The Art of Leadership
Dear leader, do not allow the wounds of leadership to discolour your attitude and your being! What explanation could the church give when James, the brother of John, was killed by Herod? Didn’t the early church need the contribution of James to build a solid foundation for the church? Why did God allow James, the brother of John, to be taken away at such a time? Was soul winning not important? Was church planting not important? Was there not a need for more labourers? How could God allow such a thing?
But a priest in the Old Testament was not supposed to have boils. Boils represent unhealed wounds. Leadership is accompanied by wounds, offences and pain. But the God of all wisdom counsels us not to have and to harbour bitterness.
“Speak unto Aaron, saying, Whosoever he be of thy seed in their generations that hath any blemish, let him not approach to offer the bread of his God. For whatsoever man he be that hath a blemish, he shall not approach: a blind man, or a lame, or he that hath a flat nose, or any thing superfluous, Or a man that is brokenfooted, or brokenhanded, Or crookbackt, or a dwarf, or that hath a blemish in his eye, or be scurvy, or scabbed, or hath his stones broken; No man that hath a blemish of the seed of Aaron the priest shall come nigh to offer the offerings of the Lord made by fire: he hath a blemish; he shall not come nigh to offer the bread of his God. He shall eat the bread of his God, both of the most holy, and of the holy. Only he shall not go in unto the vail, nor come nigh unto the altar, because he hath a blemish; that he profane not my sanctuaries: for I the Lord do sanctify them. And Moses told it unto Aaron, and to his sons, and unto all the children of Israel” (Leviticus 21:17-24).
Dangers Of Bitterness In A Leader
- 1. A bitter leader can begin to mistrust God.
There are many unexplained events in the life of a Christian leader. A Christian lives by faith and is sometimes unsure of what God is allowing at certain points in time. Even in secular politics, the good do not always win. The bad and ugly may win elections whilst the good lose out. This can make a leader not trust in God’s abilities. I remember when two of my young pastors died suddenly within three weeks of each other. One was twenty-seven years old and the other was thirty-eight years old. What possible explanation was there to such an event? As I comforted the wives of these two pastors, I wondered to myself, “As a messenger of God, what explanation could I give to a wife who had been married for only seven months?” In spite of the inexplicable occurrences of this life, a leader must continue to trust.
- A bitter leader can begin to hate the people he leads.
As human beings manifest their nature of betrayal, ungratefulness and forgetfulness, a leader can gradually become bitter towards the flock. I have experienced many painful things. I have learnt that I must forgive and move on. Without a sweet spirit I will not be pleasing to God. Every bitter experience is a test of my ability to walk in love. I always pray that I will pass these tests.
- A bitter leader can hate his contemporaries and colleagues in ministry.
Unfortunately, it is your contemporaries in leadership who seem to wish you ill more than anyone else. Outsiders may not even have the hateful attitudes that contemporaries and colleagues seem to have! God has given us all of these so that we may truly walk in love towards all men. If you fail to walk in love, your ministry will amount to nothing in the presence of God. “And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.” (1 Corinthians 13:2)
- A bitter leader will have a distorted message.
Bitterness is described in Hebrews as a root, which defiles many people. It is akin to poison in your drinking water. One of the things that bitterness poisons is your message. A bitter person has a discoloured and distorted message. So do not let your pain prevent you from ministering God’s love to people! Dear leader, life presents many opportunities for you to be bitter. This is because you are a leader of human beings. And you will discover that people are ungrateful and will hurt you. But remember that it is to your advantage not to have festering wounds in you. May you overcome every bitterness that presents itself to you!
theaol@ymail.com
By Dag Heward-Mills