James Bruyn
Whether you lead the team at Starbucks, are the project manager of a construction project, the CEO of a multi-billion-dollar corporation or the pastor of a church, it is God who has blessed you with the ability to lead, and it is God who has placed you in this position.
God doesn’t impose on any leader the need to acknowledge Him as the source of their leadership abilities or gratitude for placing them in that position.
Choosing to acknowledge God is not a sign of weakness.
Giving God credit for your biblical leadership
Instead, by acknowledging God, we recognize that biblical leadership has both temporal meaning and eternal significance.
Choosing to acknowledge God is to bask in the wonder that God knows our names, goes with us, and will never leave or forsake us.
Acknowledging God changes our focus from being primarily results-oriented to seeking first God’s kingdom and His righteousness, while we lead the work God has set before us.
Each of us can lead by relying on our skills and abilities without ever in faith acknowledging God. In fact, much has been accomplished in this world by those who have never placed their faith in God. However, without faith in God, the meaning and value of work remain primarily that which we placed on it. Without faith in God, we never have the privilege of knowing and loving the One who calls us and leads us.
The ultimate biblical leader
Think about this for a moment … Who created the coffee plants? Who defined the laws of physics that govern how structures need to be built? Who created the laws that are used to combine the raw materials that are used for construction? Who created people with different skills, talents, abilities who perform the myriad of jobs necessary to keep a multi-billion-dollar corporation going? Who holds the future in His hands?
In Isaiah 42:16 God promises, “I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth.”
As biblical leaders, we have the awesome privilege to invite the Creator of the universe to teach us His ways and give us His wisdom so we can lead others. Only the Lord knows what lies ahead as we lead others toward the goal or vision that God has called and equipped us to accomplish.
How could you acknowledge God in your role as a biblical leader today?
This article originally appeared on Biblicalleadership.com.