Today’s Reading, Numbers 7
Focal Scripture: Numbers 7:2 “the leaders of Israel, the heads of their ancestral families, presented an offering. They were the tribal leaders who supervised the registration.”
During my time I have been alive I have experienced good leaders and bad leaders. In secular work I have seen both good and bad. In church ministry the same holds true. The one constant that I have picked up on is good leaders lead by example. They do the hard work even when nobody else wants to at that moment. They get dirty when everyone else is clean. An important part to note here is that good leadership means doing the things you don’t like, not just the things you prefer.
In today’s reading the leaders bring a sacrifice. It is done where the entire assembly of Israelites can see the act. The expectation is that they humble themselves and obey the Lord’s commands. This may seem like a small task. However, when you serve in leadership it becomes easy to think the rules don’t apply to you. You can take the easy way out and not do the hard work. Here we see good leaders doing what’s needed. They set an example.
So the challenge for us today is to make sure we are good leaders. We need to be able to do what we expect others to do around us. Every good leader I have served under works hard and does the dirty things nobody else wants to do. Every bad leader only did what they wanted or what they were skilled to do. However, transformative leaders jump in and serve others no matter what.
You might be saying what is the point of all this. The point is we need to be good leaders as believers. This means at work, home, and in the world. The best leaders should be believed. Unfortunately, the worst leaders are often professing Christians. They say one thing and lead an entirely different way.
These bad leaders destroy people even though they think they are skilled. I know of one leader that wanted to pursue a degree in leadership. However, they were the worst leader I have ever seen. They didn’t understand people and didn’t care about individuals who didn’t serve a purpose. It was there way or no way. They left a trail of bodies behind their leadership style. The saddest part is they believe they lead others well, even though few people actually follow.
Good leadership is humble leadership. Good leadership admits mistakes. Good leadership asks for help. Good leadership sets the tone. So what type of leader are you? It impacts every area of your life.
Tomorrow, I plan on reading Numbers 8-10
