pramsay posted on May 17, 2007 15:52 1717 views
Model Behaviour for a Godly Leader

We can be entertained by a good debate – sharp and crisp exchanges as one tries to get the advantage over the other. Who can stump the other fellow? Who’s the first to get backed into the corner and to look ridiculous? Who can deliver the lethal words that will shut the other up? Who is best equipped to unleash rapid fire, sarcastic put-downs to belittle their opponent? Who has the upper hand in poking pejorative jabs at the other person? Unfortunately we sometimes admire these traits. We listen to people who boast of the way they man-handled a conversation with abruptness, put-downs and smart-alek responses and we chuckle or smile. We almost feel like saying: “Yes! Good job. You’ll make them think after that. You really shut them up. They needed that.”

The Apostle Paul strongly urged Timothy to adopt just the opposite style. “Timothy if you are going to have a public role in speaking to people as a slave (bondservant) of the Lord, always display the meekness, politeness, patience and gentleness of your Master.” There is no place for stinging sarcasm, flippant and smart-alek retorts, belittling words, insulting jabs or harsh, hurting clever phrases or abrasive one-liners. The macho world out there may place a value on all of these things. To some it may seem very masculine and manly to have a certain brusqueness and a less-than-gentle approach. That may be human thinking and it might be our fleshly tendency, but it should never on any occasion characterize a servant of the Lord.

We may excuse ourselves and say: “Oh, well that’s just me. We’re all different. I’m a chip of the old block. My bark is worse than my bite.”

Or we may listen to someone else and say: “Only they could get away with saying something like that. Wow! I wish I could think of an answer like that if someone ever said that to me. But I don’t think I could ever say it. It seems to work for him and he sees things done for the Lord.”

Regardless of how we try to rationalize such traits and behaviours, the Word of God leaves little wiggle room when it comes to how we should conduct ourselves with all politeness, patience, gentleness, meekness and grace. The Lord can sovereignly choose to use wrong carnal behaviour to ultimately accomplish His purposes but it doesn’t make the wrong behaviour right.

Here is what Paul wrote to Timothy and he made it unmistakably clear:

“And the servant of the Lord must not be quarrelsome (fighting and contending).
Instead, he must be kindly to everyone and mild-tempered [preserving the bond of peace];
he must be a skilled and suitable teacher,
patient and forbearing and willing to suffer wrong.
He must correct his opponents with courtesy and gentleness,
in the hope that God may grant that they will repent and come to know the Truth…”

2Timothy 2:24-25 Amplified

If you are a young person with a desire to help in Gospel efforts, children’s work, preaching, visiting or whatever, study the behaviour the Word of God promotes. Only learn the good and Christ-like traits from a Christian worker you admire and esteem. Don’t pick up the traits that appeal to your flesh.

Above all else and above all others, study the Perfect Servant of Jehovah, Christ Himself. Study the words of Isaiah 42:1-4 and look up the meaning of the words and meditate on the verses.

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