Transition of Leadership - 1 Kiings 1-4

I love the book of 1 Kings (actually, in the original Hebrew 1 and 2 Kings were just referred to as "The Kings"). I love it because, as a Pastor and a Leadership Transition Coach I take much of my teaching on leadership from "The Kings. The transition from one leader to another is one of the most important, if not the most important, aspects of any organization. Most people an lead. Most people can follow. But, many can't transition. Going through a transition time is of outmost importance. I make my living helping organizations transition from one leader to the next. I make a living helping leaders transition from one position to the other. Most of the principles I use to assist leaders lead in transition are from The Kings. In this passage we see David dying and Solomon coming to life ... as a leader. That transition was not perfect, but it is one of the best. We ought to study it and discover that when we transition from one leader to another there a lot of aspects that have to take place. Enemies from the past have to be dealt with with the new leader. The past leader has to look with favor on the new leader. Many want to lead when there is a void in direction and vision. Good men and women want to follow leadership and without a leader will follow any leader. There is much to learn in this book on leadership as we read through it. Solomon sought God's wisdom and knowledge to lead. That is a good lesson to follow. Seek God's wisdom if you want to lead in transition.

Stop the giving - Exodus 33-36

Can you imagine the following taking place in a church in our country today: The pastor mounts his pulpit at the regularly time of the receiving of the offering. For years he normally tells some joke to ease the pain of reaching for the wallet, or lays some need out to cause the reflex of the elbow to dip into the purse. But, this Sunday, instead he boldly calls out and utters these words, "Please stop giving!! We need no more money. We are good with what you have already given so there will be NO collection today." Imagine the shock on the faces. What would you do if that happened? Well in 36:5 of this passage that is what Moses tells the people. He tells them we have enough and go back to hiding there gold and silver under their tent floors. What a shocking revelation. In our world today, even IF we had already given enough (and, I doubt that has ever happened in a modern church), we would never tell people not to give more. After all, there is a rainy day fund to stock ... isn't there? What would have happened if the people would have disobeyed Moses and stopped giving? They often disobeyed his commands. But, I bet everyone of them stopped giving. I don't know why this passage is not preached more. But, here we have it: A spiritual leader is telling people not to give because we have enough already. May it be so every Sunday in every church in Christendom.

Deception and angels of light - 2 Corinthians 11-13

Our vision of Satan is quite skewed. We tend to see him in a red suit, tail out the back and fire out the front. Yet, Paul tells the Corinthian believers to beware of him since he is able to transform himself into an angel of light (11:14). He is said to use crafty speech and techniques to lead us astray (11:3). Like a lure to a fish, Satan uses our minds, hearts and bodies in a titillating manner to lead us into his world of falseness and unbelief of the truth. Remember, it is God's Word (Truth) that sets us free. It is God's Word (Truth) that sanctifies us. God's Word is summed up in Truth and Truth in God's Word (Psalm 119:160). Satan seldom denies truth ... he often bends it and twists it to make it look like truth but in reality to use it to bend our hearts away from God. God is truth. Jesus Christ is truth. Satan only looks like truth to get us to follow him. But, an angel of light is not light. Be careful as you follow light today that it doesn't lead you down the road to darkness.

Leave everything ... I mean everything - Luke 5-6

Peter was fishing and caught nothing. Jesus borrows his boat and uses it as a platform to launch a sermon that attracts followers to Himself. After, Jesus tells Peter about a fishing hole so good Peter catches enough fish to sink two boats. What happens next is profound: Peter leaves it all! Boat to dry dock and fish to dry rot. What a marvelous, spiritual thing to do. As a boater I might be tempted to leave the fish, but to leave the boat? Unheard of! But, that is what Peter did (Luke 5:11). Next we see Matthew collecting taxes. Tax collects weren't very honest in Biblical times (no joke here, please). They would collect the tax and then add an amount for themselves. In Luke 11:27-28 we see that Matthew is sitting at his tax table and must have had a pile of money on the table. Jesus calls him to follow Him and Matthew leaves a life of luxury to follow the Savior. He no doubt exchanged a home and bed for a life under the stars and sleeping on rocks. What made these men do this? They were willing to leave all to follow the Savior. They were so compelled by the power of the Savior to forsake their lives as they knew it and follow Christ. Are we so compelled that we would be willing to follow Him, where ever He leads? Would we leave it all behind?

Collateral damage - Jeremiah 42-46

Image if you are Pharaoah Hophra, King of Egypt. The remnant of Judah wants to defect to your country to avoid being taking captive by Babylon. Your pride swells within your heart that "others" seek "YOU" as a refuge. Yet, some prophet in the midst of this remnant (Jeremiah) has warned that if the remnant seeks refuge in Egypt their God will destroy you and all your gods. What a dilemma. Pride on the one hand fills your head with visions of grandeur. On the other hand you wonder, "What if this God of theirs is right? Do I really want these people coming into my town?" Jeremiah gives God's message in these chapters and the remnant rejects the message (even after they asked for it). Instead they pack their bags and head for Egypt. As a result, Pharaoh Hophra is going to be taken captive by Babylon (44:30). When God's people disobey God there is collateral damage to the world around them. We think we are alone in our disobedience, but others are affected by it. A father who is running from God will bring calamity onto their children. A wife running from God will bring damage to her husband and children. A business man who cheats God will bring damage to his employees. Disobedience to God brings collateral damage to those around us. Know it ... change your life as a result of it.

Pride is the Point - Job 40-42

We finally, after beginning in January, get to the point of what the book of Job is all about: Pride. God finally ends His silence with a rebuke to Job about his pride. He rebukes his three friends about their pride (in fact, God instructs them to offer sacrifices to Job and Job must forgive them ... humiliation for all parties). God rebukes Job with a discussion on how God created two large beasts, feeds them, and protects them. He challenges Job to do anything at all that compares to this. Job, of course, can't and repents for his failure to demonstrate humility. Job started out in humility but he eventually began to justify himself. So, too us. We may "know" that are dust and ashes but soon we start to act like we are stars and sunshine. But, God brings things into our lives that humbles us and makes us understand that Pride is the ultimate sin against God. Satan was full of pride. Job's friends wanted so much to be right their opinions were more about them than pointing them back to Job. God wants us to recognize His majesty and realize we are dust and ashes without Him. Like Job, God wants to reward us and provide physical things for us. He doubled Job's life. But, only after Job repented in ashes for his act of pride.

Power in perfect love - Psalm 60-62

In Psalm 62:11-12 we read that there are two things God has declared about Himself: Power belongs to Him and He is Perfect love. What a marvelous truth to meditate on today and allow God to chisel your hear faith it. Many men today want power. But the abuse of power is the downfall of man. Every man wants love, as well. But the abuse of love is the downfall of man. God is perfect in power and perfect in love. God is balanced by one over the other. God can not abuse His power because His perfect love keeps power in check. God can't simply love aimlessly because His power keeps Him in check. Since we were created in the image of God we too should be able allow our desire for love and quest for power to be a balance for one another. Power can corrupt and love can give in. Allow one to balance the other.