Israel wanted a king.  We read in 1 Samuel 8 where they demanded one, and God gave them Saul.  If you’re thinking of taking on a new role or position, here are four realities that may help:

Your role may be new but God’s activity is not.

New leaders come into a work of God that is already in progress.

As much as the people wanted a political ruler, God knew the presence of a king would shift their dependence away from God and onto that king.  That’s exactly what happened.  While Saul was timid at first, he got used to the power and the reverence his position granted to him.

Position can be intoxicating for new leaders, and humility can be quickly replaced by pride. But spiritual leaders demonstrate and encourage others toward a desperate dependence on God and a zealous passion to join His activity.

Your role may be exciting but the needs are big.

Samuel’s kids were a mess, which left a leadership vacuum in Israel.  The people didn’t think right about God and therefore did not do right in God’s sight.  And all that created problems.

As a new leader, you enter a ministry or organization that has problems.  And those problems have created disappointment and maybe even despair among the people.   So they need leadership, but they really need your servant leadership.  They need you to listen, to seek to understand, and then to lead them with courage and good judgment.

Saul was appointed to help, but ultimately he created more problems than he inherited.  That’s always the result when leaders forget they are appointed to solve problems and serve people.

Your role may be spiritual but you will fight carnality.

Israel had big trouble because the people were big trouble.  The problems they experienced were not created in thin air.  They were the result of bad decisions and carnal patterns of behavior.

As a new leader, you have been called to lead other sinners…people who may be caught in sin or who have been influenced by the sin of others.  Your role is a spiritual one.  This is Kingdom work.  Darkness hates the light, which means leadership is always spiritual leadership.

The church leader Paul wrote, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against rulers, against powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 4:12).

King Saul thought his job was political or perhaps military in nature.  He had some success there, but the forces of darkness defeated him and jeopardized an entire people.

New leaders who operate in the flesh or according to natural resources will miss God’s activity, experience personal defeat, and lead the people into failure.

Your role may be celebrated but not everyone will be happy.

When Saul was inaugurated as king, many celebrated.  But “certain worthless men” silently despised him (1 Samuel 10:27).  Many people will applaud you as the new leader, but opposition will exist, even in silence.

Saul grew to love the accolades of men, but his grandson Solomon later wrote, “The fear of man is a snare, but he who trusts in the Lord will be exalted” (Proverbs 29:25).

Leaders learn to deeply love people they serve, but the goal is not to produce happy people but to build a holy people.  And that requires a tenacious trust in a Holy God.

Add your advice to new leaders by clicking on the “Comment” button below.

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Solomon had a real way with words that inspire husbands to express love and honor to their wives.  But sometimes Solomon’s words need a little modern day translation.  I hope this helps you celebrate Valentine’s Day:

Solomon: To me, my darling, you are like my mare among the chariots of Pharaoh—Song 1:10.

Translation: I think you’re really something special, and I can’t believe how blessed I am to have you as my very own.

Solomon: Like a lily among the thorns, so is my darling among the maidens—Song 2:2.

Translation: You’re better looking than all your friends combined.  If something happened to you, I would never think of marrying any of them…ever!

Solomon: Your hair is like a flock of goats that have descended from Mount Gilead—Song 4:1.

Translation: That new hair color looks so natural, just like before you ever needed to color it.

Solomon: Your teeth are like a flock of newly shorn ewes which have come up from their washing, all of which bear twins, and not one among them has lost her young—Song 4:2.

Translation: That teeth-whitening treatment you wear to bed is really paying off.  I’m glad you still have all your teeth.

Solomon: How beautiful are your feet in sandals…Song 7:1.

Translation: The weekly pedi is worth every penny.  And I appreciate the cream you rub all over your feet every night too.

Solomon: The curves of your hips are like jewels, the work of the hands of an artist—Song 7:1b.

Translation: Have you been working out, because you’re looking smokin’ hot in that dress?

Solomon: Your navel is like a round goblet which never lacks mixed wine; your belly is like a heap of wheat fenced about with lilies—Song 7:2.

Translation: Say nothing.  Do not attempt to translate this.

Solomon: Your two breasts are like two fawns, two twins of a gazelle—Song 7:3.

Translation: Wow! Just Wow!  (And always avoid references to animals.)

Solomon: How beautiful and how delightful you are, my love, with all your charms—Song 7:6.

Translation: Go with that.

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There’s a big difference between being friendly and being a friend.  John wrote, “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another”—1 John 4:11.

Steve Wingfield wrote, “Our love for God fuels our love for others.  Our passion for God is authenticated in our everyday friendships.”

Learning from Barnabas, Paul, John Mark, and Timothy here are four things every friend needs to know:

I like you.

Some people are tough to like.  But some people have no friends because they never find anyone good enough.

Barnabas was quick to like folks no one else wanted to take a chance on.  He valued Paul and John Mark before they could do anything for him.  That’s exactly what Jesus did for us.

