“He will give up Israel on account of the sins of Jeroboam, which he committed and with which he made Israel to sin.”
1 Kings 14:16
The first quality of great leaders is that they are good followers. In less than one generation of leadership following King David’s reign, Israel had forgotten the Lord and began to go after other gods. Under Jeroboam’s leadership, they followed his idolatry to abandon God and His ways. It is not God who rejected Israel (us); it was Israel (us) who rejected Him. Yet people find fault with God as children do their parents when they are disciplined. Like in the days of Noah, Israel had become unreachable and unteachable in the prosperity and blessing God had provided. Only through instructive pain points (hardship) would they learn again how and whom to follow. The struggles we face in life are the materials by which God chisels His character into us.
Those who do not correct themselves will eventually be corrected. God, in His goodness and mercy, gives time for repentance, but His patience is not without limits. He has given each of us a conscience whereby we instinctively know the difference between right and wrong (Romans 1:19). If you know there is a change you need to make in your leadership, in your team, or in your personal life, today is the day to course-correct yourself before you are corrected. Pat Robertson, founder of the Christian Broadcast Network, advises that believers should “keep short accounts with God.” For a leader, course correction sometimes requires biting the bullet and fixing what needs to be fixed.
REFLECT TO CONNECT
- When was the last time your conscience smote you?
- Are you like Adam in the garden, who hides himself when confronted, or are you more like David who confessed when confronted by God?
- If God freely forgives all your past, present, and future sins, is there someone you need to extend the same grace to?
The struggles you face in life are the working materials God uses to chisel His character into you.
