How To Be A Follower

July 15, 2019 by Leave a Comment

Leadership, Follower, Psalm 119Leadership is important.  The strength and effectiveness of any organization will largely be determined by the strength and skill of its leader.  Teams with great coaches tend to excel and companies with great CEO’s more often than not provide good products and services.  And because leadership is so important there is a large focus in our society on becoming a leader and developing leadership skills.

As members of the family of God we also may find ourselves in leadership positions in our jobs, schools, churches and homes.   But before we can be any kind of effective leader in whatever position we are in we must first learn to be a great follower.

How can a young person stay on the path of purity?
    By living according to your word.
 I seek you with all my heart;
    do not let me stray from your commands.
 I have hidden your word in my heart
    that I might not sin against you.
 Praise be to you, Lord;
    teach me your decrees.
 With my lips I recount
    all the laws that come from your mouth.
 I rejoice in following your statutes
    as one rejoices in great riches.
 I meditate on your precepts
    and consider your ways.
 I delight in your decrees;
    I will not neglect your word.  Psalm 119:9-16 (NIV)

Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible.  In the NASB version it is called  “Meditations and Prayers Relating to the Law of God” and the writer comes over and over again to the idea of knowing God’s word and seeking God with all of his heart.  These two ideas are not only integral to Psalm 119 but also to anyone who wants to be a great follower of God.  Indeed, they are the foundation on which a joyful and blessed life of faith can be laid.

In Psalm 119, the emphasis first and foremost is on knowing God’s word.  Likewise, this is where we must begin as well.  We can’t follow what we do not know and we can’t remember and meditate on that which we have not learned.  The Psalmist says he has hidden God’s word in his heart so that he might not sin against God and this means that he has studied it, thought about it, meditated on it and taken it in to be part of his character and lifestyle.  It isn’t just a collection of rules to which he pays lip service but a deep, abiding conviction and a roadmap for living.

Now that the Psalmist has dedicated himself to learning and keeping God’s word he has decided to seek God with all of his heart.  Amazingly and consistently the outcome of getting to know God’s word is always a person who wants to seek God with his or her whole heart.  God’s word always points people to God the person and to that blessed relationship between us and our Creator.  Therefore, becoming a great follower is all about recognizing who God is through his word and what our place is in his divine plan.

Once we have committed ourselves to becoming a great follower of God then and only then can we become a great leader; one who leads people to Jesus and points the way to reconciliation and to the good news that God so loves the world.

 

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Inspiration For Leaders

August 6, 2018 by Leave a Comment

leadership, courage, no fear, 1 Chronicles 28To be a child of God is to be a follower.  We are to follow our Lord’s commands and to seek him with our whole mind and whole heart.  But to be a child of God is also to be a leader.  We are charged to lead the way in pointing others to Jesus Christ and to encourage, exhort and enable those around us to be committed followers as well.

Every child of God has been gifted with skills and talents that are given so that we might serve the Lord and function perfectly in the building of his church.  Not that we ourselves are perfect but only that we are willing to give of ourselves, our time and our talents and let the Lord use us as he may.  In that sense we are servant leaders and we have been charged with a responsibility to take seriously our call and our work for God’s kingdom.

In 1 Chronicles chapter 28, King David was in the process of preparing his son Solomon to become the next king of Israel and to be the man to build God’s temple.  His words were given to inspire Solomon as a leader and in the task to which he had been given and they are just as valuable and inspirational for us today as they were when they were given.

9 “As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts, and understands every intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever. 10 Consider now, for the Lord has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary; be courageous and act.” 1 Chronicles 28:9-19 (NASB)

Before any undertaking for the Lord we must be sure that we are in touch with God and that we are seeking for Him in everything that we do.  The NASB translation phrases it as a “whole heart and a willing mind” and states that if we seek Him “He will let you find Him” meaning God wants us our attention and our focus and rewards it with his presence.

20 Then David said to his son Solomon, “Be strong and courageous, and act; do not fear nor be dismayed, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you until all the work for the service of the house of the Lord is finished.  1 Chronicles 28:20 (NASB)

David’s charge in both verse 10 and in verse 20 was to be “strong and courageous” and in verse 20 “and act”.  In other words, Solomon (and we) are to be strong and take courage in God and then use that to fuel our actions and our will.  Why?  Because God is with us and will not forsake us and will see to it that our work and service for the Lord is finished.

David’s words to Solomon in this passage echo down through the ages and are given for the benefit of all servant leaders.  What will be our response to God’s call and to the duties and responsibilities that he has entrusted to us?

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