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
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment