Who Leads You, God or King

I know, that seems like a question that may get some conflicting thoughts. And I will say that at first consideration, it does to me as well. This morning in my reading and study, I was asked to consider that very question and dug into them.

The Israelites wanted a king and the LORD granted their want. But as with most things, wants and needs are two very different things. The Israelites saw that grand size and wealth and pageantry of the other nations and wanted that very thing for themselves without considering the cost.

In 1 Samuel 8:10-22 Samuel laid out the cost to them. A king will take sons to be in the army, take daughters to serve him, take the best of fields for his pleasure, take your servants to serve as his, take the best of the flocks for his. Everything that was had by the Israelites was not theirs any longer, as ll belonged to the world and the king who reigned over it. Even after learning of all that a king will take, the people were still blinded by their want, and so the LORD gave it to them. The results were as to be expected, just what Samuel had laid out to them.

Contrast that with having our God. He is our king. He does not take, we give. Everything that we have, just as with a king, belongs to Him. The difference is that we continue to work it and have it for us. Our sons, stay with us until their time to have their own families. And the same for our daughters. That which comes from our fields is still for us to work and experience the bounty. Our servants, would remain in our household. Our flocks are for us to work and experience. All that we have is ours and the bounty that comes from it we attribute to the LORD and give freely back to Him.

Our kingdom should be ruled by God. He is the example of the true king in our lives. He provides for us as He only wants the best for us. No, we may not be rich with things of the world. We may not have millions of acres and/or millions of dollars. We will however have what we need to be content and enjoy our time together, and more importantly, our time with Him. By giving ourselves to God as our king, all will be provided for us.

“³³But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” – Matthew 6:33 (ESV)

Who is leading your life? Are you beholden to a king and all that he takes from you? What if you were to worship God as your king and know that He provides all that we need?

Christian Leadership Principles into Secular Roles

This morning I continue my study into Spiritual Leadership and have been led to the similarities and differences of Christian Leadership and Secular Leadership. This is a fascinating comparison that has many facets, yet this morning I cover(ed) one of them. The question in my reading from MasterWork this morning that generated the most thought was this: “Do leadership principles found in secular writing and seminars apply to work done in God’s kingdom?” and pastors will go with, “Will these same principles work for me as I lead my church?”

My answer to these questions is yes. Principles to leadership are translatable from one role to another. It is the need according to the LORD or the world that has to be addressed and the direction and outcome expected in each. I do believe that when applied to the need and the direction and outcome are considered, what is used in one role, say pastor, can be used in another role, say CEO.

Here is the thing, it is leadership principles of the LORD that should be emulated in the world, not the other way around. As I read and wrote on before, the church is filled with “leaders” that were not formally “taught” to lead. They did not receive a book or a course on true leadership in seminary, or did they?

The greatest leader of all time was, JESUS. Think about it. Jesus took men and women from all walks of life and over the course of three years, led them to take over His work in this world. They would go from place to place and apply the fruit of the Spirit wherever and with whomever they came in contact with. They were filled by the Spirit and let it shine from themselves to the world.

“²²But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” – Galatians 5:22-23 (ESV)

The principles above are from the LORD and not from the world. We see secular leaders in the world who introduce these principles as being great, and leaders, even pastors, all over gravitate to them. There is this belief that somehow these secular leaders have “cracked the code” of what real leadership is and all over, are looking to these secular leaders and “their” revealed secrets.

Thing is, a good number of these secular leaders, found these principles in their walk with the LORD and that is something that all are not aware. S. Truett Cathy, who founded Chick-fil-a is a devout Christian and even closed his businesses on Sunday’s to demonstrate that. Ken Blanchard, writer and professor, is very open with his faith. Stephen Covey, educator and writer, pulled directly from the principles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Notice the above paragraph theme, some of the most espoused secular leadership principles, have their grounding in the teachings of the LORD. These principles are widely used and carried out in the secular world and yet they come from the LORD (not here to discuss the merits of different religions). So the questions in the first paragraph are proven to be answered as yes, the principles of the secular leadership world will work in the church, as that is where they originated.

