Righteousness is a Trait of Legacy Leaders

John Maxwell on Noah:
A Man of Righteousness
There's something about righteousness - the kind of morally virtuous
lifestyle powered from above - that qualifies a person to lead God's
people. Noah, the man God chose to rescue the human race from
extinction; demonstrated just this kind of righteousness.
Humankind had grown so evil that God pledged to destroy it and all
living things on earth (Gen. 6:7). But the Lord's pronouncement of
judgement didn't come without hope; God had charged righteous Noah to help save a remnant.
God didn't choose Noah randomly. He knows whom He can count on
to get things done - and it's not necessarily the one with the most skill, talent, or social standing. Rather, it's the one who daily walks with Him, the one who hears His voice and follows His lead. Noah was just such a man.
No doubt Noah had his own weaknesses and frailties. But he walked
with God, and it was that close walk that made him righteous before
the Lord (Gen. 6:9). Noah's righteousness qualified him to be used by God to help save the human race from annihilation, and in the bargain kept him and his loved ones from certain death.
Noah still stands as an example of the kind of person God wants to use. God hasn't changed, and even now He looks for righteous
leaders who can help Him change the world.

Mike's Thoughts:
The Meriam-Webster on-line dictionary defines righteous as:
1: Acting in accord with divine or moral law : free from guilt or sin
2a: Morally right or justifiable
It is apparent to me that God seeks righteous people to be leaders. He wants leaders who walk with Him and rely on Him every day. To be a true leader, one doesn't have to be the most skilled, talented, or socially endowed; rather God seeks those who seek Him on a daily basis. God knows that we all have our weaknesses and frailties, but in spite of those shortcomings, we can still be righteous leaders by seeking Him in every decision we make. Will such leaders sometimes fall short of expectations? Of course! Even so, God seeks leaders who realize their limitations and seek Him to overcome them. God seeks leaders who desire to be used by
Him to lead others.
I can see where when one reads the first definition of righteous by Meriam-Webster where it says, "free from guilt or sin" that one could say that no man can measure up to this and therefore no man should be considered righteous. However, I believe we must take the entire first definition in context. The context is that there is an "act" taking place. While no man is perfect without guilt or sin, a righteous leader can take individual "actions" which are "in accord with divine or moral law" and the impetus behind that
individual action can be "free from guilt or sin".

Mike's Action Points:
1- I need to walk with God every day.
2- I need to seek God on the decisions I make.
3- I need to take action in accordance with divine or moral law (i.e.: the Ten Commandments).

Please see my leadership blog: http://legacycoach.blogspot.com

The Purpose of Elevation

TGIF Today God Is First by Os Hillman
Friday, December 04 2009

And the Lord said to Joshua, "This day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you." (Josh 3:7-8).

Joshua had been a faithful number two man under Moses for 80 years. Can you imagine serving one man for 80 years? Now that is faithfulness! Even so, when the time came to pass the mantel to Joshua, God knew he needed to be elevated in the eyes of the people in order for Joshua to accomplish his purpose. That is the purpose of elevation - so that you and I can fulfill our purpose and our mission.

We are not called to elevate ourselves. If we elevate ourselves before our time we will short circuit God's plans for our lives. We will not have the same level of grace as we would have if it were in God's perfect timing. Moving into a job or responsibility before we are ready is a formula for failure. We may not be mature enough. We may not have the proper skill set.

Let God elevate you in His timing and you will be successful in the thing He created you to be and do.


Mike's Thoughts:

Patience is so hard to exercise in today's world. I struggle with it all the time. I'm sure that as Joshua served Moses all those years, he thought he would have done some things differently than Moses did. Yet, he served him faithfully. This is a great example to me as I have often struggled with serving leaders faithfully that I disagreed with. Joshua was rewarded for his faithful service when God elevated him to replace Moses when the time was right. Far too often, I have pushed and pushed to elevate myself only to end up frustrated in one way or another. I need to learn to serve diligently and with patience while submitting to the authority of my leader(s).


Mike's Action Points:

1- I need to pray for strength and wisdom to remain diligent in my service and loyal to my leader(s).
2- I need to provide an example of servant leadership to those around me or serving me who will be leaders in the future.
3- I need to pray for wisdom and discernment when elevating others to positions of leadership and authority.

Please see my Leadership blog: http://blogspot.legacycoach.com