Are we preparing our Joshua and Caleb?

The last couple of days have been busy and stormy in Indianapolis. I planned to submit this post on Monday night, but ironically the "Prepare for Rain" pastor's conference drew such a physical storm from the Heavens that it knocked out the power in the hotel so I lost my network connection. It was honestly a hair-raising experience.

I just wanted to spend a few words and reiterate something that was said on Monday that is dear to my heart. Again, I heard the messages of three men of God who are so commited and engaged in the work of the Heavenly Father. The last pastor, Dr. Jay Strack, spoke about Moses, and I want to share his insights that he delivered to those at the conference. Dr. Strack asked how would Moses mentor the Millennial generation. We find evidence in Exodus 17:8-16 that Moses started early. Moses did not wait until he realized that he would not enter the promised land to train a successor. This evidence in the early part of Exodus shows that he spent many years mentoring Joshua and Caleb. Moses got it. It was not about Moses, it was about passing the torch to the next generation. To quote Dr. Strack, "Success without Successors is no success at all." The problem that we find later on in the text is that Joshua was a great leader of Israel, but he did not raise up a successor and we see the failures of the people of Israel under the Judges.

We have to realize that it is not about us. It is not about our comfort. It is not about maintaining. We need to continuously be searching out our Joshua's and Caleb's to carry on the torch of Truth. I am so thankful for those heroes of faith who trained me and encouraged me as I grew. I am also fortunate now to be in a position of leadership. I am thankful that someone saw the Joshua and Caleb traits in me. It is my prayer that as I continue to grow in my faith that I will constantly be on the lookout for those Joshua's and Caleb's in my journey. Dr. Strack made one more clear but interesting point on Monday night. He said, "In 100 years not a single one of us would still be here. In 1000 years none of the buildings around us would exist." Sounds pretty real when we think about it in those terms. Pray that God would show you the Joshua and Caleb in your journey and decide to invest your time and encouragement in those people.