Barnabas spent time with these men.  Someone has said that distance makes the heart grow fonder.  But in fact, distance makes the heart grow suspicious.  If we are going to like each other, we have to spend time together.  Jesus was a friend to sinners.  Did he like their habits and lifestyle?  I don’t think so.  But they liked each other because they spent time together.

And then remember Barnabas’ name means “son of encouragement.”  Solomon said, “A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones”—Proverbs 17:22.  Have you noticed we are closest to the people we laugh with the most?  That’s because laughter is good medicine.

I believe in you.

Barnabas didn’t just accept Paul and John Mark for who they were, but believed in who they would become.

A friend says, “I accept you just as you are, but I know the best is yet to come.  I see past your past and beyond what currently exists.  And I see what is possible.  My opinion of you is not held hostage to your shortcomings.”

Friends never allow the truth about us to erode the grace they show us.

I forgive you.

We don’t know everything that happened between Barnabas, Paul and John Mark, but we know their friendship included a level of disappointment that was no small thing.  While living for the Gospel, their relationship ran amuck.

Forgiveness is tough and it’s often a process, but here are a few reminders that can help:

(1) Forgiveness does not mean you don’t feel pain.

(2) Forgiveness does not require pointing out the offender’s faults.

(3) Forgiveness does not require teaching the offender a lesson.

(4) Forgiveness does not require you to compromise your core beliefs.

(5) Forgiveness does not let the offender “off the hook.”

So with the Cross in clear sight, forgiveness says, “By God’s grace I will absorb the consequences of your actions.”  What God has done for us in Christ Jesus paves the way for us to be a friend who forgives.

I need you.

As Paul approached his final days while in a Roman prison, he made several requests of his friend Timothy.  First he asked, “make every effort to come to me soon” (2 Timothy 4:9).  And then he said, bring Mark (John Mark) with you, “for he is useful to me for service” (2 Timothy 4:11).

After the ups and downs of life, Paul knew there were only a few things that he really needed.  He didn’t need his 401K, his home at the beach, or even a great reputation.  But he did need his friend John Mark.

The Close

I like rocking chairs.  They fit just right on a big porch and they slow me down to just the right speed.  Jesus would often recline with His disciples.  But we never read in Scripture where Jesus reclined alone.  He slowed down and built a relationship with these disciples that would last forever.  And in John 15 He called them “friends.”

Jesus has redeemed us out of sin and into a forever friendship with Holy God.  And now we express the Gospel like He did…by being a friend to sinners.

So who’s rocking with you?  Who’s hearing from you:  “I like you, I believe in you, I forgive you, I need you”?

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Our heroes are ordinary people who exercised extraordinary faith.  But when it’s our turn to trust God for something beyond ourselves, we often balk.  Here are 4 very logical reasons (excuses) not to trust God:

I can’t.

This was Moses’ first excuse when God called him to lead Israel from Egyptian bondage.  He asked, “Who am I, that I should go…”—Exodus 3:11. He could have said, “I’m just not qualified.  I’m just a shepherd now.  What do I know about rescuing millions of people?”  That seems like a responsible objection, right?  After all, Moses never led people, just sheep.  He simply did not have the credentials.  God should know better than to tap an out-of-touch, sketchy past, aging shepherd for such a big job.  So I can be sure God will not ask me to do something I am not qualified to do.

I’m afraid.

Moses left Egypt 40 years earlier in fear.  Why would he go back now?  What if his own people rejected him?  What if Pharaoh didn’t appreciate his new zeal for leadership?  These threats were real.  Moses’ life was vulnerable to attack.  So I should pay attention when I’m threatened.  Safety first, right?  I’m sure I read somewhere in the Bible that the safest place to be is in the will of God.  So God would never lead me into danger.  He would never ask me to put my life in harms way.  God never expects me to put my family or my fortune at risk.

People are against me.

Life was calm for Moses-the-shepherd.  Then God spoke to him and called him to a great task of rescuing Israel.  That sounded great…except that a rescue means the people holding the captives don’t want to let them go.  It may even mean the captives like captivity more than they should.  So before I get too excited about doing something great for God, I always consider the opinions of others first.  Maybe I should take a vote or do a survey just to be sure God is really calling me.  Opposition from others may reveal this “great work” is really not from God after all.

I might fail.

Moses was a successful shepherd in Midian.  He had the trust of his family and his peers.  But the prospect of convincing Pharaoh to allow him take the entire nation of Israel on a wilderness adventure didn’t seem very promising.  So before I leave my successful job or lifestyle to pursue the will of God, I make sure God has promised success.  God is a winner, so failure is not an option.  Besides, if I fail I make God look bad and I look like a real fool…and my reputation in the community is important to my witness.  So I never attempt anything that could possibly fail.  When God is in it, success is a sure thing.

I’ve used all of these excuses and more.  Please share  your own by clicking on the “Comment” button below.

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