Principle 1 – Begin by committing to do what is right
Principle 2 – Stay on track by observing six spiritual disciplines
Principle 3 – Address moral issues first
Principle 4 – Lay out the plan for what you want to accomplish
Principle 5 – Open closed doors
Principle 6 – Commit to action
Principle 7 – Call your leaders higher
Principle 8 – Clearly explain your intention
Principle 9 – Remind others of their calling
In speaking with the leaders of the nation, Hezekiah addressed them by speaking directly into their vocation. Appealing to those you lead on the basis of their professional role accomplishes one of two things; they will either rise to the occasion, because you are tapping into their passion; or they will not engage wholeheartedly because it does not resonate with the deepest calling on their lives.
God has gifted men and women in a great many ways. They can choose whether or not to put those gifts into his service or use them for their own purposes. I believe that he has a calling for each individual on earth, and the scriptures teach us that his gifts and his calling are irrevocable.
Hezekiah spoke of 4 primary duties to fulfill within their calling as they operated under his leadership. First, he told them to stand. Specifically, Hezekiah asked them to “stand before.” A leader is to stand before those he leads as an example; he does not stand behind them pushing them along; he stands in front of them and calls them forward. To stand before others is to be willing to assert as Paul did; “follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.”
Secondly, he encouraged them to serve. Someone who calls themselves a leader, but does not serve, is not a leader. Service is the essence of leadership. That service may take many forms; indeed it may not appear to be service at all. The apostles in the early church recognized this when they stated that it would not be right for them to “neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables.” They recognized that their service was to give their attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.
To some, this would look like haughtiness. Jesus had served them by washing their feet, but they couldn’t stop what they were doing to help serve widows? But it is not haughtiness at all. Jesus washed their feet as an example; he didn’t continue to wash feet after that particular time. He didn’t make a career out of washing feet. Likewise, the apostles weren’t speaking of an unwillingness to assist, but recognized that if they spent all of their time waiting on tables, their true mission would be neglected.
Thirdly, Hezekiah called his leaders to minister. To minister is to care for or tend after a person or group. The primary calling of a leader is to minister into the lives of others. They are to pour themselves into those that they lead. It is not a calling to simply direct others in the tasks assigned, but to call them to a place of ministry. A place where they are caring deeply for the lives of those over whom they have been given responsibility.
Ministry takes place in a variety of ways. It occurs in the workplace as well as the marketplace. The important issue is not so much in what that ministry entails, but whether or not your ministry to others is focused on them or on yourself. I’ve seen a lot of ministry come from a self-serving place; out of a desire for someone to lift themselves up and fill their own needs by reaching out to others. It’s often done out of a desire to feel important, or to show that they have capacity to give. Regardless of the reason, ministry that is done for any other purpose other than to honor God is not really ministry at all.
The last thing that Hezekiah calls his leaders to do is to burn incense. Burning incense before the Lord was one of their primary responsibilities. This seems to be of such insignificance in terms of the larger responsibilities of leadership. But the intrinsic value of what we do is not as important as paying attention to what we are called to do. It is often the small things that get overlooked. And lack of attention to the details is the downfall of a great many leaders.
When you speak into the lives of those who lead under you, remember to call them to stand before the Lord and those they lead in confident expectation of His power working in them and through them. Remind them that they are called first and foremost to serve and to minister out of the wealth that God has placed in them for the sake of others. And encourage them to focus on the things that God has called them to do, no matter how insignificant they may appear to be.
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