Israel faced a leadership crisis. Their seasoned leaders had all died during their forty year journey. Only Moses, Joshua, and Caleb had survived to look over into the land of promise. Before his death, Moses had to prepare new leaders for the next chapter in the pilgrimage. There would be a changing of the guard. The new, younger cohort had to step up to the challenges ahead. The contemporary church is facing this same scenario. As we celebrate our fortieth year, we anticipate the future, and prepare new leaders to step and guide us there.

Deuteronomy 1:8, 20-21 The text of Deuteronomy 1 is very descriptive of what God wants to do in the life of His people, and in the circumstances of those He appoints to lead. Providing spiritual leadership, whether in the nation, the tribe, the family unit, or in the church today, is an awesome calling. Being equal to the assignment of parenting, governing, guiding, mentoring, and providing a leader’s influence in the many areas of life seems impossible. But, God has provided for our limitations. He comes to us as a giver. Today, we discover what God wants to do in our lives. It is astounding!

The scripture reference is Deuteronomy 2:7. Looking back is a natural inclination. Fond things linger in our memory, people who have influenced us, events and circumstances that have shaped who we are, history that informs where we are at present, and where we are going. Sometimes we’d like to go back. Yet, our looks into the rear-view mirror should be mere glances. And, what we see there should inspire us to move steadily forward to what is ahead. As Moses prepared the next generation of leaders, he reminded them of the one reliability factor that had superintended their wilderness wanderings. He looked back so they would look ahead. Today we’ll look into the rear-view mirror. You may be surprised by what we see.

The Scripture passage is Deuteronomy 4:9;6:7. As Moses spoke to and trained Israel’s new generation of leaders, he knew their assignment would be tested in something far more important than their tribal or national roles. Moses understood that Israel’s faith was essentially a family matter. Spiritual instruction was, according to the plan given to them by the Lord God, a family function. As a result, a good bit of their leadership training involved God’s plan for the family. As we celebrate Mother’s Day, and anticipate Father’s Day in a few weeks, we’ll review God’s intention to preserve the crucial elements of faith by entrusting them to the faithful family leaders.

The title of today's lesson is "Generational Waves" and the scripture we'll be looking at is Deuteronomy 11:1-18. Hey, it’s a multi-generational celebration today, honoring senior adults and graduates. Here’s the deal: cross-generational influence is essential in God’s plan! Our study of Deuteronomy continues to focus on the leadership paradigm that God gave the Children of Israel. Today, we’ll illustrate it as well as review a Biblical text that amplifies God’s awesome plan. Can you say, “wow”?

The title of today's lesson is "Handrails" and the scripture we'll be looking at is Deuteronomy 32:7-9. Stepping up can stretch us! In fact, it can involve such huge steps of responsibility that we lose our balance in the process. Moses wrote and sang a song to provide some handrails for the new generation of leaders. It was a song of handrails, designed to help them find footing and equilibrium as they guided their nation to the Promised Land. Today, we’ll review three of these handrail words, words that will help every single person with leadership responsibilities.

The title of today's lesson is "Three Envelopes" and the scripture we'll be looking at is Deuteronomy 34:5-1. The final verses of Deuteronomy guaranteed a smooth transition of leadership for the people of the Covenant. Succession is always an issue in spiritual leadership. God insured that Joshua would be able to assume leadership of the Israelite nation and lead them into the land of promise. It is as if God gave Joshua three envelopes to open as he stepped up to lead the new leadership grid. Here’s some good counsel for spiritual leaders today. Listen up! Then, step up!