A Daily Devotional

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Godliness in Form Only

“Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” (2 Timothy 3:5)

Those with a “form of godliness” are much more difficult to recognize than those who are openly wicked. Jesus gave His most harsh criticism to the hypocritical leaders of the religious sects of His day. Jesus also warned of “false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves” (Matthew 7:15).

On another occasion, Jesus illustrated the challenge of identifying those who looked like God’s people but were really “tares” that the Enemy had sown among the wheat. In His parable, Jesus indicated that even the “servants of the householder” might uproot the wheat along with the tares (Matthew 13:24-30). The Corinthian church was warned about the same problem when they were told that “Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14).

We are strongly urged to “turn away” from these kinds of people. They have the ability to cause serious damage among the churches. They will “creep” into “houses” (a metaphor for churches—1 Timothy 3:15) and will lead “silly women” away with many different desires (2 Timothy 3:6). They will resist the truth and will have power like the magicians of Egypt who deceived Pharaoh and opposed Moses. And like those magicians, their minds are corrupt (focused on sin) and are already condemned (2 Timothy 3:8).

The good news is that they will be forcibly stopped and exposed as foolish (2 Timothy 3:9). Peter notes that they will have swift destruction (2 Peter 2:1-3) and will utterly perish in corruption (2 Peter 2:12-13). Like the magicians who produced snakes, blood for water, and frogs aplenty (Exodus 7-8), they will be unable to go any further and will be forced to say, “This is the finger of God” (Exodus 8:19). HMM III

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Leadership Preparation

“Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.” (Exodus 3:10)

Moses was 80 years old when God issued this official call for him to lead Israel out of slavery and head up a new nation. Many people had been used by God to prepare Moses for that moment—including a wicked Pharaoh who “knew not Joseph” (Exodus 1:8) and who set awful taskmasters over Israel to keep them subjugated (Exodus 1:10-11).

When that failed to contain them, Pharaoh ordered the Hebrew midwives to kill all male newborns, but Shiphrah and Puah (the “bosses” of the midwives) refused, lied to Pharaoh, and allowed the nation to grow “very mighty” (Exodus 1:20).

Moses’ mother, Jochebed, made special provisions to save him, caring for him secretly at home for three months (Exodus 2:2). When that was no longer possible, she prepared an “ark” and put Moses in the reeds with his sister, Miriam, to watch over him (Exodus 2:3-4).

The daughter of Pharaoh “had compassion” on Moses and accepted Miriam’s offer to find a Hebrew woman to nurse him. Jochebed was given the task until he was taken into Pharaoh’s house (Exodus 2:5-10), where he was educated by the greatest empire on Earth at that time.

All of that and every one of these people were involved in preparing Moses for his leadership role. Even the evil Pharaoh and the awful condition of the Israelites were part of the human drama God used to bring about the exodus of Israel. We may not be privileged to see God’s plan unfolding in our lives, but be sure that “he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love” (Ephesians 1:4). HMM III

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Leadership Training

“Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.” (Exodus 3:1)

Moses was 40 years old when he began to recognize the burdens of Israel (Exodus 2:11). He expected acceptance because of his position in society, but they rejected his potential help and leadership (Exodus 2:13–14).

Moses attached himself to the family of Jethro in Midian, married Zipporah, fathered a son, and spent 40 years herding sheep before he heard from God (Exodus 3:1–2). Most of us need God’s training in humility before we can assume real servant leadership (Matthew 20:26–28).

Once God got Moses’ attention with the sight of a burning bush that was not consumed, the angel of the Lord appeared to Moses out of the bush (Exodus 3:2), demanding that he immediately submit to God’s authority in worship and deference (Exodus 3:5–6). God’s leaders will be God’s servants or they will not lead God’s people.

No doubt the burden that had been simmering in Moses’ heart over the decades was stirred to life again when God Himself identified with the affliction of Israel’s slavery (Exodus 3:7–9). But that renewed passion was tested when God insisted that Moses would be sent to do God’s work (Exodus 3:10).

