| A Boss After God’s Own Heart 14 / ABAGOH |
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A Boss After
God’s Own Heart (ABAGOH)– Part 14 Final thoughts and the more excellent way |
Micah 6:8 – AMP – “He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you except to be just, and to love and to diligently practice kindness, compassion, and to walk humbly with your God, setting aside any overblown sense of importance or self-righteousness?”
The story of David and Bathsheba has thought us a lot of lessons about being a leader after God’s own heart. There are many other biblical examples that we can draw from to illustrate what it means to be great in the sight of God and what God expects from every one of us, but especially from those that have been called to rule, govern and lead. If we can summarize, we will say that being great in the sight of God is being a servant. It means that we must exercise our God’s given authority, power and abilities in the fear of God, knowing that we will have to give Him an account. Everything we do in the Lord and in God’s kingdom counts and is recorded in heaven. All our actions are recorded in heaven, whether good or bad, and one day we will receive a reward from the hands of our Savior according to our investment and input in the work of God. We should not let anybody or any situation make us feel that we are worthless. We are the body of Christ and each member has its appointed function and importance. The big head still needs the little toe so that the whole body can function properly. God rejoices over the big head as much as He does over the little toe, and He is happy when each of them is fulfilling its purpose. It is not about competing with one another, comparing ourselves among each other or envying other peoples’ talents, gifts and positions. It is all about being at the right place and doing the right thing according to the will of God. We are all important in the Body of Christ, just as we read in 1 Corinthians 12:12-31. God rejoices over every part of the Body of Christ because we are all His.
It does not matter how much God has elevated and exalted us, He still expects each and everyone to be a humble and faithful servant. We are supposed to serve one another in the fear and in the love of God. There is absolutely nothing we can boast about because we are nothing and there is nothing we can do without Jesus, just as He said in John 15:5 KJV: “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” And Apostle Paul tells us in Acts 17:28 (a): “For in him we live, and move, and have our being”. We cannot even think or move the little finger without Jesus. We should really be grateful to God every day of our lives and give Him thanks for everything. Nothing should be taken for granted. We should thank God for the gifts and talents He has given us not for us to boast or brag about them, but to be servants. For a God’s given talent is a call to serve and honor God. And to be a servant in the sight of God does not mean that we are inferior or worthless. In the contrary, Jesus said that whoever wants to be first must be the last and the servant of all. People usually look down on those whose job is to clean the streets, public toilets and so on. House wives do not usually have a lot of consideration and are not always appreciated as such because they don’t bring money in the home. But everybody is happy to use clean toilets and to live in a clean environment. But somebody must be there to do the job. We want to do everything wholeheartedly as unto the Lord regardless of what it is. God has given everyone of us at least one talent and He expects us not only to use it but to develop it (See the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30). We cannot find any excuse for not being active and helpful in the work of God. Let’s ask God to show us the talents and abilities that He has put in us, and He will direct us on how to use them. God has not called us to be mere church goers and chair warmers. It does not matter who we are, we can be good and faithful servants in God’s kingdom.
The position of elevation and authority is also associated with more responsibility and more accountability. Jesus said in Luke 12: 48 that unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall more be required. The more power and authority we have, the more we are accountable and must take responsibility for our decisions and actions. God’s appointed leaders and shepherds are responsible before God and must give Him an account for the souls that they are called to lead. (See Jeremiah 23:1-2; Ezekiel 34:2-10; John 21:15-17; Acts 20:28; 1 Peter 5:2). As we said before, the higher the calling, the greatest will the fall be. We can easily go astray and miss the mark if we are not watchful and careful in our position of leadership. Pride, greed, covetousness and self-righteousness are just some of the dangers and sins that can easily cause the downfall of a leader. A leader must be careful to remain sensitive to the Word of God, to His voice and to the needs of those that are under his leadership. Due to the great responsibility of leaders, it is important that those who are under their leadership will obey them and follow them as they follow Christ, just as we read in Hebrews 13: 17 “Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.” (See also 1 Timothy 5:17; 6:1; 1 Corinthians 11:1). God hates oppression. But He loves it when we exercise righteousness and justice. As we do so, we will reflect His glory and our light will shine brighter than the sun. The Bible tells us in Romans 15:1 “We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not please ourselves.” God puts us in a position of elevation and power so that we can be protectors, keepers of life and servants. Especially in these last days that we are living in, we must strive to live a life of integrity and do everything we can to keep up with God’s holy standards. Nowadays we are witnesses of the works of evil on a daily basis, and this has been foretold by Apostle Paul in his letter to Timothy, as we read in 2 Timothy 3:1-5 (AMP):
“But understand this, that in the last days dangerous times [of great stress and trouble] will come [difficult days that will be hard to bear]. For people will be lovers of self [narcissistic, self-focused], lovers of money [impelled by greed], boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy and profane, [and they will be] unloving [devoid of natural human affection, calloused and inhumane], irreconcilable, malicious gossips, devoid of self-control [intemperate, immoral], brutal, haters of good, traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of [sensual] pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of [outward] godliness (religion), although they have denied its power [for their conduct nullifies their claim of faith]. Avoid such people and keep far away from them.”
