LEADING THROUGH OTHERS IS GOD’S WAY.
1 Timothy 3:1 “Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task.”
Leading through others is God’s way. Why do we insist on doing everything ourselves? We are afraid others won’t do the job as well as we do; but how else are they going to learn. We are afraid they will outshine us; but the Bible says, in honor give preference to one another. We think God expect us personally to do it all by ourselves, like Moses did before the father in-law advised him.
As in most, if not all things, leaders also grow. As they grow they realize and are found by viewers able to do things they once or more times could not do and it is because they have grown above their previous limitations.
As a leader, you are not necessarily exempted from troubles, trials, and tribulations. But in the midst of it all, look to God like David, encourage yourself in the Lord. Like Moses faced with opposition from within the people he led, cried out to God for grace to finish his leadership work.
New leaders emerge in at least two ways. One is by mentoring under another leader. Another way is by blazing the trail in a unique manner through divine injection. Moses emerged in the second way described above and mentored Joshua. Joshua emerged by the first way but mentored none. Therefore, he got no successor to facilitate the programs of God at the time. Any leader whose absence means impasse, stalemate or dead end, risks leaving God’s work to rot away. A good leader like Christ for that matter must by conscious efforts have a successor designate or substantive.
It is clear that desiring to be a leader is good to the extent and provided that it serve to the edifying of the kingdom of God, you need to define your calling. Doing undefined service in the house of God may be dangerous to both the leader and the work. So God did not bundle all the gifts of the Spirit in one person, but divided them. The entire gifts are for the edification of the church, not splitting it apart into denominations or parts opposed to each other.
Self -confidence is an attribute of a leader like Christ. Jesus’ performances are linked to knowing who and what he was, as made, owned, coming and returning to God. When people don’t know themselves, they lose their place in life, self-knowledge, self-esteem not self-conceit built on the foundation cast by God are very useful to the extent that they measure confidence for leadership performance.
Do as I have done- leadership by example. John 13:1-17 model is worth following. Servant-leaders are wanted.
It is very important that Christians have working knowledge and understanding of what a leader is. This is because God in his own wisdom designed leadership in a form that makes them channel for doing his own work. It appears God wouldn’t be doing something without man as an instrument. A working knowledge and understanding of the concept will help in identifying one whom God has bestowed grace to lead his people to the promised land. Whether it is in secular or spiritual matters makes no difference, for God cares about everything concerning humanity, a work of his own hands made in his own image.
A leader, especially in the things of God, must be like Christ, satisfyingly glorifying and meeting human needs. Jesus didn’t become a leader by any electoral system or coup. He developed into the leader that he was. He remains the greatest leader, like whom all leaders, especially in the things of God should aspire to be. A leader is known by their character, outlook, actions, inactions and reactions.
Finally, here is a trustworthy saying: whoever aspires to be an overseer or leader desires a noble task. 1Timothy 3:1
2. LEADERS LIKE CHRIST.
John 9:4-5 “As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
The old axiom remains true: If you chase two rabbits, both will escape. This is true of leaders that attempt to reach varied goals in a short time, or pursue wrong goals to reach his desired outcome, or engage in self-serving goals or never zero on what he really wanted.
In Christ we see focus and pursuit of one goal and he tailored all his activities to achieve the goal. John the Baptist his forerunner introduced him as a Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. When he started his public ministry, he focused and arranged his actions and strategies to accomplish his goal which is to redeem humanity.
John 4:34- “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.”
At the end of his mission, he could make bold to say-IT IS FINISHED.
There is nothing more demoralizing than a leader who cannot clearly articulate why he is doing what he is doing. The right to leadership from Biblical point of view stems from the concept of one who is called. All Christians are called; all are called for the totality of everyday life. The call though has three dimensions- to belong, to be, and to do. Receiving the call means therefore that our lives are lived as a command of Christ that the expression of our personalities and the exercise of our spiritual gifts and our natural talents are given direction and power precisely because they are not for us, our families, our businesses or even humankind but for the LORD who will hold us accountable for them.