Moses needed to be told and shown several times that whatever he lacked God would supply before he yielded to God’s order to “go!” (Exodus 4:12). Godly leaders can feel inadequate to the task God has set before them (Exodus 3:11), but God never assigns a task for which He does not empower the servant with the spirit “of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7). HMM III

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The Gift of Labor

“And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.” (Genesis 2:15)

When God first created man, He gave him work to do. Although “the LORD God planted a garden” for man (Genesis 2:8), it was up to man to take care of it if he would continue to eat its fruits. Thus, having to labor for one’s living is not a divine punishment for man’s sin as people sometimes interpret it, but rather a divine benefit for man’s good.

Similarly, even in the new earth, when sin and suffering will be gone forever, there will still be work to do. “There shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him” (Revelation 22:3).

We don’t know yet what our assignments will be there, but they will somehow be commensurate with our faithfulness in serving the Lord here. “My reward is with me,” says the Lord Jesus, “to give every man according as his work shall be” (Revelation 22:12).

It is, therefore, a God-given privilege to be able to do useful work, whether that work consists of preaching God’s Word or improving God’s world. “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do” (whether being paid for it or not), “do it with thy might; for there is no work . . . in the grave, whither thou goest” (Ecclesiastes 9:10). As Jesus said, “The night cometh, when no man can work” (John 9:4).

No matter what the job may be that has been provided for us to do, it is important to remember and obey the admonition: “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ” (Colossians 3:23-24) and “your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58). HMM

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Leadership Challenges

“And Moses spake before the LORD, saying, Behold, the children of Israel have not hearkened unto me; how then shall Pharaoh hear me, who am of uncircumcised lips?” (Exodus 6:12)

Once the mantle of leadership has been accepted, God expects an unreserved commitment to follow through with the task. Moses had to leave Midian and likely saw little of his family afterward (Exodus 4:18-31). Jesus noted, “No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62).

Rarely is leadership simple or easy. Moses must first meet with and win over the elders (Exodus 3:16). Nor is it likely the people would fall in line without a challenge. Moses felt the rejection of Israel long before he received their honor (Exodus 6:9-27).

Opposition from the godless is a given. Our Lord Jesus taught, “The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also” (John 15:20). Moses faced the power and wrath of the court of Egypt (Exodus 5:2), which extended that power through their taskmasters to the people of Israel (Exodus 5:10-11).

The Lord is obviously in charge of events. “And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch forth mine hand upon Egypt and bring out the children of Israel from among them” (Exodus 7:5). God always has a reason for His actions. Human leaders are His means to accomplish His purpose.

Also, the direct purpose will not overshadow the long-term objective. “And I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and disperse them among the countries; and they shall know that I am the LORD” (Ezekiel 30:26). Human leaders seldom see the ultimate purpose fulfilled in history, but they will know the reality of it in eternity (1 Corinthians 13:12). HMM III

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Leadership Situational Awareness

“Thou shalt speak all that I command thee: and Aaron thy brother shall speak unto Pharaoh, that he send the children of Israel out of his land. And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt.” (Exodus 7:2-3)

When God calls a dedicated leader into His service, He almost always gives a vision to go with that calling. With Moses, the vision was given at the beginning, specified in advance throughout the implementation, and reiterated as the great exodus came to fruition.

The 10 plagues were thrusts from the mouth of God at the gods of Egypt’s polytheistic pantheon. Just so, our warfare is “not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12).

Just as Moses was told Pharaoh would resist each display of God’s power, so we are told to “be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Yet, even the Enemy of God’s people is subject to the Word of the Creator. While Satan may “roar” and “devour,” he will also “flee” when God’s leaders “submit . . . to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).

