It is difficult, if not impossible, to lead people where you have never been yourself. It’s hard to do that from a leadership capacity in the world of business, and it’s even harder to do from a spiritual capacity as we seek to disciple others in the faith. Sure, you may be theological gifted and can teach and instruct others about the Gospel in general, but in terms of leading someone to navigate life with a Christian worldview in mind, leadership of that kind requires a personal journey.

Maybe this was Moses’ emphasis in verse 46 when he urged the people to take to heart all these words that day as a warning and to pass them onto their children to follow. Moses could have just said, “Write these down and teach them to your kids,” but instead he emphasized that they should first take God’s Word to heart, internalize it, let it change them, and then command their children to do the same. Why? Because the parents could never take the next generation of disciples where they needed to go until the parents had gone there themselves. A good reminder for us all. 

• How can you learn from your experiences – both your successes and your failures – to disciple someone else?