leadership – Page 3 – Be Still…

1 Timothy 3:1-7 – Help Wanted!

cartoon man holding yellow sign with red letters saying HIRING

Have you ever recruited a team of volunteers at church or in your neighborhood? When there’s a lot of enthusiasm, it’s easy to fill positions. But can you relate to those desperate times when you settled for “warm bodies” to fill the job/task roster?

Paul knew that Timothy was going to need to sort out some issues with leadership in the church. Any time people start to gather, some will seek order. We start to see how rules were put in place to avoid certain improper behaviors that would hurt the church as a whole.

1 Kings 12:1-20 – Rehoboam vs. Jeroboam

Read 1 Kings 12:1-20

follow the leader - colorful people cut-outs

Keeping these names straight has been a bit of a challenge. We see the transition from Solomon to his son, Rehoboam. With all the wives and concubines, we know Solomon had, I’m just a little curious why Rehoboam got the nod to be the next king. I suppose it doesn’t really matter in the scheme of things. It was God’s intention to rip the kingdom apart and away from whatever son of Solomon took the throne.

As with any transition, there are going to be challenges. Rehoboam experiences this from the get-go. Curious that he didn’t rely on his father’s guides in making one of his first decisions. Had the people not been so upset about the stricter rules, Rehoboam may have had a better popularity rating.

Judges 1:1-18 – Victory With God

Read Judges 1:1-18

I love starting to read a new book. Especially in the Old Testament, it’s helpful for me to put what I’m reading into context so I can understand God’s story even better. Judges picks up right where Joshua leaves off in the lives of the Israelites. Joshua’s strong leadership will be remembered, but memories will soon fade. We’ll see how the Israelites have a hard time staying true to their God in the absence of strong spiritual leadership. Unfortunately, there was no obvious successor, like Joshua had been following the days of Moses.

We’ll see a definite pattern emerge that will play over and over during the years of the Judges. You might even say this type of behavior continues in some fashion even today. We’ll meet new Bible heroes up close, seeing how God chooses some with questionable qualifications! God sees the heart and always knows what he is doing.

1 Thessalonians 5:11-12 – Kudos to Leaders

Read 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13

leader pointing the way as all of the rest of the figures follow carrying an arrow pointing in the same direction

Yes, “kudos” is a real word! It’s a noun meaning praise, honor, or acclaim for an achievement of some sort. To be one of God’s workers should be more than an achievement but a way of life. It’s good to remember that when Paul wrote these words, the “church” was in its infancy. The hierarchy of leadership we see today is quite different from what it was then.

I can only imagine that everyone touched by the Holy Spirit played some sort of role in growing the church. Paul has some truly profound final words as he closes this letter. I don’t want to rush past them. Instead, let’s take a look at these two verses and really dig into the message Paul is trying to convey.

Titus 2:1-15 – Live Like This

Read Titus 2:1-15

If you ever wanted to know what God expects from us in terms of how to live, Paul reveals a bit of that to Titus in this reading. Guys and gals, old and young, even slaves have some good stuff to take away. I was just a little stunned when I realized that slaves got extra. After all, they are also going to fit into one of the gender categories as well, right? Being we don’t have “slaves” commonly today is probably what caught my attention, too.

Paul is covering all the bases to protect all people. There’s some good stuff here. Now that I’m seeing myself in the “older women” category, I’m especially touched by the notion of showing my younger counterparts how to love and honor their husbands and families. It’s basically a nice way of saying, “set a good example, one others can learn from and model.”