This will be the last post till on or about 12/28.

Are you a leader or a follower? Some people seem to be born leaders. They seem to know from the situation what needs to be done, and they do it! Others wait for someone to step forward, take the lead, and get the job done.

In a democratic society such as ours, we have the privilege and obligation to vote for our leaders. We have choices, but it can be a challenge to choose the right person. That fact has caused me to do some serious thinking about what makes a good leader.

A good leader should have the characteristics of someone he or she would follow. In other words, if you are going to be a leader, you need to determine what kind of person you would follow.

You might say that a good leader is confident, knows where he or she is going, is strong-willed, has a plan, and is not afraid of what is ahead. He or she would be willing to listen to advice from those who know the situation, make a decision based on all the facts, take responsibility for the decisions he or she makes and accept the criticism that is inevitable.

Rehoboam, the son of King Solomon is an example of a leader not willing to listen. I Kings 12 relates the story of Rehoboam’s rise to power over the tribe of Judah. God had divided the kingdom, giving Jeroboam, a servant, 10 tribes over which to rule and Rehoboam one tribe along with a remnant of the tribe of Benjamin.

Jeroboam and the ten tribes approached Rehoboam with a request. They said, “Your father made our yoke heavy. Now therefore lighten the hard service of your father and his heavy yoke on us, and we will serve you” (I Kings 12:4 ESV).

 For three days, Rehoboam consulted both the old men and his friends. In the end, he took the advice of his friends and increased the burden on the people.

Of course, God had not intended for Rehoboam to rule over all the people. God’s plan was to divide the people, and He did just that. There was that chance that Rehoboam could make the right decision and treat the people fairly, but he did not.

Leaders don’t always think about following, but maybe they should. Leadership should not be based on the way a person looks, the stories they tell, the way they dress, the money they have, or the way they can twist their words to present themselves in a favorable way. Wouldn’t it be refreshing to have a leader that knows what leadership truly means? Wouldn’t it be great to have a leader that consulted God before making decisions?

There is a passage in scripture that presents what true leadership is. It is found in the book of Psalms, chapter 23. David wrote this Psalm about God, the Father represented by a shepherd and the way he leads his sheep.

David first sees the shepherd as a personal leader. He says, “The Lord is my shepherd.” David sees the heavenly Father as one who knows him and what he needs. That is the job of a shepherd, to lead his sheep, to guide, and to protect them. Each sheep is special.

Second, David sees his leader as one that provides safety for him. “He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul…” David knew that the Father would protect him at all cost, under any circumstances.

Third, the leader knows the way. “He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness.” The shepherd is leading in right ways, not wrong ways. David knew ahead of time that he could depend on this.

Fourth, David was confident that he had no need to fear. “I will fear no evil: for thou art with me.” Even in death, David knew that his leader would have done everything in His power to protect him.

Fifth, the leader offered protection and comfort. “Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” Once again we see that the protection is offered on a personal level. Everyone is offered the same benefits. There is no partiality.

Sixth, this leader keeps His promises. “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.” There is a confidence in this statement, because David knows from the history of his leader that He will keep His promises.

In our world, what of this can we expect of the leaders of our country?

• Can we expect them to know us personally? The answer is, probably not. We can expect them to know the issues that each group of citizens face and make every effort to deal with them.
• Can we expect safety? We should expect our leaders to know the enemy and do everything in their power to protect us.
• Can we expect that our leaders will direct us in right ways? If they serve God rather than men, there would be no question that they would guide us in the right way. This country would then be going in the right direction. But we don’t have freedom of religion like we did at one time. We can’t pray anywhere we want. We can’t profess our religious beliefs when and where we want. We need our leaders to bring us back to those right ways.
• Can we live our lives without fear? If we are living right, we have no fear no matter what this nation faces. Fear is really in disobedience to God, not a physical enemy of this nation.

Remember what Jesus said to Pilate. Pilate had reminded Jesus that he had the power to crucify Him. Jesus said, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above” (John 19:11). That remains true for us today. Rulers would have no power at all if God did not allow them to have it.

• Can we expect protection? Absolutely, we should. Our leaders are obligated to protect us from harm to the best of their ability. That is why they are leaders.

Maybe the reason we have many poor leaders is because we don’t do our part. Paul told Timothy in I Timothy 2:1-3, “I exhort therefore, that, first of all supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior.”

It should be the expectation that any leader be godly and honest. It is our obligation to pray for them. Maybe if we prayed for them more and let them know that we pray for them, they would be more concerned about leading with the help of God.

Sandra Oliver