The NIV 365 Day Devotional

Joshua Gives Handles to Remember God’s Work

Effective leaders look for ways to use the successes of today to empower their people for the challenges of tomorrow. Joshua did exactly that.

Although God would work a miracle to allow the people to cross the Jordan on dry ground, Joshua knew that only those who saw the incident would remember it— and he wanted to leave a legacy for the next generation, born long after the miracle occurred. Joshua wanted to find a way to communicate God’s greatness to the children of Israel yet- to- be- born.

To accomplish his goal, Joshua devised a plan called “Stones of Remembrance.” He directed that 12 stones be taken from the middle of the dry riverbed— one for each of the 12 tribes who crossed the river— and be piled in a monument on shore. Thereafter, whenever Israel’s children or grandchildren asked, “What do those stones mean?” the people would have an opportunity to recast God’s vision and recount God’s victories. The stones served as “handles” to communicate what God had done.

Good leaders always provide “handles” to enable their people to grab hold of the vision. Effective leaders find a way to communicate future vision and past victories, because their people need to be constantly reminded of both.

Taken from The NIV Maxwell Leadership Bible.