Proverbs 28
Having the title of “leader” doesn’t always quality you for, or indicate you are the leader within an organization. John Maxwell calls this “positional leadership” and he claims this is the lowest level of leadership. Yet, titles do something to us. For most of us, when we get a title we feel empowered, strong, refreshed, “in charge” and “I’m the man!”
Prov 28 wisdom gives us a clear picture of what it takes to be a good leader:
• They are bold and their confidence comes from their relationship with the Lord (v 1)
• Good leaders bring stability (v. 2)
• They uphold and respect the law (vv. 4-5, 7, 9)
• They protect the poor and vulnerable (vv. 3, 15, 27)
• They admit they are wrong (vv.13-14, 17-18, 22)
• Good leaders do not show partiality and are not self-seeking (vv. 10,19-23)
• They surround themselves with wise advisers and are humble enough to ask for help (v. 26)
No titles, just behaviors! This may surprise you, but you CAN lead right where you are! You do not need a specific position or a title to live these sorts of qualities in your organization or workplace. Pointing out these qualities in others and refining them in ourselves is a great way to start leading wherever we are. Remember, “a faithful man will be richly blessed.” (v.20) Stay faithful to the qualities of leadership, not to the title and stature of the position.
Blessings,
Pastor Adrian
Prov 28 wisdom gives us a clear picture of what it takes to be a good leader:
• They are bold and their confidence comes from their relationship with the Lord (v 1)
• Good leaders bring stability (v. 2)
• They uphold and respect the law (vv. 4-5, 7, 9)
• They protect the poor and vulnerable (vv. 3, 15, 27)
• They admit they are wrong (vv.13-14, 17-18, 22)
• Good leaders do not show partiality and are not self-seeking (vv. 10,19-23)
• They surround themselves with wise advisers and are humble enough to ask for help (v. 26)
No titles, just behaviors! This may surprise you, but you CAN lead right where you are! You do not need a specific position or a title to live these sorts of qualities in your organization or workplace. Pointing out these qualities in others and refining them in ourselves is a great way to start leading wherever we are. Remember, “a faithful man will be richly blessed.” (v.20) Stay faithful to the qualities of leadership, not to the title and stature of the position.
Blessings,
Pastor Adrian
Posted in Proverbs Challenge
3 Comments
As I read Proverbs 28, I thought about how all the Proverbs chapters seem to promise justice.....i.e. righteousness will bring rewards and evil will bring punishment. This, in one way or another, is repeated in many ways. It would be easy to look around at our world right now and think that we've been let down...that these promises from Proverbs haven't been kept. For me, this is the beauty of faith. Faith in God gives me comfort that the injustices I might see are temporary and trivial, and that righteousness will ultimately prevail.....maybe not when and how we prefer, but in God's time and according to His plan. Meanwhile, I believe it's our mission to be righteous and our privilege to do what we can to keep and support the promises in Proverbs and each do our part to make them be true, at least in our own spheres of influence, while maintaining faith in the face of adversity that God will do His part.
Ok all you runners, please help me understand 😳
I was not able to get the picture inserted but basically it was a t-shirt that read, "I wanted to go jogging but proverbs 28:1 says the wicked run when no one is chasing them."
Any explanations??
I asked myself, "Why would you run?" Possible answers might involve being in a hurry to get somewhere, being in a hurry to get away from somewhere, chasing someone else, or just being at unrest from your wickedness. I think the two most likely would be the second and fourth....
Being wicked might leave a lot of damage that you are in a hurry to get away from, or maybe being wicked just makes you uneasy in general and trigger a "fight or flight" response. I think either is possible, but I'm going to go with wanting to get away. When you're wicked, you offend and hurt people, and the consequent damaged relationships would be something you'd not want to deal with, so running away would become normal for the wicked person.
Just shooting' from the hip here.