“⁵Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.

⁶In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths.”

– Proverbs 3:5-6 (ESV)

Where are you getting your leadership principles? Are you leaning on the secular world’s writing and teaching? What if you went to the source and applied the Christian principles everywhere?

Leaders Not Personalities

Jesus warned of those who would come and lead away from Him.

“¹¹And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray.” – Matthew 24:11 (ESV)

The above verse is found in the passage titled, “Signs of the End of the Age.” in my ESV Bible. And it could not be more true. We are being bombarded by falsities that lead us away from the truth that is Jesus Christ. We are following those things that make us “feel” good as opposed to bring us joy.

My reading this morning is in discussion of leadership in the church and is pointed to the lack of it. The questions ask what leadership needs are there and why are there not more leaders. I think it has to do with a couple of things that are also pointed out in the reading. First, there seems to be a movement toward personalities and not leaders, and second, there is a lack of teaching leadership.

Let me start with the first, personalities. Think about those that influence in the world today. They are those that generate feelings toward themselves and not toward the truth. We have those cult “leaders” that generate a following as they claim to be something they are not and promise things that they cannot deliver. These are the ones that expect individuality to be put aside as blind follower-ship takes over based on the words of the one. And then we have those that generate a massive following through promotion and full control over all. I think of those like Joel Osteen and Ed Young who pastor and without them, nothing happens in the church that they are not privy to or have a hand in. It is not leadership, but their personality and control that dominate.

Second we have the lack of leadership teaching. I see this in the corporate world and it is true in the church as well. In the corporate world people are promoted based on their education and/or their accomplishments and not on the ability to lead. The top performers are given bigger roles and they are not “taught” how to do the next role, they are just expected to replicate their own results to those below them. As noted in my reading, that is also happening in seminary. There is only teaching of God’s Word in depth and little teaching on how to lead a church or congregation. The students are left to learn that on their own and frankly are missing the mark.

How is this fixed? The church needs to find and develop leaders. There is a Teacher who developed leaders to take over when He was gone. He spent three years being the example of leadership and guiding students as to what being a leader in the gospel was all about. Jesus led the apostles and His disciples to make more disciples, using all that He had taught them.

“¹⁸And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’” – Matthew 28:18-20 (ESV)

Who are you following? Are you leaning toward following of personalities? What if you were to look for those that follow themselves the example of leadership given by Christ?

Who and/or What to Follow

I have been studying leadership for a while, especially in the corporate world I work. I have wondered about the “leaders” that have been over me and the leader that I am. Yes, the quotation marks surrounding the word “leaders” is intentional as I do not believe that everyone in a position of overseeing a group or task is a leader. As I also believe that you do not have to be an overseer of people or tasks to be a leader.

This morning I have begun a new process or structure to my daily bible study. I am working through a series titled “MasterWork”. This series is from 2011, and where that may seem a bit ago, I went through the first lesson this morning and realized the value even today. There was reference to the speed of technology and the Information Age that we are currently right in the middle. The first section of this quarter’s (as the guide is structured into quarters) is on Spiritual Leadership.

The first question asked in the lesson is who are the leaders who have had an impact and why in my life. I gave this some thought and found a couple to men that helped to shape who I am. I gave some real thought to the who and you know, I am a bit embarrassed that I did not first think of the leader that we should all be shaped by, God/Jesus/Holy Spirit. I first thought about man. Why did I not reference our LORD as the one leader who is the perfect example to emulate.

Now, I know that I am doing a bible study and writing in reference to following the Word of God. Shouldn’t I be also looking first to Him for the answers to questions. It was not until later in the reading that I found the better questions that led me to turn to God as the one true and complete one to serve as my example to follow, “But where does one begin? Which book does a leader read next? Which seminar is a must?” My answer, God’s Word.

