One possible mis-application of the story of Moses killing the Egyptian is that action is inherently bad. Some of you here this week in leadership tracks think that we shouldn’t be talking about vision or strategy or be doing leadership training at all. Some of you feel like we should just be praying and sort of let go and let God. As spiritual as that sounds, that is a false spirituality.
That view does not take seriously the call from Romans 12:8 that if we have a leadership gift we are to lead with all diligence. To lead with diligence of course includes and means being intentional about prayer and seeking the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and committing to him all the work that he’s given us to do.
But it also means being thoughtful and intentional and strategic and doing the absolute best work you can possibly do and getting the absolute best training you can possibly. The work that God has given us to do is too important to do anything less. Prayer and training are not mutually exclusive.
God’s kingdom is worth your best and the people entrusted to your leadership deserve your best.
So please, let’s not neglect the diligent work of leadership under the cloak of a false spiritual intensity. Let us not neglect the reality that Jesus has given us talents and we are invited to invest and develop those talents. And one day we will give an account as to what we have done with what God has given us work with.
2 comments:
You and I had brief conversation about this topic way back in the day (you used the servants filling the water jugs to the brim before Jesus turned the water into wine as an example of how this us/God tension plays out).
I still do struggle with this issue, but one way I try to work through it is to apply the principles I use when thinking about this issue to other issues to see if they hold. Do you think it's a fair parallel to say that praying without the diligence of leading is akin to praying for the poor without ever sacrificing one's own finances? Is that a fair comparison?
Few would ever argue we should only pray for the poor without actually acting to help. If that principle translate to this discussion of praying/diligent leadership, the clarity of the poverty situation could bring clarity to the leadership situation.
Good thoughts, Ben. Yes, I think that's a fair comparison. Jesus does not just pray. Nor does he just act. He embraces the fullness of both. Of course, depending on what we wish he would do we tend to focus in on one or the other. But clearly there's both at work.
I think that both sides need to be corrected: those who just want to pray and those who just want to act. we could learn from each other, but it's hard for us to listen to folks who don't always tell us what we want to hear...
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