Running the race #4 Leadership(30jul08)

'Blessed be the God…….Who hath sent His angel, and delivered His servants that trusted in Him, and ………….have yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god except their own God'

Daniel 3:28

Most of us are familiar with the story of how King Nebuchanezzar(of the famed Hanging Garden of Babylon, one of the ancient wonders of the world) sent 3 faithful men of God into the hot furnace for their steadfast faith to God. These 3 men yielded not to the King's command and were prepared to yield all to the Lord our God, even at risks of certain death. The 3 men came out of the crucible of fire unsinged and the unbelieving mighty King was awed by this testimony of their faithfulness and God's deliverance.

'The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth'
Psalm 145:18

As a believer, in my days of weakness, I sometimes wonder if God will ever put me through such a major test and will I pass it? The natural man is sinful but God is graceful and I am reminded that our journey of faith with God is a series of steps, led by Him and He knows our limits. Better to focus on the moment and ask, "is my every step pleasing to the Lord our God?' If there is ever a wider chasm of faith to cross, the Lord will provide as He has always, and He will make us ready to take that next step, big or small.

'And thus did Hezekiah throughout Judah, and wrought that which was good and right and truth before the Lord his God. And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, and in the law, and in the commandments, to seek His God, he did it with all his heart, and prospered'

2 Chronicles 31:20-21

All of us are leaders, in the sense that as believers, we are to take the lead in responding to the will of God, as led by the Holy Spirit, who resides in us. But unlike the secular kings, we as servant leaders lead by example and not by compulsion, and pray that many will be encouraged to join us in the presence of our Lord, but we have no right to impose upon the people our God places in our lives. Change cannot be forced upon the unwilling.

'By Whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for His name. Among whom are ye also called of Jesus Christ'

Romans 1:5-6

As the world moves towards this notion of the need to look for commonality, to learn to respect each others' rights of belief in a pluralistic society, the inevitable question has to arise as regards this general practice in enlightened societies, which is " to each his own, as long as he does not impinge nor impose his belief upon that of others, and that he does not run contrary to the generally acceptable values of society"

Will this now change and will society not insist that everyone should restrict their beliefs to the inner sanctum of their home and the designated physical religious institutions, and beyond this, no one should espouse their faith, even to the willing. And the only value acceptable for the public forum should be the values of the secular world, which is, greed, fear, pride, selfishness for secularism is increasingly the common religion of the sinful human race.

'I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgement is just: because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent Me'

John 5:30

Is this already a reality in our world. It is increasingly so in secular Europe and making advances in America. We as believers are asked to go out to share the good news of the gospel, for only till the last reaches of the world hear and know about the salvation given to all, will our Lord Jesus Christ return. If the world were to impinge and restrict such sharing, how can we do the Lord's work?

'..Before a word is on my tongue, You know it completely…..'
Psalm 139:1-4

With God all things are possible, with men it is not. The Lord knows our ins and outs. The Lord wants change to start with ourselves. Transformation in a person speaks volume of his faith and the work of a Sovereign God, more than our words and that is where we must start from. Are we willing to be like our Lord Jesus Christ(as in John 5:30)

'Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and depart from evil'

Proverbs 3:5-7

Man, from the moment Adam took a bite of the apple from the Tree of knowledge, has since learn to deal with all matters of life on the basis of their own understanding. For all of us believers too, there are many times when we are very much dependent on that same flawed understanding. The Words we look for when we read the Bible, the people we seek and their desired response is still very much a function of our inner fears and sinful desires. Even when we come to the Lord in prayer, we are still taking the lead in determining the desired outcome of His response.

Can we ever truly let go and let Him?

'Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in His law doth He meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water,,,,,,,,,,

Psalms 1:1-3

God gives us the wisdom to deal with the many issues facing us every day. He gave us the founational principles of Christlike living. But the wise would learn to anchor his day with the Lord always. To let the Spirit of God sanctify and lead Him, to ensure that his response is align with the will of God, always.

'He is the Rock, His works are perfect and all His ways are just'
Deuteronomy 32:4

The present world do otherwise. Man wants certainty. They want to believe in leaders who promise them the desires of their heart

'Many will intreat the favour of the prince: and every man is a friend to him that giveth gifts'
Proverbs 19:6

Much as it is against our carnal nature, the man of God must take delight in seeking Him first, to know His will. The child of God must remain steadfast in staying in the presence of God, even as the world beckons him to do otherwise. Leadership in the context of a believer and follower of our Lord Jesus Christ, is to be willing to take the lead in always acknowleging the Sovereignty of God in our lives, always be willing to take the lead wherever God places us. Leadership is not about who we are, but Who God is.

'For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of His mouth cometh knowledge and understanding……'
Proverbs 2 :6

The wonderful thing about our faith is that we are less likely to have fair weather friends, for it is not riches, or status or whatever the sinful world values that we can offer to others. In fact, often the path we walk will ensure that not many will be willing to enjoin us in this lustless life. But more importantly, it is God whom we are accountable to and take delight in and so, even as others disappoint us in not being willing to follow our lead, or as some fall by the wayside, it matters more for their soul than ours.

'But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature, ………..for the Lord seeth not as man seeth, fo rman looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart'

1 Samuel 16:6-7

The increasingly shaken world will want to cling on more to a leadership that can sustain or at least preserve what the secular world define as an ideal life. More will be led down the garden path only to discover that they have been let down again, and again. Today, the present woes of the world, be it in the financial sector, the corporate world in general, in the political arena, or even in the schools or at home, are due to a confluence of factors, be it questionable leadership, greedy shareholders, diverse pluralistic selfish interests that water down the quality of the candidates, focus on cumulating material values rather than living out good godly values, but the interesting thread that underlines all these is the sinful bedrock of values the world increasingly lean upon.

'Therefore hear now this, thou that art given to pleasures, that dwellest carelessly, that sayest in thine heart, I am, and none else beside me……'

Isaiah 47:8

Pride, selfishness, lusts, self-righteousness have been with man since Adam and Eve. But the difference is that it is a disease that has permeated general society and is now increasingly the lifestyle of choice of the upper echelons of society and the power brokers. The shepherds of the secular world.

'I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.'

Romans 12:1-2

The Bible has shown many times in Israel's history, how God more than blessed them when their hearts look unto Him and how Israel often falls, when their hearts go a flutter elsewhere.

'And the people said unto Joshua, The Lord our God will we serve, and His voice will we obey'
Joshua 24:24

Today, all of us who believe and desire to follow our Lord Jesus Christ are the 'Israel' of the present world. The world will increasingly see the difference between those whose leadership rests upon the Lord our God, and those who choose to do otherwise.

'…..I said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek ye Me in vain………'
Isaiah 45:19

'Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is none else'
Isaiah 45:22

'So the Lord alone did lead him, and there was no strange god with him'
Deuteronomy 32:12

Joshua 24:22-23

God Blesses

Eng Hieang
(30jul08)