“2Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money.” – 1 Timothy 3:2-3 (ESV)
Overseer = Leader. You can see here that Paul is providing Timothy with characteristics needed to be the leaders in the church. The one characteristic that stands out to me is “self-controlled”. One must be self-controlled to be an overseer/leader in the church.
Being self-controlled does not mean that we allow others to push us around and we are fully submissive. No, what I see now as I have been studying these past weeks, months, and years is that self-control means that I have to pick my battles and when I do “push back” it is based on facts and the events themselves without bringing emotion into the process. It is that emotion that brings irrational thought and that irrational thought is what gets in the way of the decision making process.
I am by nature a quiet person. I am reserved and usually sit and wait for things to unfold before I engage. I want to make sure that when I do engage it is at a time when I am able to think clearly of the full situation and determine the best for all involved. I will admit that the “best for all” may not be a “win for all”, but it will be the more logical of scenarios and the benefit may not be realized for some time.
The self-controlled are those that will allow failure in the interest of learning. That failure is difficult to take unless one is able to remove the emotion and see the bigger picture of how decisions affect all of those involved. An overseer/leader must have this quality to be sure that the team, church, and God are glorified through the decisions made.
As I look at these and the other qualities of Christians, I am reminded that all of these are in place to bring glory to God the Father. I know it may sound the same and it is the answer that Christians are taught to give when asked why we do things, but isn’t it true that we are placed in this world to glorify God? And as that is true, isn’t it also important that we learn what qualities will give us the greatest chance at success.?
Overseers/Leaders need to have the qualities listed in the verses above. Not for their own sake, but for the sake of those they oversee/lead. Others should see the example of what right looks like as a child of God and that starts with being self-controlled.
What characteristics do you believe make good Overseers/Leaders? Are you living up to the qualities that define the position you are/may be in? Will you be self-controlled in your leadership whether in the world or in the home?
Trevor's Thoughts 