See the Need

​I had two speaking engagements on the same weekend that required me to wear my dress uniform with a bow tie for one event and a long tie for the other.  The night before traveling, as I got into bed, I remembered I had only packed a long tie.  I decided to get it first thing in the morning before Kathleen took me to the airport.  

Jim, my command sergeant major, picked me up at the airport in Washington D.C. wearing his uniform and bow tie.  Immediately I realized that I forgot to grab and pack my tie.  Because I had to change into my uniform while we were driving to minimize our lateness, we didn’t have time to go to a store.  Jim quickly called the ranking noncommissioned officer at the dining hall where I would be speaking to see if anyone had an extra tie. Sure enough one of the detachment commanders, a warrant officer, had a tie for me.  It turned out he had nine ties!  Before their dinner event he purchased extra bow ties in case his soldiers forgot or brought the wrong tie.  No one in the room knew what he had done except for the senior leaders meeting me. During my remarks I brought him up and shared with the soldiers my memory lapse and the vision and caring leadership of their chief.  Then I awarded him a coin for excellence.  
 
Meditation
Genesis 22:13—Abraham l0oked up and saw a ram caught in the thicket by its horns.  So Abraham went and took the ram and offered it as a burnt offering in place of his son. 
 
Abraham faced the hardest day of his life.  God asked him to sacrifice his only son Isaac.  But God never intended for Israel’s patriarch to kill his boy. He was testing the devotion of His servant.  And knowing that He would stop Abraham before he stabbed his son, He also knew a suitable sacrifice would be necessary.  Lovingly, He caused a ram to get caught in a thicket in close proximity.  God saw the need and provided the solution before Abraham was even aware of His actions.
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Great leaders see the need and provide solutions before a problem causes failure. God’s remedy for Abraham was a precursor to His answer for all of us!  The Perfect Leader, knowing before we were born that sin would be our downfall, sent His Son, Jesus, who willingly became the ram to be our Savior.   This is why we can live with confidence and faith—God knew our need and alreadyprovided our salvation!  
 
Inspiration
Vision is a clear focus upon a future end state that propels self and others forward with expectation and perseverance.—Robert F. Dees inResilient Leaders
 
©2014 Daniel York  ARR. Reveration is the weekly devotional ministry of First Cause.  If you would like to receive these devotionals go to www.firstcause.org and click on the “Click here to receive weekly devotionals” box.  Unlimited permission to copy this devotional without altering text or profiteering is allowed subject to inclusion of this copyright notice.      
 
Ecclesiastes 12:10-The Teacher sought to find delightful sayings and to accurately write words of truth.  (Holman CSB)