Leadership Lessons from the Lesser Known
Materialism is running rampant in our society. Influential people are defrauding citizens by taking their land and possessions just because they can. Governments are taxing their citizens to breaking point.
Materialistic greed and theft have resulted in a society in which people have total disregard for the rights of their fellow man.
So it raises the question, am I talking about our society today? I certainly could be.
We have undoubtedly become materialistic. We accumulate stuff for the sake of accumulating stuff. We want the newest, nicest car on the block. We want the newest iPhone and iWatch. We go on fancy vacations and post the pictures of our materialistic life on some social media, like Facebook.
Governments are always on the lookout for new taxes they can establish to pay for things most of us don’t want or need. Meanwhile, the politicians who enact the taxes get rich by defrauding the very people they are supposed to be representing.
So, yes, our society has certainly become materialistic, and our governments have become a massive weight around the neck of their citizens.
But as it turns out, the dangers of materialism and governments taking advantage of their citizens have been around since the dawn of time. One such example is described in the book of Micah, the prophet, who called out the people and leaders of Israel for this exact behavior.
Israel’s Guilt and Punishment
Micah was a prophet called by God during the time of Hezekiah, king of Judah.
According to Micah, the influential leaders had become greedy and materialistic toward their fellow countrymen. They levied taxes and rents to the point where landowners could no longer afford to pay the taxes. So, the leaders repossessed the lands and possessions of the people to pay the taxes.
They exhibited a complete disregard for the rights of their fellow countrymen.
Micah was not a wealthy, influential man who was acquainted with politics. Instead, he was a man of the people, a man who worked the land and survived off his own labors in the fields. Perhaps that is why God called on Micah to prophesize against the influential leaders of Judah and Israel.
Micah castigated the leaders for the way they were treating God’s people. He warned the leaders of God’s forthcoming judgment unless they changed their ways and started treating the people as God directed.
Micah told us what God requires of leaders in one simple statement. He said “He [God] has told you what is good and what it is the LORD requires of you: to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8)
Thus, God expects leaders to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly.
3 Required Traits for Leaders
Leadership is not an easy job. The desire to lead well, combined with the desire to lead in a way that pleases God, is what makes leadership all the more complicated. So, let’s look at these traits and what it means for us as leaders today to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly.
Act Justly
To act, justly means to be fair in our dealings with others. It means we are honest and truthful in our dealings with our fellow man.
Love Mercy
To love mercy means we follow through on our commitments to meet other’s needs. We must not be hard-hearted. Rather, we must reflect the mercy God shows us to our fellow man.
Walk Humbly
To walk, humbly means to be in fellowship with God with a humble, not arrogant, heart. We must live modest lives focused on our relationship with God and our fellow man.
The leaders of Judah and Israel failed in their responsibility to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly before God.
And so, have we!
The fact of the matter is, besides the power of the Holy Spirit, is that we do not have the ability to lead the kind of righteous life that is needed to be a leader who acts justly, loves mercy, and walks humbly before God.
We would be better, more effective leaders if every morning we started in prayer, by asking God to give us wisdom through the power of the Holy Spirit so that we might be leaders who act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly before God.
Join the Conversation
As always, questions and comments are welcome. So, which of these three leadership traits, act justly, love mercy, or walk humbly do you think is most needed in today’s leaders?
I’d love your help. This blog is read primarily because of people like you who share it with friends. Would you be kind enough to share it by pressing the share button?
Category: Personal Development | Leader Qualifications
