Leadership

The Lord detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished. Proverbs 16:5 (NIV)

Sometimes there’s a synergy between your Bible study, or daily reading, and something you hear on the radio, or a sermon your pastor preaches and you see a topic in a deeper way. A few months ago, I was doing a study in Esther. (Courtesy of Love God Greatly.) I happened to hear a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr on a TV show I was watching. I looked up the quote and it appears valid.

A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus. — Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr

The more I thought about this, the more I realized it was true. A leader can’t follow the crowd. A leader has to know where he is going. He has to know what he stands for and not be swayed because he meets opposition.

At this same time, my pastor was doing a sermon series on David, entitled “A Heart for God”. During one sermon, he contrasted Saul’s kingship with David’s. David had the power of the Holy Spirit. Saul had lost the Spirit and he reacted with fear and worry about what others were saying about him. A good leader depends on the Lord rather than the opinions of men, which can easily change.

Haman from Esther’s story comes from a banquet where he was the guest of the Queen, along with the King. He is full of himself and brags to his family. Yet, because he sees Mordecai, who will not bow to him, his attitude is soured and he is filled with rage. He tells his family, “I’m the only person Queen Esther invited to accompany the king to the banquet she gave. And she has invited me along with the king tomorrow. But all this gives me no satisfaction as long as I see that Jew Mordecai sitting at the king’s gate.” Esther 5:12 (NIV)

How many times have we let self-consciousness and fear of other people’s opinions, sway us? How much am I like Haman, caring so much what other are saying about me, and letting it ruin my day? I am no great leader, and yet I have influence. What I say and do affects people in my church, people in my family and people in my community. May my convictions be strong and may they come from a closeness to the Lord.