Five Ways God Wants To Be Known
And the LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth.”
Exodus 34:6
One prominent Bible teacher once commented that “a leader needs compensations because of the added pressure.” In a sense, this is very true in the business world. Those who are in top positions have many compensations. They are given extra bonuses, cars, houses and trips abroad. Spiritually, our compensation should be a closer relationship with God and a stronger presence of the Holy Spirit.
The compensation Moses received was that he saw God face to face, as a man speaks to his friend (Ex. 33:11). Moses boldly asked God to reward Him by revealing His glory (Ex. 33:18). A leader can be destroyed if his priorities are set on the wrong things. Moses didn’t ask God for position, prestige, popularity or even prosperity. When you read the Scriptures, the Bible heroes who had all those blessings never made them their priorities. They were simply added to them as byproducts of their faith as they first sought the kingdom of God (Matt. 6:33).
They all went after the presence and power of God. To them, meeting with God was more important than their ministry for God. In Exodus 34:6, God revealed Himself to Moses in the way He desires to be known. He is (1) merciful, (2) gracious, (3) longsuffering, (4) abounding in goodness and (5) truth. These are the five most important attributes of God’s nature.
When you walk with God, you must also major in these five areas. Be a merciful person, always quick to forgive. Be gracious to the people around you in your attitude and speech. Be longsuffering and patient to others, having the inner strength to tame your anger. “Goodness” means “incapable of evil.” Be incapable of plotting and scheming against others.
Finally, be a person who walks and abides in truth.
One prominent Bible teacher once commented that “a leader needs compensations because of the added pressure.”
I stumbled upon the Daily Devotional today, i would like to make a frank comment on the above statement, i agree with you about receiving compensations in spiritual from God.
However, i believe that Jesus words, “Woe to you when all men speak well of you,..” Luke 6:26 is also very relevant to leaders. Because leaders are surrounded with people who strongly support them. This could cripple a leader from feeling remorse over his sins when everyone cheers him on for whatever he does and it happens often. God sees a contrite spirit and finds great worth in it. How many leaders can be contrite with all the clamor around them? Does this not eventually work against the church?
Blessed is a leader with opposition, who finds himself to be poor in spirit because of lack materially, as he will find the kingdom of God. This drives him to prayer and increases his authority, besides that he is kept in check.
To Jesus, being blessed is very different from the world. Matthew 5:3-10, Luke 6:20-26
Just to add some thoughts, i think that leaders are to be honored because of the anointing upon them, even if they fall away the anointing may still rest upon them as was the case with king Saul.
However, i believe leaders should be honored because we see the Lord Jesus in them, otherwise we have make them idols, and God is angry because we have not discern the Lord through the man but worship a man. Do not offend the Lord.
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