Questions for Leaders and Those Aspiring to Leadership, With Answers Worth Learning
Do you want to be useful as a leader? I am sure you do because everyone who senses leadership or who is given a position of leadership generally wants to do the best he can.
You will find no better guide anywhere than in the Word of God.
Having been immersing myself in the Psalm in the Old Testament what follows flows from the opening verses of Psalm 127, which we can entitle - "Experiencing spiritual usefulness".
The Turning of the Tide leads on to this.
We get that desire to do things for God, and such people can be dangerous.
You can see a thousand needs and you are aware of a thousand doors and there can appear a thousand possible projects.
We have to make sure which door to walk through, like Paul, because he knew where to go for God and it was over to Macedonia at one point.
Jesus too knew exactly what to do and where to go, and the words which needed proclaiming.
That is so necessary no matter where we are exercising leadership and particularly spiritual leadership can leadership really be leadership without that spiritual dimension? Now, there's a salient question! What you do not see when you see someone being spiritually useful and spiritually positive and spiritually fruitful is what is laid down in the foundations, or in the roots.
That normally has to be done secretly and privately and some leaders with potential will not spend the necessary time to establish a sound foundation, and that can be tragic.
Paul was a man who was aware of verse 1 of our Psalm - Unless the Lord builds the house, the builder labour in vain.
We learn we do not need God in order to be busy, but we need God in order to do something which has lasting value, and producing spiritual fruit.
Israel saw work in the light as she regarded worship.
To Israel there was no difference between the sacred and the secular.
God and the builders here are working together.
God builds, and God watches over.
There is a security here with the Lord Jesus Christ watching over His church and His people, and people in general who may be struggling.
God gives man work to do and leadership to exercise and example to exemplify and man has to care for that work and about every area of his being.
Now, that is not always very easy.
We are not to regard work as something meaningless and in vain and to no purpose but in our work we are to find and discover satisfaction.
I have been involved in various areas of work now for many years and somehow I have always found a satisfaction in it.
I wish I could share with you how this came about.
Three times we read of certain things being in vain and of no point, or of having no valuable purpose.
Seek not to regard work and employment and duties as being empty or a waste of time.
We do not need more laws, or more rules and regulations, or more police.
We need God's presence and provision and power.
I can do all things through Christ, and this verse has to be balanced.
These opening words are in the motto of the city of Edinburgh which was given in 1647, but is it not interesting with an impregnable castle should have this as its motto? Do you think anyone in the city leadership would take biblical words for the motto today? This Psalm is for the person whose life is a catalogue or pressures and stresses.
Know what God is in and know what God is not in.
I do not want to be in a work and have to say one day, "Where are You, Lord?" We need the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ.
If He does not build it, He is under no obligation to bless it, or complete that task or project.
The Psalmist is almost thinking of home life or what is going on at home as I am in Jerusalem on this pilgrimage? Is this really Solomon's Psalm? Why do I ask? It is a serious question and is relevant to everyone in leadership.
Solomon's methods of working contradicted the principles of this first verse.
We read something of that in I Kings Chapter 9 verses 10 to 16 and this Psalm is attributed to Solomon and it certainly sounds like Solomon.
Hiram of Tyre provided Solomon for some 20 years in the building of the Temple.
Solomon acted in a shabby manner, and he employed forced labour, and was involved in shady doings.
Did he think thrice yearly sacrifices would appease Almighty God? What reassurances guarantee lasting security and he gives wrong answers or negative answers because he refers to the skill of those building the city, and no magnificent structure is secure in this world! He sees the watchmen at the city gates and no matter how wakeful they are they can never guarantee the security of the city.
We carry around keys and we lock doors, because we are reminded that this is a deeply insecure world.
There is however a security here, and that is when the Lord God Almighty is watching over His church and His people.
Yes, soak yourself in this Psalm and be good to those whom you lead and be honest and trustworthy and behave with honesty and integrity.
How many wish today they had done that?
You will find no better guide anywhere than in the Word of God.
Having been immersing myself in the Psalm in the Old Testament what follows flows from the opening verses of Psalm 127, which we can entitle - "Experiencing spiritual usefulness".
The Turning of the Tide leads on to this.
We get that desire to do things for God, and such people can be dangerous.
You can see a thousand needs and you are aware of a thousand doors and there can appear a thousand possible projects.
We have to make sure which door to walk through, like Paul, because he knew where to go for God and it was over to Macedonia at one point.
Jesus too knew exactly what to do and where to go, and the words which needed proclaiming.
That is so necessary no matter where we are exercising leadership and particularly spiritual leadership can leadership really be leadership without that spiritual dimension? Now, there's a salient question! What you do not see when you see someone being spiritually useful and spiritually positive and spiritually fruitful is what is laid down in the foundations, or in the roots.
That normally has to be done secretly and privately and some leaders with potential will not spend the necessary time to establish a sound foundation, and that can be tragic.
Paul was a man who was aware of verse 1 of our Psalm - Unless the Lord builds the house, the builder labour in vain.
We learn we do not need God in order to be busy, but we need God in order to do something which has lasting value, and producing spiritual fruit.
Israel saw work in the light as she regarded worship.
To Israel there was no difference between the sacred and the secular.
God and the builders here are working together.
God builds, and God watches over.
There is a security here with the Lord Jesus Christ watching over His church and His people, and people in general who may be struggling.
God gives man work to do and leadership to exercise and example to exemplify and man has to care for that work and about every area of his being.
Now, that is not always very easy.
We are not to regard work as something meaningless and in vain and to no purpose but in our work we are to find and discover satisfaction.
I have been involved in various areas of work now for many years and somehow I have always found a satisfaction in it.
I wish I could share with you how this came about.
Three times we read of certain things being in vain and of no point, or of having no valuable purpose.
Seek not to regard work and employment and duties as being empty or a waste of time.
We do not need more laws, or more rules and regulations, or more police.
We need God's presence and provision and power.
I can do all things through Christ, and this verse has to be balanced.
These opening words are in the motto of the city of Edinburgh which was given in 1647, but is it not interesting with an impregnable castle should have this as its motto? Do you think anyone in the city leadership would take biblical words for the motto today? This Psalm is for the person whose life is a catalogue or pressures and stresses.
Know what God is in and know what God is not in.
I do not want to be in a work and have to say one day, "Where are You, Lord?" We need the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ.
If He does not build it, He is under no obligation to bless it, or complete that task or project.
The Psalmist is almost thinking of home life or what is going on at home as I am in Jerusalem on this pilgrimage? Is this really Solomon's Psalm? Why do I ask? It is a serious question and is relevant to everyone in leadership.
Solomon's methods of working contradicted the principles of this first verse.
We read something of that in I Kings Chapter 9 verses 10 to 16 and this Psalm is attributed to Solomon and it certainly sounds like Solomon.
Hiram of Tyre provided Solomon for some 20 years in the building of the Temple.
Solomon acted in a shabby manner, and he employed forced labour, and was involved in shady doings.
Did he think thrice yearly sacrifices would appease Almighty God? What reassurances guarantee lasting security and he gives wrong answers or negative answers because he refers to the skill of those building the city, and no magnificent structure is secure in this world! He sees the watchmen at the city gates and no matter how wakeful they are they can never guarantee the security of the city.
We carry around keys and we lock doors, because we are reminded that this is a deeply insecure world.
There is however a security here, and that is when the Lord God Almighty is watching over His church and His people.
Yes, soak yourself in this Psalm and be good to those whom you lead and be honest and trustworthy and behave with honesty and integrity.
How many wish today they had done that?