LEADERS ARE FAITHFUL - PART II

Let me continue from the last posting...

LEADERS ARE FAITHFUL!

You were created to be faithful. You were created in the image of God. As a bearer of God’s image, you are to entrust your life, well-being, and soul to the faithful and true Creator. Similarly, others should acknowledge you as
trustworthy and reliable as you faithfully do your work and good deeds. And in the same way, you are to view others as worthy of your trust and steadfastly rely upon them for the completion of the work.

As you saw in this definition, there are three distinctive features to this crucial leadership attribute, faithful:

First, as a leader, you must entrust your life, soul, well-being, and future to the true and faithful Creator. This must be done simply, completely, and with confidence - boldly. Why not? The Scriptures tell us, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:23, ESV).

In other words, God is constant, reliable, and trustworthy. He can be counted on – so much so that among His names are the titles “Faithful” and “True” (Revelation 19:11, ESV). For this reason alone, God deserves your full acceptance and confidence – nothing more; nothing less. Yes, there is a sense in which this is a passive trust. In other words, there is nothing in and of yourself that merits this attribute in God. There is nothing you can do but to simply rely upon the Creator who promised and is as good as His word. He has given you glorious and hope-filled promises, and has always shown Himself to be true to His promises – each and every time.

But there is also an active dimension to your complete and unwavering (though passive) trust in God. Because you place your trust and hope in the One who makes and keeps His promises, you can act. You must toil and strive to do what He expects of a faithful person. If you are faith-filled (that is, if you are active in your belief in, and trust of, God), you will joyously and passionately pursue deeds and works consistent with that faith. If you believe God is real, then you have to believe that His opinion of your character and conduct matters. And if He is truly God, His bidding and His wishes for your conduct should be your highest concern.

Indeed, such an active, faith-filled trust appears to be what underlies the Apostle John’s words when he encouraged his friend, Gaius, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. Beloved, it is a faithful thing you do in all your efforts for these brothers”

(III John: 5, ESV). In other words, John is excited, overjoyed, to find Gaius and others doing something with the truth that was revealed to them.

True faith is a thing you do. Faithing is more than intellectual assent. Others should find you, a bearer of God’s image, to be constant, reliable, trustful, and one who can be counted on. Like Westley in The Princess Bride, you should do what you said you would do – you should do what you have been asked to do. As a leader, you reflect the faithfulness of God by showing yourself to be faithful.

You are faithful.

You are a leader.

This is the truth about leadership!

This is the Genesis Principle of Leadership.

Now go out and lead!

To be continued...