Some of us burn our energy and at the end could not put our finger on a particular reason why fulfilment continues to elude us. The reason is because we lack focus, we search high and low, experimenting with all kinds of goals, and in most times we even try to solve an inward problem with an outward solution. We had no relationship with Christ and we want to lead in his fold, and undermining that he is the chief Shepherd.
Leaders aspiring to be like Christ must figure out a focus and have a way of determining it. What are my activities? Are they consistent with my priorities? What I am committing my resources to; will it help me arrive at my goal? Can I do it the other way and arrive at the goal in a less costly and effective way? Do I work to impress people or towards my goal? Can I be adjudged as focused? Or do I burn my energy randomly? Leadership is a call and we must make it count for the work and glory of Christ who had called us and ushered us into this golden opportunity of leading his people.
May God give us the humility and meekness to run at every point of our Leadership journey to Christ the ultimate model for focus and direction?
3. CHRIST MODEL FOR LEADERSHIP.
Matthew 7:15-20 “Be wary of false preachers who smile a lot, dripping with practiced sincerity. Chances are they are out to rip you off some way or other. Don’t be impressed with charisma; look for character. Who preachers are is the main thing, not what they say. A genuine leader will never exploit your emotions or your pocketbook. These diseased trees with their bad apples are going to be chopped down and burned. (THE MESSAGE BIBLE)
CHRIST model for leadership is that people should not aspire to be great leaders; they should aspire to be great persons loaded with godly character. Without character we will be like a drunken man who cannot walk straight let alone leading others.
Leaders like Christ will pay attention to the following:
Character-enables us do what is right even when it seems difficult.
Perspective-enables us understand what must happen to reach a goal.
Courage-enables us initiate and take the risk to step outward.
Favor-enables us attract and empower others to join us in the cause.
Leaders like Christ always share both the vision and the step to its implementation. Once they catch the God given vision, they go all out to relay the vision to the people using the following looks.
Looks within to know what they feel. Look behind to know what they learnt. Look around to know what is happening to others. Look ahead to see the big picture and look above to see what God expect of them.
Who is your model for leadership? It should be Christ and Christ alone.
THE TEMPTATIONS OF LEADERS.
John 21:15-16 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”
These three temptations seek to draw leaders away from God: relevance, popularity and power. Only an intimate relationship with Christ can anchor the Christian leader in the love of God. True leadership must be for the benefit of the followers, not the enrichment of the leader’s relevance, popularity and power.
The original leadership role was perverted by human sin and instead manifested as autonomous and arrogant exploitation of each other. To have relevance alone, popularity alone and power alone, they seek to do all assignments alone and refuse partnership.
God said of Moses “Others I talk with them in visions and dreams but for Moses I talk to him face to face.” Such a person may not need partnership, but Moses had lieutenants and partners in the leadership of Israel.
No leader succeeds on his own-not even a great leader like David whom God called a man after his own heart. He had partnership with Jonathan and Prophet Nathan. He had other strong men like Joab and other partners.
Jesus Christ is one leader that can do everything himself if he likes, but showed us a model of partnership with the apostles in his God given assignment of saving humanity. He is a perfect model for emulation.
Paul a leader and apostle to the Gentile world said in Philippians 1:3-6 “I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
Partnership is the ability to accomplish more together than apart. It recognizes that a team is stronger than a lone individual. A group committed to each other will help the struggling and the fallen.
Wise leader surrounds themselves with people who are smarter than themselves. It is better to have one correct person walking with you than ten working for you.
How does one create partnerships within Christian ministries resulting in collective work for the gospel? When you act like Christ, who though can do all things but do not consider self but a common goal, you will not find it hard to seek for partnership with others.
Leaders like Christ do sacrifice self for the led- sacrifice relevance, popularity, power and enter into partnership because it is all about the goal and not themselves. It is about the task and not about themselves.