Isn’t it true that we are always looking for the next gimmick or quick fix to things. We want things to be done with the wave of a few questions or actions to generate results. But, the truth is not in the quick fix, but in the slow and steady application of the proven approach. And where is that proven approach? Who derived the approach that stands the test of time? Why that is God/Jesus/Holy Spirit. The LORD has done it all and not just once but with many. There are so many from time that have followed the will of the LORD and been great leaders in their own right. Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Joseph, Moses, David, Paul, and Peter to name just some were men who followed the LORD.

Now, were all those listed above perfect leaders. NO! But they were leaders that followed the direction or example of the LORD. Each of them had their faults and failures, yet ultimately are considered great men who led under the direction of the LORD. They followed the LORD and His direction, teachings, and/or example in leading during their time.

The same can be said of a more modern age of leaders. Whether Billy Graham or John Maxwell, these men and countless others follow(ed) the example, teaching, and/or direction of the LORD as their guiding principle to leading. So, who and/or what to follow, that would the LORD and His Word.

Where are you looking for your leadership example? Are you looking for the next quick guide? What if you looked to true, tested, work and example of our LORD and His Word?

God Will Do What He Will Do

I struggle in the mornings with my writing to find just the right title, and this morning is no different. I am in the first chapter of Matthew and was led to the passage of “The Birth of Jesus Christ” as it is titled in my English Standard Version Bible. I wanted to title my writing something like, “Nothing is to Big for God to do”. But for some reason, that just did not sound right.

You see, God is the biggest and as we know and He does the biggest things for sure. But I think a bit more about all of the things in general that God does that seem not quite as big. He burned a bush, that was not consumed, to talk to one man. He provided a ram to be sacrificed in place of Isaac. Jesus turned water to wine for a wedding of friends. Jesus invited children to Him to teach. These things may not seem big in the grand scheme of things, but they do demonstrate that God will do what He will do.

“’²¹She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ ²²All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

‘²³Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,

and they shall call his name Immanuel’

(which means, God with us).” – Matthew 1:21-23 (ESV)

God does what He will do to fulfill His plan. As I was in Matthew this morning and reading on the birth of Jesus, I was reminded that Mary was a virgin mother. Of course, how could this be other than God will do what he will do. Remember also, Mary’s relative, Elizabeth, conceived at an old age, John the Baptist, and was considered barren. And Sarah, Abraham’s wife conceiving at 90 years of age, Isaac, even as she was considered barren as well.

God will do what He will do to fulfill His plan. It does not matter what obstacles are in the way nor is all that He does magnificent to behold. God has His plan and nothing stands in His way to accomplish that plan. Our role in all of it is to trust in His plan and know that He will straighten out everything for the fulfillment of that plan.

“⁵Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

and do not lean on your own understanding.

⁶In all your ways acknowledge him,

and he will make straight your paths.”

— Proverbs 3:5-6 (ESV)

What is your belief on what God does? Is it one of he does great things always? What if you took things that God does as that is Him doing what He does to fulfill His plan, regardless of the size of the things done?

Turn to One Another

The LORD is coming. This much is certain. I know that it is as the LORD has told me so in His Word. There will be death and destruction and all of the evil will be vanquished at His hand. Those who have turned to Him and accepted the salvation gift in their hearts will be spared this destruction. I will be turned to comfort in that time.

“⁵Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. ⁶And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.” – Malachi 4:5-6 (ESV)

I will not have to figure out where to turn for comfort, the LORD will take care of that. He will send the one to turn me. I will recognize the time to turn and will do so, to where they will comfort me and I will comfort them. I know that the verse above indicates fathers to children and children to fathers, yet I chose to believe that the LORD will ensure that the turning is to the one who will comfort and not specifically fathers and/or children. Just look at the verses below.

