Many people have the potential to be leaders but are afraid they will not make the grade. They’re afraid of failure and are content to follow and stay behind. Many fear they will not live up to expectations or are so scared they will make mistakes. They never reach the heights they were destined for and end their lives with the inevitable last words, “If only…” If only I had stood up. If only I had answered. If only I had not held back.
And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. (Rev.1:5, 6)
We all called to be leaders in some form or another, but fear holds us captive to the mediocre. We become captive to the mundane of our everyday lives. Each of us would love to unravel the ‘mystique’ that surrounds the great leaders of our time, to be able to say and do something that astounds and impresses, and sets us apart. We would love to do that one thing that draws the attention of our peers. But life gets in the way and before we know it, it is over. And we come to the sad conclusion that leadership was not for us.
Maybe it would have been different if we knew what makes a leader or how one becomes a leader. Is it experience, devotion, loyalty, or perhaps birthright? Is a leader made over time or is someone born to lead? Has it to do with personality or physique? What is it that sets somebody apart to be a leader? These are all questions that have been asked over and over again by people seeking promotion, and each time we think we know the answer, something happens to turn all the theory on its head.
Just a look at the world’s leaders over the past century makes the head spin – from the megalomaniacs Mussolini, Hitler, and Amin, to the men of peace Gandhi, and Mandela. There have been women, Emily Pankhurst, Queen Elizabeth 1 and 11, and Mother Theresa and they have come from all nations, from Norway’s Dag Hammarskjöld to New Zealand’s Edmund Hilary. They have been tall and short, African and European, Asian and Latin, and the more we look at the leaders of the world, that are and have been, the fewer defining factors we find that sets them apart from the rest of us, whether in character or physical stature, intelligence or upbringing, accomplishments or learning. No matter how we look at them, no singular trait seems to stand out.
Even in the Bible, we see that the leaders, whether they are kings or prophets, farmers or fishermen are so varied in character and upbringing that we need to dig deeper than the obvious to find their defining traits. When choosing David to succeed Saul as king of Israel, God looked past the obvious physical stature of David’s imposing brothers who were paraded before Him, seeing rather the heart of a king in the younger shepherd boy almost forgotten out in the field looking after his ‘few sheep’.
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| Gerd Altman. Pixabay.com |
Let’s dig deeper into Biblical leadership and what God looked for when appointing someone to lead? What makes a Biblical leader? Once again the obvious comes to mind that perhaps God was looking for someone who had special abilities e.g. the faith of Abraham or the wisdom of Solomon, or perhaps not, Peter had neither, or perhaps it was the determination of David, but then again perhaps not, like Jonah; or the caring heart of Jeremiah, or perhaps not, like Samson; or perhaps they needed a special calling such as Elisha, or Samuel, or Isaiah, or perhaps it was wealth such as Solomon’s or Abraham’s, or Matthew, but then again, perhaps not, like Elijah, Joshua, or John the Baptist. Perhaps we need a ‘sense of destiny’ before we can take charge, like Samuel, or perhaps not like Moses, perhaps we need to lead only amongst our own like the Judges, or perhaps not like Joseph and Daniel.
It is difficult to single out one determining factor, one definitive physical characteristic, or that one special thing that defines a leader. Many were surprised by their calling, such as Moses at the burning bush, Samuel in the temple, and Elisha behind the plow. Others were thrust into leadership roles by the public stand they took for God and His people, such as Ester and Daniel. Some were chosen by birth, like Jacob and Jeremiah, and others again by the gifts they had, such as Joseph. Some had special physical abilities such as Samson and Ehud, and others were set on their path by a divine call straight from heaven, such as Noah and Paul. Then there were those who were called through other men, such as Aaron and Timothy. The list goes on and on, but not one of these leaders was the same, not one thought or behaved the same as any other, and not one was to lead in the same way. Each had varying levels of commitment, faith, discipline, and all the other things that make a good leader. There is, however, one ‘peculiarity’ (I call it peculiarity because it is an uncommon thing these days, even amongst modern leaders) they did all have in common, one thing that made them stand out above all the others, one thing that set them apart. It was a yearning for something more. A deep need for something higher or greater than them, something of more value, something to which they could look and aspire. You can call it a goal or a vision, a desire or a need, but it drove men such as Peter, Paul, Abraham, and Moses out of obscurity and onto the pages of the greatest book ever written.
And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!
And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.
Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou?
He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour.
One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.
He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.
And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone. (John 1:36-42)
Even these ‘illiterate fishermen’, were on the lookout, searching for more than the present, more than the usual, more than the mundane. This desire for something greater, this vision, was the seed that God used to lift them above their station in life.
Whether it was Joseph, Moses, David, Daniel, Simon Peter, or Matthew each became a godly leader from where he was in life, from his position in the world of men, be it, prince or pauper, be he servant or prisoner, businessman or fisherman, scholar or soldier. People tend to follow those who know where they are headed especially when hope is in short supply. The one who has direction becomes their hope. There are many other attributes a leader can have but without striving for something better, a knowing of where he is going, he cannot lead. To lead you must know your destination and not be satisfied with the ordinary. The world needs you.
God bless you.
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All scripture is from the King James Version of the Holy Bible.
The above is an excerpt from my book, The Christian Leader available at https://www.amazon.com/Christian-Leader-Warren-du-Plessis/dp
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