My wife, Jodi (check her out on www.jodipowell.net) is an amazing cook, which, being Baptist comes in handy. Everyone in our denomination knows the social convention for mourning, celebrating, and Tuesday is food-- and we enjoy plenty of it.
Imagine my wife slaving over a hot stove, making one of our favorite foods-- butterscotch brownies. We don't get them very often, so when we do it must be a special occasion such as a birthday or Christmas or the new DSW opening up in Brookwood Village. I don't know how long it takes to prepare and make them, but based on the frequency of their appearance at my house-- approximately 6-8 months.
Now back to my story-- imagine her working hard... stirring batter, dirtying bowls, opening who knows how many jars-- only to pack up the fruits of her labor, in a tub and give them all away.
That just seems preposterous. Surely she might save one for herself! No one would do such a thing. Perhaps she is making a second batch for her and her family to enjoy.
Unfortunately, there are times when Jodi spends hours in the kitchen laboring over a meal-- only to not taste a bite of it.
As leaders, we must be prepared and understand that we may not always get to experience and enjoy the fruits of our labor. Moses sure didn't.
Deuteronomy 34:4
And the Lord said to him, This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, 'I will give it to your offspring.' I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not go over there.
Think about this for a minute. God calls Moses in a burning bush-- away from the sweet life tending flocks for a man name Jethro (I mean, who doesn't want that gig?). He empowers him to speak to Pharaoh, the most powerful man in the world. He empowers him to perform a whole host of miracles and plagues including, but not limited to the 10 plagues on Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea, Manna from Heaven, Quail for meat, water from a rock (Twice)-- all with the express purpose of bringing his people into the Promised Land. No doubt Moses thought a lot about the end goal; the reason why he worked so hard, interceded on behalf of the people, and put up with all the grumbling. No doubt he longed for the day when he would get to experience and enjoy the reward for his faithfulness. The fruit of his labor.
Guess again.
I can only imagine the bittersweet emotion felt by Moses on the top of Mount Nebo. As he looked out over the vast amount of land that God had set aside for His people, he must have felt a sense of pride and accomplishment. He must have felt an enormous trust in God, as he had once again come through on his promise. But nonetheless-- a longing for more must have filled Moses' heart.
In Deuteronomy 3:23-25 Moses records his pleading with God to change his mind-- a cry to reconsider... and God saying "No."
I'm sure David felt something similar when God told him that his son, not him would build the temple. If David doesn't think about it, I sure do-- every time I refer to "Solomon's" temple.
As leaders, we have been called to lead those entrusted to us, but our leadership is always temporary. We will play a role in leading our people through only part of their journey, and sometimes... maybe most of the time... that involves a lot of "the valley of the shadow of death" and little of the "green pastures."
But as leaders, we are called to be servants. To elevate the needs of the people ahead of our own. This is why David raised the funds and developed the plans for the Temple, even though he wouldn't get his name on a plaque by the door. It is why Moses continued to lead faithfully even after God told him his punishment for his disobedience. It is why we lead with diligence even when we know we may not get to experience the end that God has in store for His people.
I was just talking to Lisa, one of the church secretaries here at FBCH. We were talking about church growth and how God is blessing our congregation. Even though our current leadership has been able to see God's blessing and experience the "growth," FBCH has had 28 other pastors besides myself in their nearly 100 year history. Countless lay leaders and deacons. Numerous secretaries, worship leaders, youth ministers, custodians and pianists who have all labored and led. Their contributions are no less valuable than any of ours... we simply get to reap a portion of the reward.
As leaders, we must realize that we may never get to enjoy the results of our labor on this side of Heaven. And that's OK-- perhaps the next guy will!
--Jeremy
No comments:
Post a Comment