Jesus once promised that the gates of hell would not prevail against His church. He has kept that promise for about 2000 years so far, and I am confident He will keep it for the years to come. One of the reasons Christ’s church has persevered so long is that the church continues to perpetuate leaders. When one has finished his or her time, there is another ready to take their place. The church is a Leadership Factory. No one is indispensible in the Lord’s work. Everyone is important and some excel above others, but God’s work does not depend on us.
 
After Moses died the Lord told Joshua that He would lead the nation of Israel into the Promised Land. Joshua had been a leader in training for the 40 years that Moses was out front. But after Moses died, and the Lord took him to heaven, Joshua would assume the role of leader. He was different from Moses. He had skills that Moses did not have, just as Moses had skills that Joshua did not have. Moses was patient and learned the art of organization from his time in Egypt. The skill that would be needed to take possession of the new land however, was more military. And that is what Joshua brought to the table. He was gifted in battle and his time had come.
 
It is amazing how God always raises up the right leader for the right circumstance. Even today we see how God brings the right people to the right responsibility at just the right time. We have a responsibility to do the best we can while it is our time to serve, but we also need to be training the next generation for when our time has passed. Tomorrow’s generation needs to learn from those who are leading today and be ready when God says to them what He said to Joshua; “You are up!”