Wow, such wisdom and revelation. Never saw how applicable these verses are for us today. Totally agree with all this post. The favor of God chases after the humble leader who cares more for others prosperity than for his own fortune and fame. When our heart chases after Him, then He chases favor and blessings after us. Well done Jon!
Your words, "The answer is clear: never aspire to be a king. The moment we crown ourselves, we step onto the same treacherous path as those before us, ready to trip over power, pleasure, and profit." sum it up perfectly! Everybody wants to be accepted and loved and envied (if we're all being honest) and it feels almost natural at times to give in to each one of these traps. Just as we surround ourselves with others who will lift us up and speak life into us, we must also surround ourselves with those that love us enough to keep us grounded and hold us accountable. Accountability is often times a hard pill to swallow, but a necessary medicine for successful and intentional leadership that puts others first and us last.
Thanks for sharing and giving me a reminder to stay humble in my leadership!
Articulating well these major pitfalls. I’ve heard it referred to before as “gold, girls and glory” … but the same premise. This passage of scripture is incredible in how forthright it is about these risks and how to combat them.
Yeah, “servant king” would be an impossibly. Servant leaders like Moses or Joshua worked well. God’s established a system of his servant leaders through his judges. A Judge must honor the established laws and kings can make their own laws or decide what laws they want to honor. Judges do not carry that authority, therefore, no authority to override the laws. Pastors would fit into the same position of servant leadership the judges held. Judge leadership cannot build their own kingdom or wealth. They’re actually a member of the tribe/citizens too. Always working in the best interests of all members of the “tribes”. Pastors would be a judge over the terms of the New Covenant- the divine law of love. His church belongs to the tribes. A pastor shouldn’t have a kingdom he could build in order to enrich himself.
Poor ole Solomon went from the wisest person on earth to the biggest fool ever and, sadly , only lived to the age of 60 years. Kings definitely don’t work in God’s kingdom. Only one king of the universe, the soon coming One.
It's cool how the O.T. links so perfectly to the N.T., isn't it? So many verses mirror the other.
Jesus took the Sacrificial, Civil and Moral laws to a whole nother level, from outward performance to the deepest recesses of our hearts, turning the world upside down!
It is interesting to watch as Solomon went from establishing his kingdom at the beginning, to his downward slide, a slow,... very slow,... drift, after he made an alliance with the Pharoah King of Egypt and married his daughter. (1 Kings 3:1)
His compromise, after he himself, spoke against using our own logic & reasoning,.... our own understanding in Proverbs 3:5-6, instead of first acknowledging Father God and allowing Him to guide and direct was, in my opinion, pivotal to his downfall in 1 Kings 11.
Joshua had done the same thing in attempting to conquer the enemies of the promise land in Joshua 9. Joshua 9:14, he made a decision BEFORE inquiring of the Lord because he was depending on his own understanding.
(It all began with Eve in the garden...)
I liked your comments on how to avoid such pitfalls!! Staying in the Word!!
James 1:22-25!!!
Staying relational first & foremost....
John 10, we hear His voice, we know His voice, we follow His voice.
So good! I have read that passage so many times but never really chewed on it much. Those lusts, wants, desires are everywhere and I fall prey at times. I’m a leader of small things right now and I’m good with that bc I can see how people look up to me and I take it very seriously. I have watched so much damage come in people’s lives as they moved up in leadership. I’ve watched greed overtake the responsibility to own actions and take care of followers hearts. I’ve watched power and listening ears cause leaders to become prideful and dangerous in their teachings. I’ve watched the lust for power cause a pastor to push out others pastors to take the throne. Even my childhood pastor who baptized me fell prey to pleasure and stepped outside his marriage. Gratefully he confessed and told his wife that he would spend every day of the remainder of his life showing her how much he loved her if she would take him back. And he did, that’s a beautiful man of God. She died a few months ago surrounded by her legacy and him. He stayed in the Bible and led his family too do the same. I’m grateful to have people who’ve led like that.
Thank you for setting up boundaries for yourself as a leader and being accountable to others. And being transparent. It’s gets easier to follow you as I get to know you.
Great words to remind us of our calling and our role in that calling. Years ago, Richard Foster wrote, Money, Sex and Power: The Challenge of the Disciplined Life. Still a worthwhile read.
Wow, such wisdom and revelation. Never saw how applicable these verses are for us today. Totally agree with all this post. The favor of God chases after the humble leader who cares more for others prosperity than for his own fortune and fame. When our heart chases after Him, then He chases favor and blessings after us. Well done Jon!