Do you have someone who you can lean on or trust when you need help in the work of God committed to your hands or are you a lone runner and desperately pursuing sole relevance, sloe popularity and sole power?
Be a leader like Christ and enter into godly partnership. Amen.
4. BACK TO THE HEART OF TRUE RELIGION
Matthew 7:12 “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you for this sum up the law and the prophets”
A single mother, was once a good girl until she was impregnated by a boy, and after that, everything other thing about her changed. Her future has been tempered with because she was impregnated by a male who either forced or seduced her with unsuspecting promises or bewitched her with unsuspecting gifts. She is now an abandoned person and been left alone to cater for a child she is not mentally, emotionally, financially mature to handle. Who is now stigmatized by the society and the church.
In as much as we will not advocate for paying evil with evil, few questions came to mind. The same society that sees the action of the single mother as wrong in most cases do not abandon and brand the male that impregnated the girl. The parents of the girl-child are branded as those that failed to train their girl-child well, while the parents of the boy or male is not seen like that. The girl in some cases is suspended from the church, while the male is allowed to sing in the church musical band. The boy or the male is allowed entrance to the homes of the other girls in the society. The society and the church in most cases did not see anything wrong with the boy or the male.
Our desire is not to focus on other persons, but on a person who is a victim. What taste do you leave in other’s mouth as you live around in the society and as a Christian?
We hope his story will help:
There was an old man who was admitted in a hospital. A young man visited him every day, and sat with him for more than one hour. He helped him to eat his food and take shower. Then he took him walking in the garden of the hospital. He would bring him back to his room and help him lie down. He went away after reassuring himself that the old man was doing well.
One day the nurse entered his room to give him medicine and inspect his condition. She said to him “May the Lord be always gracious to your kind and caring son”.
The old man looked at her and closed his eyes and said to her, “I wish it was one of my children. This is an orphan from the neighborhood where we live. I met him one day in the past crying at the door of a church after his father died. I comforted him and bought candy for him. I neither saw him nor talked to him for a very long time.
When he grew up and came to discover where my wife and I were living, he started visiting us every day to inspect our conditions. When I later fell sick, he took my wife to his home. He now comes to the hospital to see to my treatment.
One day I asked him: “My son why do you have to deal with us and care about us? He simply smiled and then said, ‘THE TASTE OF THE CANDY IS STILL IN MY MOUTH”.
May God help us to care for others in whatever positon we find ourselves. Amen.
5. BACK TO THE HEART OF TRUE RELIGION
James 1: 27 “Pure and lasting religion in the sight of God our father means that we must care for orphans and widows in their troubles, and refuse to let the world corrupt us.”
The Little Boy’s Letter to God.
A story was told of a poor farmer who died in poverty, leaving behind him a widow and two little children, one of the boy was seven years of age, and the other a little toddling girl of three. Left in the house alone without money and without food, the poor family did not know what to do to get food. At last, urged by the tears of the little one and the mother, the little boy wrote on a piece of paper, ‘Please, God, send me three naira to buy my little sister and my mother a cakes”; then he hurried off to the nearest church to slip it into an alms box, believing in his simplicity that the prayer would reach heaven through this medium. A priest passing by observed the child on tiptoe trying to thrust the paper in, and, taking the paper from him, read the message. Returning home with the child, he gave him food and clothing they so much needed. On the following Sunday he preached a sermon on charity, in which he mentioned this touching little incident, and afterwards went around the church with a plate. When the offerings were counted, it was found that the congregation had given ten thousand naira, a big money that time.
Do we think the letter gets to God? Did God answer? If your answer is YES, then you are on point. But one thing to note is that God did not come down himself to answer, but used a Christian leader and individuals in the church. Do we think there are people in our society now that are in that same condition or worst condition than this? Do we think letters are being written to God by them? Do we think they are receiving answers from God? If they are not receiving answers, then two things are involved- either God is not concerned about them, that cannot be true or the church leaders and the individual Christians in the church have turned their eyes and ears the other way and are not interested in helping God to answer the letters of several widows, orphans and the needy- that is the reality.
