7/23 Strength for Today

The Motto for Leadership
Ezekiel 34:4
“The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them.”

When you come summarize why God judged the leaders of Israel, you will come to the conclusion that they were judged because they ruled out of fear instead of by example. Notice what God said in the verse above about the leaders, “...but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them.” These leaders were not leading the people out of love and example, but they led by fear and for their own profit. They didn’t lead to see what they could give to the people, but they led with what they could take from the people. It mainly comes down to this, they were in it for what they could get out of it.

The purpose of leadership on any level is to serve its followers. When Jesus led His disciples, they certainly got more out of His leadership than He did. They learned, grew, gained knowledge and were helped because Jesus fulfilled the proper purpose of leadership, and that was to help the needs of His followers. One of the great statements of Dr. Jack Hyles was, (He pastored the world’s largest Sunday school) “I will not use my people to build my work, but I will use my work to build my people.” This should be the motto of every leader. Leaders should use their position to build those whom God has given them to lead.

Helping the sick is one way to help your followers. Being there when they are sick is a great way to lead. Let me ask each ministry leader this question, do you visit everyone in your ministry when they are sick or in the hospital? There are many ministry leaders who never put their foot in a hospital room. I am not just talking about pastors, but I am talking about Sunday school teachers, assistant pastors and bus workers. Whenever someone is sick, you should be there to pray and help them in their time of need.

Moreover, being there when your followers hearts are broken is another way to help them. One of the purposes of the ministry is to help to bind up the broken heart. The world is filled with people whose hearts have been broken. As a ministry leader, you should truly care for those whose hearts have been broken. Letting your followers shed their tears on your shoulder is a must. If you are not there for them when their heart is broken, then they will find someone else who will care.

Finally, bringing back the follower when they have strayed is an important part of leadership. Many times I will have leaders tell me about their frustrations of always having to bring someone back. When they tell me their frustrations, I remind them that this is why we are in the ministry. If everyone was perfect, then they would be out of a job. If they never need to be brought back, then they probably don’t need you. Don’t ever give up on bringing someone back after they have strayed. Eventually it will finally click in their minds and hearts how great it is to stay right with God.

If you are a ministry leader, make it your motto to use your ministry to build people. If you don’t have a specific leadership position, start building people and you will find that soon you will be a leader. God uses as leaders those who will build people.