Wisdom for Leaders, January 9, 2022
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Good morning, well this morning looks different than we all thought it would look!
That said I suppose the theme these days should be: expect the unexpected.
Welcome back to proverbs. Today we dive into the last two topics of our study in this an incredible book.
Leaders. Leaders matter a lot.
Right here I have my copy of the world magazine summary of 2021. It has struck me as I read it this week how crazy the last year was. But more specifically how much it mattered what kind of leaders we have.
COVID, vaccines, deaths, masks
January 6
In fact it's not exaggerating too much to say that often organization rise organizes or falls based on good leadership. A community rises or falls based on good or bad leadership. A state and a country rises or falls because of good or bad leadership. A family grows healthy and whole or sick and broken because of how the parents lead.
And so it can't be surprising at all that proverbs speaks to leaders.
A manual for leadership
Proverbs has rightly been called a “Manual for leadership.” If you want to be a good leader, take a look at the book of proverbs. If you want to be a great leader meditate regularly on the lessons in this book.
You know leaders of every stripe claim that God is on their side. From the beginning of time immortal leaders have understood the power of pulling religion to bear on what they want to accomplish. It's tempting to ask the question which leader has God on his side. Perhaps the better question is which leader that we encounter is on God's side?
Major abortion case coming up needing new leadership
Old leaders stepping down like Angela Merkel (And Paul Thomas)—P55
So first of all a good leader reflects the character of God.
now this principle isn't a religious statement but it also isn't not one either. The Bible teaches that God created heaven and earth. And he made mankind in his own image. If that's true then to be a leader in pretty much any capacity means you're serious about reflecting the character of God.
So the rest of everything we say about leaders will basically be under the heading of “reflecting God’s character.”
A good leader is righteous.
Many of argued that doesn't matter how a little lives as long as he governs well. Many of us made that argument with regards to president trump and some of the allegations of against him as he ran for his term in office. But from the perspective of proverbs right living matters.
12 It is an abomination to kings to do evil, for the throne is established by righteousness.
New york Governor Cuomo losing his position in office due to accusations against him of how he related inappropriately to women in his office.
If a political leader wants to have impact that he needs to live while. If a parent wants to have a good impact then he or she needs to live well. And most of the qualifications for being a leader of and in the church are moral qualifications.
A good leader is not greedy.
One of the temptations of leadership will always be to use the power of a position to acquire more 4 oneself. Proverbs challenges and demonstrates that the capacity for a leader to be a good leader means they don't give in to the vice of greediness.
4 By justice a king builds up the land, but he who exacts gifts tears it down.
A leader in the church needs to be free from the love of money.
3 not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money.
And yet unfortunately even in the early church there were leaders who used their position for political and for financial gain.
17 For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.
A leader is also someone who is not enslaved to substances.
4 It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, or for rulers to take strong drink,
5 lest they drink and forget what has been decreed and pervert the rights of all the afflicted.
Handling the immigration crisis’s of 2021 took leaders willing to look big problems straight on soberly and with wisdom.
Substance abuse does many things and damages lives.
29 Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaining? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes?
30 Those who tarry long over wine; those who go to try mixed wine.
31 Do not look at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup and goes down smoothly.
32 In the end it bites like a serpent and stings like an adder.
33 Your eyes will see strange things, and your heart utter perverse things.
Kings have lost their Thrones in the Bible and in extra-biblical history while in drunken stupor's. Leaders in the church are called... they are qualified by the fact that they are not addicted to much wine.
Leaders value and have personal integrity
28 Steadfast love and faithfulness preserve the king, and by steadfast love his throne is upheld.
Joes Manchin defying the party in certain votes
Whether it is in the church our in our cities, states, and countries, we need to make sure our leaders are those who keep their words. When we lead we must value integrity. Leaders of the church must be above reproach in how they live
2 Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,
Good leaders fear God.
December 11 tornados in kentucky and other states. —p78
7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.
A wise leader recognizes the power of God. It’s always tempting when you lead in any capacity to think too highly of your own power. A wise leader remembers God’s power over life and death. God knows what has and will happen to us.
Another thing that’s important in a wise leader is that they fear God. This is crucial because it’s important for leaders to make decisions that are unpopular at times. In the home you’ll make choices your kids and even spouse may not understand as you lead your family. At work the people you lead won’t always understand the reason for decsions you make. When you fear God more than you fear men you find the strength to make decisions that honor God even when men and women around you don’t understand why you made that decision.