Thank you my friend. What a powerful passage it is.
Your words, "The answer is clear: never aspire to be a king. The moment we crown ourselves, we step onto the same treacherous path as those before us, ready to trip over power, pleasure, and profit." sum it up perfectly! Everybody wants to be accepted and loved and envied (if we're all being honest) and it feels almost natural at times to give in to each one of these traps. Just as we surround ourselves with others who will lift us up and speak life into us, we must also surround ourselves with those that love us enough to keep us grounded and hold us accountable. Accountability is often times a hard pill to swallow, but a necessary medicine for successful and intentional leadership that puts others first and us last.
Thanks for sharing and giving me a reminder to stay humble in my leadership!
Amen Brian.
So powerful…so profound…so vitally full of truth for anyone in a leadership position in today’s world of self-seeking and compromise!
Very very good Jon!
Articulating well these major pitfalls. I’ve heard it referred to before as “gold, girls and glory” … but the same premise. This passage of scripture is incredible in how forthright it is about these risks and how to combat them.
Thanks for publishing this! Much needed
Thanks friend.
Yeah, “servant king” would be an impossibly. Servant leaders like Moses or Joshua worked well. God’s established a system of his servant leaders through his judges. A Judge must honor the established laws and kings can make their own laws or decide what laws they want to honor. Judges do not carry that authority, therefore, no authority to override the laws. Pastors would fit into the same position of servant leadership the judges held. Judge leadership cannot build their own kingdom or wealth. They’re actually a member of the tribe/citizens too. Always working in the best interests of all members of the “tribes”. Pastors would be a judge over the terms of the New Covenant- the divine law of love. His church belongs to the tribes. A pastor shouldn’t have a kingdom he could build in order to enrich himself.
Poor ole Solomon went from the wisest person on earth to the biggest fool ever and, sadly , only lived to the age of 60 years. Kings definitely don’t work in God’s kingdom. Only one king of the universe, the soon coming One.
Amen!
Great thoughts, Pastor, thank you!
It's cool how the O.T. links so perfectly to the N.T., isn't it? So many verses mirror the other.
Jesus took the Sacrificial, Civil and Moral laws to a whole nother level, from outward performance to the deepest recesses of our hearts, turning the world upside down!
It is interesting to watch as Solomon went from establishing his kingdom at the beginning, to his downward slide, a slow,... very slow,... drift, after he made an alliance with the Pharoah King of Egypt and married his daughter. (1 Kings 3:1)
His compromise, after he himself, spoke against using our own logic & reasoning,.... our own understanding in Proverbs 3:5-6, instead of first acknowledging Father God and allowing Him to guide and direct was, in my opinion, pivotal to his downfall in 1 Kings 11.
Joshua had done the same thing in attempting to conquer the enemies of the promise land in Joshua 9. Joshua 9:14, he made a decision BEFORE inquiring of the Lord because he was depending on his own understanding.
(It all began with Eve in the garden...)
I liked your comments on how to avoid such pitfalls!! Staying in the Word!!
James 1:22-25!!!
Staying relational first & foremost....
John 10, we hear His voice, we know His voice, we follow His voice.
John 15, remain in Him and He will remain in us.
Great input to meditate on, thank you!!
So good! I have read that passage so many times but never really chewed on it much. Those lusts, wants, desires are everywhere and I fall prey at times. I’m a leader of small things right now and I’m good with that bc I can see how people look up to me and I take it very seriously. I have watched so much damage come in people’s lives as they moved up in leadership. I’ve watched greed overtake the responsibility to own actions and take care of followers hearts. I’ve watched power and listening ears cause leaders to become prideful and dangerous in their teachings. I’ve watched the lust for power cause a pastor to push out others pastors to take the throne. Even my childhood pastor who baptized me fell prey to pleasure and stepped outside his marriage. Gratefully he confessed and told his wife that he would spend every day of the remainder of his life showing her how much he loved her if she would take him back. And he did, that’s a beautiful man of God. She died a few months ago surrounded by her legacy and him. He stayed in the Bible and led his family too do the same. I’m grateful to have people who’ve led like that.
Thank you for setting up boundaries for yourself as a leader and being accountable to others. And being transparent. It’s gets easier to follow you as I get to know you.
Thanks for sharing Chandra. Great addition to the conversation.
Great words to remind us of our calling and our role in that calling. Years ago, Richard Foster wrote, Money, Sex and Power: The Challenge of the Disciplined Life. Still a worthwhile read.