There are times when the bad guys seem to have it their way. God does not see time the same way we do and will expect His godly saints to wait patiently for Him. Our instructions are to not be “envious against the workers of iniquity” but to “trust,” “delight,” and “commit” our way to the Lord, “and he shall bring it to pass” (Psalm 37:1-5). HMM III

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Leadership Transfer

“Now after the death of Moses . . . the LORD spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ minister, saying, Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan.” (Joshua 1:1-2)

The Lord’s ministries are many and varied—even among the churches Jesus established on Earth. Leaders of those churches and of the many groups that serve the churches add layers of character and skills that must be replaced. As expected, the Bible is not silent on this important matter.

The replacement should be identified, trained, and ready before needed. “Let the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation, which may go out before them, and which may go in before them, and which may lead them out, and which may bring them in; that the congregation of the LORD be not as sheep which have no shepherd” (Numbers 27:16-17).

By the time the earlier leader dies, God has already selected His next leader. “Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it” (Psalm 127:1). “For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building. According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon” (1 Corinthians 3:9-10).

The work of God’s Kingdom will continue with or without you. “For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself” (Galatians 6:3). “So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase” (1 Corinthians 3:7). “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD” (Psalm 27:14). HMM III

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Leadership Advance

“Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel.” (Joshua 1:2)

There are a number of things God’s leaders need to keep in mind as they move forward in God’s work.

Make sure the people you need are with you. “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood” (Acts 20:28). “That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God” (Colossians 1:10).

Make sure you are leading the people where God has led you. “That which is altogether just shalt thou follow, that thou mayest live, and inherit the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee” (Deuteronomy 16:20). “But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it” (Numbers 14:24). “Surely the land whereon thy feet have trodden shall be thine inheritance, and thy children’s for ever, because thou hast wholly followed the LORD my God” (Joshua 14:9).

Make sure you are setting the right example as you advance. “This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men” (Titus 3:8). “Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work” (Titus 3:1). “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” (Micah 6:8). HMM III

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Leadership Anticipation

Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them.” (Joshua 1:6)

Those called to leadership in the Lord need to carefully ready themselves for that work.

Make sure that you ask for and are following the Lord’s leading. “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways” (James 1:5–8).

Make sure that you are asking in the right spirit. “I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting” (1 Timothy 2:8). “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you” (Philippians 4:8–9).

Make sure your motives are above reproach. “Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not; but have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God” (2 Corinthians 4:1–2). “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:3). HMM III

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Fearless Leadership

“Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law . . . turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.” (Joshua 1:7)

God expects His appointed leaders to cultivate both inner and outer strength.

God’s leaders must have both physical strength and spiritual courage. These comparative terms are cited together in 18 different passages of the Old Testament—always to emphasize the need for both. “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD” (Psalm 27:14). “Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD” (Psalm 31:24). Although bodily exercise is of little profit (1 Timothy 4:8), our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and should be kept strong for God’s work (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Spiritual courage tends to be weakened when the physical body is weakened.

God’s leaders need both strength and courage to obey God’s call and be successful in the ministry. The apostle Paul was shaken by such physical torment that “we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life: . . . but God . . . delivered us from so great a death” (2 Corinthians 1:8-10). Human weariness can rob us of the “well doing” that would otherwise reap success (Galatians 6:9). God is certainly the source of every good and perfect gift (James 1:17)—including our physical strength. “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us” (2 Corinthians 4:7). “That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man” (Ephesians 3:16). HMM III

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Focused Leadership

“This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.” (Joshua 1:8)

Those whom God calls into spiritual leadership are required to keep their spiritual eyes on eternity because “the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18).

Godly leaders must know and use the Scriptures. The Word of God is eternal (Matthew 24:35) and more powerful than any other tool God has provided for us (Hebrews 4:12). If God’s leaders are to prosper in their work, they must build a cache of the Word to keep their “way” clean (Psalm 119:9-10).

Godly leaders must absorb the Scriptures. Those who lead others may not “walk,” “stand,” or “sit” in the lifestyle of wickedness (Psalm 1:1). To the contrary, they must delight and meditate in God’s Word “day and night” (Psalm 1:2). The psalmist once said, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee” (Psalm 119:11).

