Weeks 05 & 06 (09) - Blessings of Divine Guidance

A few days ago, 4 top leaders in the UK banking sector apologised in front of the Treasury Select Committee for their mistakes. They were Sir Tom Mckillop & Sir Fred Goodwin of Royal Bank of Scotland and Lord Stevenson and Andy Hornby of HBOS. Buying the toxic rump of ABN after the start of the credit crunch in the autumn of 2007 by RBS, the dependence on unreliable finance from wholesale markets and excessive lending to property and construction companies by HBOS were some of the remarkable errors made. There were however no explanations on why such mistakes were made in the first place!

The issue of leadership has been on my mind a lot recently. The role of leadership is hugely important whether it is to do with the government, the family, the workplace or the church. The well being of the people they lead would depend directly on their leadership. The best leadership is based on Biblical principles.

On the Sunday before, I preached on Biblical Leadership based on [1 Peter 5:1-4]. It followed on from [1 Peter 4:17] "For it is time for judgement to begin with the family of God.....". Keys of Biblical Leadership include responsibilites and correct attitudes.

I believe God is getting ready to judge the world. Indeed He will begin His judgement with the family of God, setting an example for the world. When I look around the world today, it is blatantly clear that unbiblical leadership is common, because not many believe in the God of the Bible or put His principles into practice. Sadly, we see unbiblical leadership in churches too!

I am exhorted and encouraged by God's promises in [Ps.11]. "The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD is on his heavenly throne. He observes the sons of men; his eyes examine them. The LORD examines the righteous, but the wicked and those who love violence his soul hates. On the wicked he will rain fiery coals and burning sulfur; a scorching wind will be their lot. For the LORD is righteous, he loves justice; upright men will see his face." [Ps. 11:1-7 NIV]

When the world is falling apart around us with many losing their jobs and facing an uncertain future, there is great fear and depression in the air. The challenges are formidable. When the Israelites were confronted by the 9ft (3m) tall giant Goliath, great fear also gripped them. But David had exceptional courage in God. "David said to the Philistine, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty.......This day the LORD will hand you over to me, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head.......All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD's.......As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground." [1 Sam 17:45-51 NIV] David overcame his challenges with God's help. So can we if we have David's faith.

We saw similar kind of faith in the 4 men who brought a paralytic for Jesus to heal him. " Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven." ........He said to the paralytic, "I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home." [Mark 2:1-12 NIV]

Let us be wise children of God because "A wise son heeds his father's instruction, but a mocker does not listen to rebuke.......Pride only breeds quarrels, but wisdom is found in those who take advice.........He who scorns instruction will pay for it, but he who respects a command is rewarded........He who ignores discipline comes to poverty and shame, but whoever heeds correction is honored." [Prov 13:1,10,13,18 NIV]

Amen!