25 The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.
Good leaders also seek wisdom
15 By me kings reign, and rulers decree what is just;
It takes wisdom to be a good leader. You can’t just shoot from the hip and react. Remember the story of Rehoboam the son of Solomon? He lost more than half his kingdom because he chose to listen to the wrong advisers.
Wise rulers surround themselves with wise people.
Evergreen blockage and continuing backed up supply lines—p82
14 Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.
13 Righteous lips are the delight of a king, and he loves him who speaks what is right.
Within the church leaders are to be men capable of teaching and correcting others in the church who believe wrong things about God and His word.
9 He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.
Good leaders also rule justly
Protests against bad governments in Cuba on July 11
Recovery from Nov 30 shooting and other shootings—p87
Part of being a leader in any context is having some power. A wise leader is concerned with justice.
15 When justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers.
14 If a king faithfully judges the poor, his throne will be established forever.
24 Whoever says to the wicked, “You are in the right,” will be cursed by peoples, abhorred by nations,
Good leaders also show compassion to the helpless
The problem in any family, workplace, community, or church is that always some people have more power than others. A good leader concerns himself or herself with looking out for those with less power.
8 Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute.
9 Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy.
Throughout history one of the marks of a Christian has been a commitment to help the helpless period to help those without power. That's been one of the biggest ways we've spread our faith.
In fact in the early church ministry one of the biggest things they did was to care for widows and those in Jerusalem affected by famine.
And finally,
Leaders have an impact on people.
Good leaders matter.
34 Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.
4 By justice a king builds up the land, but he who exacts gifts tears it down.
Unfortunately inasmuch as good leaders matter, bad leaders matter as well.
16 When the wicked increase, transgression increases, but the righteous will look upon their downfall.
In the church spiritual leaders matter as well.
So as we kind of bring this to a conclusion we've talked a lot about leaders. Any in case having said it before leaders aren't just presidents and CEOs and governors and the boss at your company. Really a leader is anyone who influences others. Mothers are leaders for their children and others in their household. I would imagine almost every one of us has people who follow us. People who look to us for some sort of leadership. People who will follow our lead. Take these encouragements on leadership to heart. Take time to meditate on God's word in proverbs and what it says about being a leader. Because if you take seriously the importance of leadership and you learn from proverbs you can make a great difference in the lives of men and women around you.
But how do we act towards those in authority over us?
How do we act with wisdom towards those in authority over us?
Proverbs calls us to respect and obey.
21 My son, fear the Lord and the king, and do not join with those who do otherwise,
and proverbs reminds us of good reason for respecting and obeying our leaders.
2 The terror of a king is like the growling of a lion; whoever provokes him to anger forfeits his life.
No many of the leaders in your life will lacks the power to take your life I hope. But nevertheless your boss, and other leaders in your life have power to enforce their leadership so wisdom says to respect that power.
Of course if you look in Romans Paul reminds us that God puts leaders over us. Really as Christians we're called to live this life with the perspective that God is in control and we are trusting God with our lives.
In other places in the Bible we are reminded to pray for our leaders.
And of course in Hebrews 13:17 17 the writer reminds us to honor our leaders in the church. Practically that means, give Paul Thomas a call in the hospital sometime today and interrupt him from watching golf to thank him for all that he has done for cornerstone over the years.
17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.
Of course in any situation we respect and obey leaders but remember or ultimate allegience and obedience is to our Faith in Jesus.
Jesus, the true King
As with everything in proverbs and the Old Testament it is pointing for words to Jesus. Jesus is the ultimate king. He is perfectly righteous. He will deal justly. He shows us what a perfect leader looks like. If we want to really know how to live well as a leader we can do no better than to look to Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith.
Conclusion
This year is wide open ahead of you. It’s full of opportunities and problems that need you to step up to handle. We need godly, wise leaders in all areas of society. We need wise leaders growing healthy families and pointing families to Jesus. We need wise leaders at work making our businesses better all around. We need wise leaders in all areas of government making our society better. We need you.
2022 will be full of twists and turns that none of us could predict. But what will make the biggest difference in this year is men and women stepping up and leading with wisdom.
