Revelation!

I just wanted to share this with all of you, because it was so huge to me this morning.

As the alarm went off at 5 am, as usual I start the morning out proclaiming, "THIS IS THE DAY THAT THE LORD HAS MADE, I WILL REJOICE AND BE GLAD IN IT!" I try to make that my very first thought before I even open my eyes, before any junky thoughts get a chance to try to weasel their way in. However, sometimes that comes second to, "ARE YOU SERIOUS IT'S TIME TO GET UP ALREADY?" lol

Every morning I read Our Daily Bread daily devotional and the short scripture passage that accompanies it, and then spend the rest of my allotted time in prayer. A lot of mornings I fall in and out of sleep, and usually have no idea what it was that I read. Yes, I'll admit that.

But this morning was different. Today is Wednesday (duh), and that's my Bible study and Youth Group night at my church. As you all know this is something that I've been doing for a few months now. OK before I go any farther, here's this morning's devotional and accompanying scripture:


August 6, 2008
Joshua 1:1-7
1 After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses' aide: 2 "Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites. 3 I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. 4 Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Great Sea [a] on the west. 5 No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.
6 "Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. 7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.

The Apprentice

When some employers were asked what makes a good apprentice, they responded that they seek to hire "someone who wants to learn."
In the Bible, a good example of an apprentice is Joshua. We remember Joshua for marching around the wall of Jericho. He also had some important responsibilities as a spy (Num. 13:16) and as a warrior (Ex. 17:10). But he was often in the shadow of someone else—Moses. For 40 years, Joshua served as Moses’ assistant, aide, and apprentice (Ex. 24:13).
God takes His own time to prepare us for service. Sometimes that period of waiting is as valuable as learning all the needed strategies and goals. Joshua observed Moses’ faith in God. He learned what it meant to be humble (Num. 12:3), how to take instruction (Ex. 17:10), and how to be a true servant of God (Josh. 1:1; 24:29). Even a display of Moses’ temper (Num. 20:7-12) was an opportunity to watch and learn. By spending time with Moses, Joshua learned things that couldn’t be learned from a book.
Joshua’s own time to lead was coming. And when it came, he was able to trust God’s promise to him: "As I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you" (Josh. 1:5). — Cindy Hess Kasper

People who become great leaders
Sometimes need to learn
How to serve and follow others—
Then they’ll get their turn. —Sper
A person who is not willing to follow is not prepared to lead.

OK this was a HUGE revelation to me. I go weekly to youth group, whether I want to or not. Most of

the time I end up MAKING myself go, forcing myself out of my apartment. Not that I don't enjoy it, because that's not the case at all. I always come home afterwards feeling fulfilled and blessed. It's

more so the fact that I don't quite know what I'm doing there. I don't understand my role or my purpose there. Sometimes I feel like I'm just one of the teens attending.

I know this is the area I'm called to work in. I know that on Wednesday nights from 7-9 this is where God wants me to be. I love teens, I feel I'm able to connect best with this age group. They invigorate me, they're always switching from topic to topic, and they're all over the place. It's great! I do feel as if I'm forming relationships with a lot of them, which I believe is important because you need that foundation there. They need to know they can trust you, they need to know you're real. I'm also building awesome friendships with the youth leaders. So I do know that I'm meant to be there. Another confirmation of that again, is how I always come home feeling fulfilled and better then when i went.

But again, my struggle is with wondering what the heck my role is there. This devotional was very eye opening. Right now He's preparing me. I'm sitting, observing, learning, and meanwhile, that IS humbling to me. I feel God has provided me with a strong gift of leadership. So it's just natural for me to want to step in, take control, and be in charge and lead things. But His plan is different then mine. Just like Joshua had learned things by spending time under Moses' leadership, I guess this is my time to sit and learn in preparation for the ministry that He has ahead for me.

Thank you Father for revealing this to me this morning!