It's Monday and the start of another work week for most of us. Work is a blessing from God. We weren't designed to sit around, be lazy and get fat. So, if you have a job, be grateful. I am certainly grateful for mine. If you have a job that you like and enjoy, be even more grateful. And, if you have a wonderful boss, then ... that's the icing on the cake.
I call the book of Proverbs the "Uh-huh, Uh-huh, Uh-huh" book of the Bible, because as I'm reading through it that's what I find myself saying! A more elegant way to say that would be, "Amen, amen, amen!"
Today's central verse is Proverbs 16:15.
"Good-tempered leaders invigorate lives;
they're like spring rain and sunshine."
Other proverbs about leaders include the following characteristics, also from chapter 16:
- is a motivator (vs. 10)
- does not exploit workers (vs. 10)
- abhors wrongdoing (vs. 12)
- has a strong moral foundation (vs. 12)
- speaks honestly (vs. 13)
- has good self-control (or God-control, to be more accurate) - - (vs. 16)
- chooses insight over income (vs. 16)
- is humble (vs. 19)
Verse 11 emphasizes that God cares about what happens in our workplace and that if we have a poor leader we are to keep our head down and steer clear of him/her (vs. 14).
We all have at least one leader in our lives and most of us also are leaders in some capacity.
At the very foundation, for the Christian, Jesus Christ is our leader, a perfect example of what a leader should be. But, beyond His crucial leadership in our lives, He often gives us others who lead us. In my case, my husband is my leader and the head of our home. Then, I have leaders in my church whom I respect and for whom I pray. I have a department head and work coordinator at my two part-time jobs, respectively. There are civic and community leaders, whose work impacts my life. We all have "bosses", don't we?
Similarly, most of us lead someone don't we? My husband and I lead our children. We also serve to lead others in our church. I lead my students, and so forth and so on.
As leaders, we should take these admonitions from Proverbs about leadership to heart. The last bulleted point in the list above is the most important. Whether in a position of leadership or being a follower, humility is central, the bedrock. The Bible tells us to
"Bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ."
(Galatians 6:2)
Three verses later, the apostle Paul says this!
"Every person should bear his own burden {carry his own load}."
(Gal. 6:5)
It is really a healthy system of mutual forbearance, mutual interdependence, an attitude of simply "doing what needs doing", without being asked. I know that in several of my leadership roles, I have needed more humility. I need more of it today!
Let me encourage you to pray for your leaders. This is the number one way you can support them. Even if you disagree with them, pray for them! Praying for them does not mean we can't also hold our elected leaders accountable for their actions. Even though they serve in positions of leadership, we "hired" them. They work for us, and they need our feedback, good or bad. Even when pursuing accountability, we should model Christ's humility.
Pray for your leaders. Pray for your response to their leadership, that in all things you will model Jesus Christ before them. And, have a blessed week at work; may it be filled with spring rain and sunshine!
Lord, thank you for the privilege of work, and for instituting frameworks of supervision, so that work can be done in a orderly, productive fashion. Father, you have given us the work we have and put us where you have us for reasons that we may not now understand. But, we will seek Your face and seek to glorify You through our work, no matter where You have us serving at the moment. We submit ourselves to You in humility, so that You can do Your glorious work through us. In Jesus' name, amen.
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