As a leader, where should your influence begin? A good answer can be drawn from the life of Joshua. For him, as for other leaders wanting to make an impact beyond their lifetime, it begins at home. Before anything else, Joshua took responsibility for the spiritual life of his family. We should take a good look at Joshua’s values when it comes to leadership.
- Joshua’s leadership of his family was greater than his leadership of the country (Joshua 24:14-18). When a leader puts his family first, the community benefits. When a leader puts the community first, both his family and the community suffer. Starting at home is always the key to affecting others in a positive way. Because Joshua had his priorities right and led his household well, he gained credibility to lead the entire house of Israel.
- Regardless of what others did, Joshua did not wait on the crowd (Joshua 24:19-20). When Joshua stood before the people of Israel and declared that no matter what the rest of the people did, he would follow God, he wasn’t bluffing or grandstanding. Joshua led his family with integrity and encouraged them to do what was right.
- Joshua modeled faith-based leadership as a parent (Exodus 24:13, 33:11, Numbers 27:18, 32:12, Joshua 5:14-15). Joshua lived a life of prayer, faith, obedience and commitment. For the health of a family, nothing can replace the modeling of a spiritual leader. He stood against those who opposed God’s purpose. He had courage to live out his faith. Courage is faith in action. Courage = obedience today = success tomorrow.
Are you truly placing family first? There is no legacy like that of the positive influence a leader can exercise with his family. Joshua left us an example in his infamous statement: “as for me and my house…” When a leader places family first, future generations will be blessed.