We are in the world but we are not of the world (John 15:19; 17:14-19).
God has not abandoned us in the evil of this world, but He has endowed
us with the power of the Holy Spirit so that we can overcome evil. Through
the new birth experience where we identify with the death, burial and
resurrection of Jesus through repentance, baptism in Jesus name and
the infilling of the Holy Ghost, God gives us the power and the ability
to live in this world without conforming to its evil standards. It is
God’s will that His children will live a blameless life in a world that
has lost direction:
– KJV –
Philipians 2:15 “That
ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in
the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights
in the world”.
1 Thessalonicians 5:23
“And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your
whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming
of our Lord Jesus Christ”.
1 Timothy 3:2 “A bishop
then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of
good behavior, given to hospitality, apt to teach”
1 Timothy 3:10 “And
let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon,
being found blameless”.
1 Timothy 5:7 “And
these things give in charge, that they may be blameless” .
Titus 1:6 “If any be
blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused
of riot or unruly”.
Titus 1:7 “For a bishop
must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry,
not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre”.
2 Peter 3:14 “Wherefore,
beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may
be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless”.
To be a
boss after God’s own heart also means that we are a model in every area,
but foremost in humility. A boss after God’s heart admits his failures
and is not harsh or rude. He does not run away from his responsibilities
and he faces the facts resulting from his acts. A boss after God’s own
heart will not be too proud to apologize even to someone “inferior”
in position to him. He does not present himself like somebody who does
not make mistakes or like somebody who knows it all. He does not try
to do everything by himself and gives other people around him the chance
to use their God’s given talents and abilities without being envious
or jealous. He has the ability to perceive other people’s talents and
helps them to use them for the advancement of God’s kingdom. A leader
after God’s own heart knows how to rebuke in love, in truth and in wisdom.
He is not a pretender; he has a sacrificial mindset and he gives himself
away, just like Jesus did. He understood that being great in God’s sight
is to have the simplicity of a child and he has no problem washing the
feet of those that are under him or even of his enemies. As he exercises
his God’s given authority, he must still have the heart of love of God
to impact his environment and help those that are weak. As a matter
of facts, the fuel of a boss after God’s own heart is love - agape love
- as described in 1 Corinthians 13. Why? Because the Boss of a boss
after God’s own heart is God and God is love. So His servants or ambassadors
must also be endowed with that essential, powerful and life changing
attribute called love. When we read 1 Corinthians chapter 13, we understand
that it does not matter how talented we are, it does not matter how
many great things we have accomplished and it does not matter how much
we can invest in the things we do if that kind of love is not active
in us and through us. It does not matter how many degrees and how much
education we have, and it does not matter if we can even give away all
our possessions or surrender our bodies to be burned for the sake of
the Gospel; if we are not fueled by God’s divine love, then we are just
beating in the wind. But we want to make sure that we have God’s stamp
of approval in everything we do as leaders and servants at every level.
With God’s love in us as fuel, we can be servants and leaders after
God’s own heart, for God’s love at work in us and through us is the
more excellent way according to 1 Corinthians 12:31. A personal reading
of the Bible’s definition of God’s love as found in 1 Corinthians 13:1-8a
(AMP) would sound like this:
God’s love in us endures long and is patient and kind. God’s love
in us is never envious nor boils over with jealousy; it is not boastful
or vainglorious and it does not display itself haughtily. God’s love
in us is not conceited or arrogant or inflated with pride; it is not
rude or unmannerly, and does not act unbecomingly. God’s love in us
does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking;
it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the
evil done to it and pays no attention to a suffered wrong; it does not
rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness but rejoices when right and
truth prevail. God’s love in us bears up under anything and everything
that comes; it is ever ready to believe the best of every person; its
hopes are fadeless under all circumstances and it endures everything
without weakening. God’s love in us never fails, never fades out nor
becomes obsolete. God’s perfect love at work in us and through us never
comes to an end.
God’s love is the divine power that shapes our hearts and helps us to
become leaders after God’s own heart through the power of the Holy Spirit.
God’s love active in us will transform and change the world. May God
Almighty help each one of us to become servants, leaders, rulers and
bosses after His own blessed heart. mt