Are You A Leader
Are You A Leader
Here is a question that may be asked for various reasons to different people. Youth might be asked this in sports, debate, or in a class. A prospective employee may be asked this. It is a reasonable question deserving of a reasonable answer. To answer this for myself I asked a much deeper question, what is a leader? To be honest for myself I do not ask the one asking about what kind of leader are you looking for, but what kind of leader do I see that I am, or should be?
Sometimes I wake in the middle of the night and when it seems I won't be getting back to sleep I will do my Bible reading at that time. Since I was contemplating the question I thought what better place to see what a leader is than to read of the people whose lives are found in the Word of God.
First I read Psalm 126:1
A song of degrees, or Psalm of David.
When ye Lord brought again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream.
Psalms 126:1 GNV
There's no denying the leadership of the Lord, His ability to bring captives and every aspect of their captivity, a captive place and it's release from captivity indeed that kind of leadership does make life feel like a dream when it happens.
But then I had some catching up on my through the Bible Bible reading. It's never a coincidence however unlikely that what is about to be read is exactly what is needed for your life at that moment. There were six chapters I was behind to get caught up through today and Genesis 37-42 is filled with examples of leaders. Just to be clear history is filled with leaders, great leaders, but some are great leaders of evil causes with enviable leadership characteristics.
Jacob. Jacob had a sketchy life for sometime. He had bartered for his twin brother's birthright and with his mother's guidance tricked his father into giving him the firstborn's blessing. Then he worked for his uncle seven years to marry a downright beautiful woman only to be given her older sister who was an 'eh' on the night of the wedding. Though he did get the right girl later he hasd to work seven more years for her. Then to provide for them he bargains with the same man for sheep and goats. But the man changes the deal ten times in the next six years. Over that time he has eleven boys and a daughter born and God prompts him to leave. And so do his cousins.
The twelfth son is born on his way back to the land God promised his father and grandfather. So it's when the next to the youngest son Joseph is seventeen this record begins.
Joseph. At seventeen Joseph is given dreams of leadership or at least his brothers, then brothers, father and mother bowing down to him. He doesn't think on them anymore that to tell his brothers and father. The brothers don't think much of it either. Jacob isn't happy, but keeps it all in mind.
The brothers take the dreams to heart to end them. But instead of killing him they sell him as a slave, a slave to Pharaoh's right hand man. Joseph behaves himself like he was raised and it is obvious the Lord is with him. He is lied about, his master has him put in prison instead of killing him as the accusation may have warranted. The Lord is still with him and blesses his work in prison. And still honoring God is called to stand before the Pharaoh and interpret the Pharaoh's dreams. Out of prison, made second in command of a nation, and married all in one day.
Other examples of leadership are found throughout this narrative, but in truth God is the leader of all His story.
The key that made Joseph's leadership example is that his character remained increasingly consistent throughout it all.
What is leadership among men? A consistency in character with increasing integrity among those you serve, those you serve with, and those who are under your direction.