Matthew 25:34-40 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”
6. BACK TO THE HEART OF TRUE RELIGION.
“But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that despitefully use you, and persecute you” (Matthew 5:44).
A story was told of a slave called Daniel by his master who gained his freedom and also became a Christian. One day his master took him to the slave market in search for some new slaves. After securing all he wanted the owner was surprised to hear Daniel beg for the purchase of yet one more, an old tired Man. “Why, Daniel, should I buy him? Of what use can he possibly be with his age?””Please, sir,” replied Daniel, “you must buy him for me.
So the purchase was made and the old man returned to the plantation. Soon after he took sick, very sick, and Daniel cared for him as though he were his father. He washed him, waited on him, and nursed him in every spare moment he found. Of course the people all noticed this, and tried to guess why Daniel was so devoted to the old man. Finally, his master asked, “What connection do you have with that old man? Is he perhaps your father?”
Daniel simply smiled and answered, “No, master, he is not my father.””Well, is he some old friend or relative?””No, master, he is no relative of mine.””He must be your friend then.””No, master, he is not my friend.””But who in the world is he?” asked the master impatiently.
Daniel’s eyes moistened as he said, “He is my enemy. While yet a child he tore me from my parents and sold me as a slave. But I must love my enemy, master, I must!”
This story is a big lesson for us and it means we must help those in need and not those that are our friends only, not those widows that their husbands were good to us and our family, or those orphans that their father had helped us and had been a friend to us. If we must act like Christ, then we must act like Daniel in the story. Our assistance is not only for those who are good to us. It is also meant for those that are bad to us.
Let us push down the text we picked above, now Matthew 5:45-48
“that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
Let us travel back to the heart of true religion.
7. BACK TO THE HEART OF TRUE RELIGION
James 1: 27 “Pure and lasting religion in the sight of God our father means that we must care for orphans and widows in their troubles, and refuse to let the world corrupt us.”
Relationship and care cannot be divorced from Christianity. Christians must learn to relate to people based on a decision, not on a reaction. We must care for people regardless of what they can give in return.
We ourselves often do not really understand our own life, we don’t understand our own pathway, “we buffet the air” again and again as long as we have not learnt to know the secret of a true and lasting religion.7. BACK TO THE HEART OF TRUE RELIGION.
James 1: 27 “Pure and lasting religion in the sight of God our father means that we must care for orphans and widows in their troubles, and refuse to let the world corrupt us.”
One of the distinct marks of Jesus’ followers is that they regularly go above and beyond what others expect. Gleaning through the words of the Golden rules, Matthew 7:12 “Do for others what you would like them to do for you. This is a summary of all that is taught in the laws and the prophets.”
Jesus does not say, ‘whatever others have done for you, do also for them’. He does not limit our good deeds that way. The measure of our service to others is not their actual service to us, but what we will like that service to be. Jesus does not say, ‘whatever you wish your best friends, and fellow Christians, and people who like you would do to you, do also to them.
Living for others unlocks all the joy you will ever need. Jesus envisions an ongoing way of life, not a one-off activity. He knows it will be challenging- that is why he begins and ends with the kindness and command of God in our lives. And he knows we need to be challenged, that is why he does not include all sort of disclaimers about establishing appropriate limits and boundaries on our services. Most of us need urging to give more, not less.
If we put God back in the Golden rule, we will see it is not a moral counsel intended to improve us slightly. It is radical way of living that can be followed only by those who daily experience the infinitely great generosity of God in their own lives.
The Golden rule is usually quoted, “Whatever you wish others would do for you, do also for them”. That version removes God entirely from the picture, making Jesus’ teaching a godless rule for good people. the real Golden rule goes deeper and stretches higher. It is a God-centered rule for grace-filled people.
