meet up with fellow believers through corporate worship and attend my small group meetings regularly.
2. Pray for the church and her leaders regularly.
3. Be the safe person by lending a compassionate listening heart for members and leaders to share authentically their struggles and victories. I want to help them to see where God is working in their lives.
PRAY:
O Lord, our God, we thank You for the privilege of serving You in Your church. We ask You to empower our leaders with Your wisdom and grace as they carry out their duties. Help them to remember that they are not only serving You, but also following You as Your faithful disciples. Let them feel Your presence and love in their lives, so that they may not lose heart or give up, but trust in You always. We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