“¹⁶And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, ¹⁷and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.” – Luke 1:17-18 (ESV)

The thing is, we will be turned to one another for the comfort that will be needed in that time. We are not meant to be alone. We should be in community with one another for that comfort. I know that I am grateful for the men I study God’s Word with. Where we are together intimately for about 90 minutes a week, we can turn to one another for comfort any time. We are a community of believers and that community is strong in the LORD.

The LORD knows that we need comfort. He has sent the Holy Spirit to be our helper and comfort while He prepares our place in heaven. And to go along with the Holy Spirit, He has provided us the community of believers to turn to as well. We must turn to one another for our comfort and/or when they need comfort themselves.

Where do you turn when you are in need of comfort? Are you turning to solitude to just deal with it? What if you were to turn to a community of others who believe as you do for comfort and love in your time of need?

All Will Receive the Spirit

“³²And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the Lord has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls.” – Joel 3:32 (ESV)

So, “everyone who calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved”. It is not everyone period. Salvation is for those who recognize themselves as sinners and repent and ask to be saved from the consequence of that sin, which is death as a result of the wrath of God. Just wanted to get that out there before referencing the receipt of the Spirit. All is those who have placed their faith in the LORD that He is who He says He is and does what He says He will do.

Now that we have the who all is, lets see what we receive.

“²⁸And it shall come to pass afterward,

that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh;

your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,

your old men shall dream dreams,

and your young men shall see visions.

²⁹Even on the male and female servants

in those days I will pour out my Spirit.”

— Joel 3:28-29 (ESV)

We receive the ability to prophesy, dream, and see visions. We will not only have received salvation, but we receive the Spirit to guide us and help us to declare to others that which the LORD has laid upon us. The Spirit is the helper that is sent by God at the request of Jesus to be there with us always as we take the gospel to the world.

“¹⁸And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, ¹⁹addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart,” — Ephesians 5:18-19 (ESV)

And how do we prophecy, dream, and see visions, but through psalms, hymns, spiritual songs, singing, and melody “with you heart”. We are “filled with the Spirit” and therefore all should come from within and from the whole of us, not superficially from the outside.

“²²But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” – Galatians 5:22-23 (ESV)

And just what is the fruit of the Spirit that we are to give out from our heart but “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control”. These we have received as the Spirit has been poured out on us and now we are to give to others as has been given to us. We have received and now is out time to give. All of us who have been saved have received the Spirit and all shall pay it forward so more have the chance to receive.

What is your thoughts on the receipt of the Spirit? Do all receive and have a responsibility with what is received? What if you recognized that the Spirit is poured out on those who accept Jesus as Savior and then have the responsibility to give as they have received?

The LORD Announces His Intentions

Have you ever been called into a meeting, either in work or in personal where you were not sure of the substance of the meeting and went in with an anxiousness and your guard up? It happens all the time and where there are instances where the information was so quick, that there was no time to allow attendees to prepare, but those are the exception to the rule and not the rule itself. Good leaders announce ahead of time the substance of meetings so that those attending will have a chance to prepare and find the information useful as they move forward. The LORD the great leader that always prepares us for what is next.

“³¹Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, ³²not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord.” — Jeremiah 31:31 (ESV)

Notice in the above verse that God declares a new covenant is coming. He lets it known that the people should begin to prepare for it as it will be different that what was before (new covenant, not another). The LORD was not acting out His anger, He just let it known that He would be going a new direction and the people should begin to prepare now.

Once the LORD had the attention of the people, He laid out the changes so that the preparation can begin for what is to come.

“³³For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. ³⁴And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” – Jeremiah 31:33-34 (ESV)

Now, there I much more to the changes, but the gist is above, no longer will His law be external, but it will be internalized for all to know and keep. There will no longer be a need to teach others to “Know the LORD” as all will know Him, they will now need to understand who He is and take Him into their heart themselves. Sin will be taken care of and the people will be provided the way to no longer be slaves to sin.