Is God in the Golden rule? Look at the conclusion of that statement “For this is the law and the Prophets”. In others words, obey it, because God himself said it and always has. In doing it you are fulfilling God’s command.
How does it play out in our relationship with Orphans, Widows, single-mothers and the less privileged and the aged around you?
8. BACK TO THE HEART OF TRUE RELIGION.
A contributory article to Ohekwuru Lovecares Foundation.
Psalm 68:5 “A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows is God in his Holy dwelling.”
ORPHAN-CHILD LABOR AND PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT IN IGEDELAND TODAY.
Those that are now in their late forties and early fifties were children when the Dutch mission founded an orphanage home in Igedeland. Currently, we have in our midst orphans that are now family men and some are grandparents. So if there are people that will value orphans and create a society that will be fair on them, it should be Igede people.
As a Foundation we owe our clients the responsibility to guide their information with sacred confidentiality. We can name names and given to exact precision villages and families of people that are victims of orphan-child labor and preferential treatment- but we will not.
For those parents that are alive with their children- a big congratulation. For the children that have both parents alive and are been taken care of- a very big congratulations. But let it be known, if God the owner of life decides to take it, for parents you will be away and your dear children will be orphans, and for the children you will be renamed as orphans. By this explanation, an orphan is not a criminal and did not in any way caused the situation.
LET US LOOK AT IGEDE SOCIETY WE HAVE CREATED. DO YOU KNOW THAT:
We have orphans in Igede land that are same age mates with the biological children, but are the ones that wash cloths, do all family chores, wake up to sweep the compound, fetch water to the bath room for the real children, then cook breakfast and is not allowed to eat before going to school like the biological children.
We have orphans that are age mates with the biological children that attend public schools while the real or biological attend the best private schools in the land.
We have to as a Foundation paid school fees of orphans that missed two terms examinations, while the same family have two other of their kids in the same school.
We have a female orphan that was in the same school with a daughter of a family. Same age, same class, almost same height, but the orphan was forced to marry a primary school teacher that lost his wife and having one child, the orphan dropped out of school to be a married girl and a foster mother.
We have orphans that attend afternoon session of public/private schools because they have to take the biological children to morning school and receive them back in the afternoon before going to their own.
Time and space will not permit us to talk about orphans that we have to pay their JSS three examination fees, NECO/WAEC fees. Orphans we have to put into vocation or paid to learn a trade, or orphans we have to pay their medical bills because they are pushed to stay with an aged grand-mother that is not viable. Let us not bother you with scores of people we have to support with food or do you want to hear of out of school orphans that are groundnuts hawkers and pure water sellers.
Any doubting Thomas can visit our office at Bethany home at Okpodom Ega Ibilla or you want a personal contact with any of our orphan client. You will be surprised the kind of viable and celebrated families and villages they come from.
What a land recreated by humans without the fear of God. The God who numbers the hairs of our head is also the father of the fatherless. He knows each orphan child by name and affirms their value with great love and compassion.
The following scriptures give a glimpse into God’s heart for the orphans and he expects us to respond.
Deuteronomy 14:29 “So that the Levites and strangers and the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied, and so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the works of your hands.”
Proverbs 31:8 “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are defenseless.”
James 1:27 “Religion that God our father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”
To the church of God in Igede land, who knows if the long sought revival is not coming because we have neglected the orphans or we have not done enough.
To Christian groups and individuals in Igede land, who knows if our prosperity is tie to our proper care for the orphans and needy around us.
To all of us, who knows if these premature deaths in Igede land will stop if we make the father of the fatherless God happy by caring for his children we call orphans.
You can partner with LOVECARES FOUNDATION to assist or you can advocate and speak against maltreatment of an orphans in your neighborhood. As you consider your role in caring for orphans, remember that God is with you every step of the journey.
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