How appropriate that the one whose name in Aramaic is Jesus, should lead them into the Promised Land. Now, Jesus of Nazareth leads us to inherit all that God has for us. There in the wilderness, Moses was telling the people that Joshua, son of Nun, was going to need their encouragement. Leadership is listed as one of the gifts in Romans 12:8 if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully. Just because some have and use this gift does not mean they can do it on their own. They need others using their gifts as well. The first gift mentioned in the Romans passage is an encouragement.We think of the gifts as uniquely New Testament, but they have existed to some extent in the Old Testament too. Leaders tend toward discouragement because they see more of the problems than most. They are also the target of criticism when things are not going well. Some are not satisfied because their personal preferences are not acted upon and let the leader know it. A number of times Moses had experienced discouragement while leading with God's direction. Moses knew how needed encouragement is. Encourage your leaders. Of course, they can get a big head and become prideful like anyone else, but most are in need of hearing an honest encouraging word. Look for the things that you sense is the leading of the Holy Spirit in the ministry of the Elders around you, and encourage them with the testimony of how it has ministered to you.
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