The Gift of Leadership (Numbers 8:19)

And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his sons from among the people of Israel, to do the service for the people of Israel at the tent of meeting and to make atonement for the people of Israel, that there may be no plague among the people of Israel when the people of Israel come near the sanctuary.
—Numbers 8:19

So get the picture here: this is God saying that he has given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his sons—ultimately to the people of God—for the purpose of worship. God has taken this whole group of people, the Levites, and given them as a gift to his people to help minister before the Lord and make atonement for sins among them.

Now take that picture—God taking a whole group of people and giving them as a gift—and go over to the New Testament. Think about Ephesians 4, where the Bible talks about how Jesus, by his grace and mercy, has redeemed us, saved us, and given gifts to his church.

Ephesians 4 goes on to describe certain leaders in the church given as gifts: apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, and teachers. As you keep reading, you see the broader picture—each part of the body working together. God has not only redeemed us and drawn us to himself; he has also given gifts—leaders and gifts to every member—for the building up of the body.

This means, first, we praise God for the gifts he gives and for leaders in the church in all kinds of ways. There is no way I would be who I am today, by God’s grace, apart from these leaders—pastors who taught me God’s Word, leaders who invested their lives in mine, and Sunday school teachers like Miss Romo in first grade, who taught me about Jesus right as I was beginning to understand the gospel as much as a first grader could.

I am so thankful for the gifts of Miss Romo, Pastor Harris, Don Bolden, Greg Bennett, Eddie Robertson, and so many others. I could go on and on—and that is just from the church where I was growing up. Beyond that, there have been many more good gifts given for my building up.

And I want to be that kind of gift in other people’s lives—don’t you? Not just as a pastor, leader, or teacher, but as a gift to other brothers and sisters in Christ for their good.

So, God, we praise you for the people in our lives. I encourage you to think of specific people in your mind right now. God, we thank you for them—for people who have taught us your Word, led us to you, discipled us, shown us what it means to follow you, and prayed for us.

God, thank you for Gina Robertson. I mentioned Eddie—and how she faithfully prayed for me as I was growing up and encouraged me. Even now, so many people are coming to mind. Thank you, God. I praise you for those people in my life. We praise you for those people in our lives.

And God, we pray: help us to be these kinds of people in others’ lives. Today, in our churches and communities, help us to lead others to know you and to enjoy you. Help us to be the gifts you have designed us to be—gifts given to your body for the building up of the church around us and the spread of the church around the world.

God, we want to be a gift to the nations—interceding for them, going to people around us and to peoples around the world, however you lead us.

A Prayer for the Djogorame People

We pray for the Djogorame people of Mali—65,000 of them, with no known followers of Jesus among them. God, please, among this Muslim people group, may the good news of Jesus spread. We pray that the Djogorame people of Mali might experience the gift of your grace, and that the church might be planted there—full of your grace, with the gifts you give for their building up.

God, may it be so. We pray for disciples to be made and for churches to be planted and multiplied among the Djogorame and all around the world, as an expression of your generosity—your gifts given in people for your glory.

In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.