This declaration from the LORD is the new covenant that is enacted with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He takes on our sin and dies for them. He will be known to the world for doing so. Being like Jesus is the direction to internalizing the law of the LORD. So we can see that the LORD announces to the people of the upcoming changes and then carries those changes out for the benefit of those same people. The LORD announces His intentions and then follows-up on those intentions.

What is your understanding of the work of the LORD? Do you think things just happened and you are the beneficiary of them? What if you were to think back and see that the LORD is the great leader who announces His intentions and then follows-up on them?

Jesus Did Not Just Die, He was Crushed

This morning I was reminded through God’s Word that Jesus did not just die for my sins and for the sins of the world. HE WAS CRUSHED.

“¹⁰Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him;

he has put him to grief;

when his soul makes an offering for guilt,

he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;

the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.”

— Isaiah 53:10 (ESV)

I often think that the weight of the death of Jesus is minimized. I am not sure that we carry the with us the shear brutality that was His death. I think that there may be a sensationalism and “martyrdom” that is brought out.

You see, Jesus did not just die, He was completely destroyed. Take His crucifying. Jesus was not just killed, He was not just put to death, He was nailed to a cross. He endured all the flogging, the carrying of the cross to the crucifixion site. He was crowned with a crown of thorns. He was stabbed with a spear.

Jesus could have been killed any number of ways. Yet, He was allowed by God the Father to die is such a gruesome manner. He was “crushed”. And for what? So that you and I did not have to die the same way.

Remember, the penalty of sin is the wrath of God. And think of that word, “wrath”. According to Merriam-Webster Online, wrath is “1 : strong vengeful anger or indignation 2 : retributory punishment for an offense or a crime : divine chastisement”. Wrath is not just simple payback in kind. It is carrying out with anger and vengeance. It is gruesome and messy. It is awful. It is the worst of the worst.

The LORD allowed for Jesus’ death to be messy and gruesome and awful. He died in the way that was meant for me. He was crushed so that I did not have to be. He was not a martyr and it was not sensational. He was crushed not as an example for me, but in my place.

What is your view of Jesus’ death? Do you see it as some sort of example or martyrdom? What if you saw it as it was, gruesome and messy, as substitution for the death that you deserve and should have received?

Our God is Alive, Idols are Not

I have written that there is none like God. This morning I was reminded of that once again and shone more about idols and how they are not alive and that God is.

“⁵To whom will you liken me and make me equal,

and compare me, that we may be alike?

⁶Those who lavish gold from the purse,

and weigh out silver in the scales,

hire a goldsmith, and he makes it into a god;

then they fall down and worship!

⁷They lift it to their shoulders, they carry it,

they set it in its place, and it stands there;

it cannot move from its place.

If one cries to it, it does not answer

or save him from his trouble.”

— Isaiah 46:5-7 (ESV)

I read the verses above and see that idols are just things. They have no life of their own. They are created by a man and then have to be cared for by man. They have to be carried and placed and then moved if the need arises, by man. There is no expectation that the idols are able to care for man, it is the other way around for sure.

“³Listen to me, O house of Jacob,

all the remnant of the house of Israel,

who have been borne by me from before your birth,

carried from the womb;

⁴even to your old age I am he,

and to gray hairs I will carry you.

I have made, and I will bear;

I will carry and will save.”

— Isaiah 46:3-4 (ESV)

And there we have it. God is alive and will be until my end. But even at my end, God remains alive until your end, and then end of the next generation, and so on. He “will carry you” and “save”. This is something that is not in the character of idols. They require man to carry them and save them from them. Idols are dependent on man whereas with God, man is dependent on Him.

I for one, and am joined by my brothers and sisters in Christ, am thankful to worship The God who is alive and will care for me, carry me, and has saved me. I need it all and cannot waste my time caring for idols that require I care for them as they cannot even do that for themselves.

Where are you worshiping? Are you pouring yourself into idols that you end up having to carry from place to place? What if you worshiped the living God, who carries you?