So,
I encourage you to fear the Lord, God, to serve only Him, and to put away every
other pursuit. But, if that doesn’t make sense to you, choose to serve who or
what you will, but for me; for my family, we serve the Lord God. (Joshua
24:14-15)
Have you ever considered that genuine
respect for another person includes that you must allow them to be wrong? If
so, you may have also realized that your role is never to ‘fix’ that person,
fight their battles, nor otherwise to take God’s place in their life. Your
appropriate role is limited to what the Holy Spirit leads you to say or do.
Joshua must have recognized these truths. In
this, his final address to his people, he made clear to them the truth as he
understood and lived it personally. Joshua’s Lord defeated all the gods
worshipped by the Egyptians. He had driven out all those who had been conquered
there in the new land. The evidence was compelling, but still – Joshua
respected the people he led enough to acknowledge their authority to make their
own decisions. To the end, the great warrior and leader refused to feel
entitled to treat them as subjects.
Be creative, charming, and persuasive; even
be passionate as God leads you to encourage your people. But, be respect them always.
It’s their call.
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