Godly leaders focus on obedience to the Scriptures. Another psalmist sought for such leaders when he asked, “Who can utter the mighty acts of the LORD? who can shew forth all his praise? Blessed are they that keep judgment, and he that doeth righteousness at all times” (Psalm 106:2-3). Jesus insisted His disciples seek the Kingdom first (Matthew 6:33) if they would know the blessings of worry-free living. Peter simply said, “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:15-16). HMM III

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A Response to Threat

“He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor the arrow that flieth by day.” (Psalm 91:4-5)

Today we remember the unprovoked attack on America by Muslim terrorists. Despite attempts to make the country more secure, the threat remains scarcely abated. What should the Christian’s response be? In our text above, we see we have no cause for fear. The physical danger may be real, but our Lord promises protection in tender words likened to a mother bird’s care for her young. Our ultimate deliverance is guaranteed by His sure promises. Trust in His power and truth sustains us as surely as a shield and buckler.

Our hope cannot rest in military might. God does not promise temporal safety to all, for millions have succumbed to undeserved violence. Our last hope is of a different order, firmly grounded in “the LORD, which is my refuge” (v. 9). He responds to our trust and worship with the promise “with long [better translated as ‘eternal’] life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation” (v. 16). Much more interested in our response to troubles than in our deliverance, He desires us to believe and serve Him, trusting Him even in perilous times.

A New Testament application of this principle is in 1 Peter 3:14: “If ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled.” The remedy? “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear” (1 Peter 3:15).

Jesus Christ is our example and inspiration. “For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds” (Hebrews 12:3). Fixing our eyes upon Him, we have no cause for fear. JDM

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Formidable Leadership

“Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.” (Joshua 1:9)

“All [leaders] that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12). Those who disciple others must be able to live among “many adversaries” (1 Corinthians 16:9).

Godly leaders must not be afraid to confront evil. Embracing a lifestyle of rightness often brings open hostility from others. But “God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7). “Speaking the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15) does not negate the responsibility to demand that “God be true, but every man a liar” (Romans 3:4).

Godly leaders cannot be dismayed by resistance. “Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb” (Psalm 37:1-2). Our Creator is on the throne of eternity. He is the Alpha and Omega. “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness” (Isaiah 41:10).

Godly leaders need not fear man’s words or looks. Children used to say “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me.” The Bible is more accurate: “Be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns be with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions: be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house” (Ezekiel 2:6). HMM III

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Ruling Leadership

“Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying, Pass through the host, and command the people, saying, Prepare you victuals; for within three days ye shall pass over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land, which the LORD your God giveth you to possess it.” (Joshua 1:10-11)

God’s leaders are expected to exercise authority, but they must be careful to do it in God’s name and be mindful of the examples they set.

Leadership requires command. “Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you” (Hebrews 13:17).

Leadership must command in God’s name. “O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!” (Deuteronomy 5:29).

Leadership serves as examples to those being led. “The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being examples to the flock” (1 Peter 5:1-3). HMM III

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Reminding Leadership

“Remember the word which Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, saying, The LORD your God hath given you rest, and hath given you this land.” (Joshua 1:13)

Repetition undergirds the purpose of action. King David exhorted God’s people to “remember his marvellous works that he hath done; his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth” that they “might observe his statutes, and keep his laws” (Psalm 105:5, 45). Paul told young Timothy that he was to “put the brethren in remembrance of these things” because they would be “nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine” (1 Timothy 4:6). Both Old and New Testament leaders insisted that they would “not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things,” since those reminders would establish them “in the present truth” (2 Peter 1:12).

Repetition will encourage everyone. The early church leaders returned to the churches they had started, “confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith” (Acts 14:22). Peter insisted that he wanted to “stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance: That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour” (2 Peter 3:1-2).

Repetition solidifies the message. The psalmist Asaph promised the Lord, “I will remember the years of the right hand of the most High. I will remember the works of the LORD : surely I will remember thy wonders of old” (Psalm 77:10-11). God assured us that the Scriptures were “breathed out” by God and therefore are “profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). HMM III