God Committed To Character, "Not Talent
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What is in your hand? Ability? A fine mind? Power to influence people? Eloquence? Personality? Talent? Throw it down—there might be a snake in it! Regardless of our personal talents and abilities, God is committed to character, not talent. He wants us to be totally dependent on Him. What is in your hand? Let God have it. There could be a little sin left in it. A little serpent life might be there that you don't even know about.
We must take our gifts—whatever they may be—and cast them at the feet of Jesus. Let Him take the serpent—the flesh—out of them and give them back to us. Then they become the power of God in our lives. Where leadership is concerned, that even includes the "approval" of the people you lead. Leadership can be lonely at times, and misunderstanding seems to be part of the leadership package. Even Jesus had to live with misunderstanding throughout His earthly ministry, and after all, He was perfect. The rest of us should expect to run into some problems that call for even more relinquishment along the way.
Moses didn't fit the stereotype of a great leader. His first attempt to help his people led to murder, rejection by the Hebrews, and a frantic flight into the wilderness. To say he was totally misunderstood might be an understatement. The misunderstanding became stronger the longer the Israelites marched through the wilderness
Finally, a Levite leader named Korah rose up with 250 top leaders and publicly challenged Moses' leadership. Moses fell to the ground and humbly buried his face in the sand, and God showed up righteous anger and instantly buried Korah and his cohorts in the sand. Those men didn't understand that Moses' power came from his relinquishment of everything to the Lord. (See Numbers 16.) Moses also knew what it was like to have his own family misunderstand him. Miriam and Aaron, his older sister and brother, even tried to usurp his authority one time, but once again God stepped in and settled the matter. (See Numbers 12.) Sometimes those closest to you— your own family—will be the ones who misunderstand.
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Why did Jesse bring all his sons except David when the prophet invited him to a sacrifice with his sons? (See 1 Samuel 16: 11.) David wrote, "Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me" (Ps. 51:5 NKJV). It is interesting that this is the only mention of David's mother in the Bible, other than when he asked the King of Moab for asylum for his "father and mother" (1 Sam. 22:3 NKJV).
Have you ever wondered if David was an illegitimate child? Perhaps his father did not consider him to be one of his true sons. It is just a thought, but if it is true, then it only reinforces the power of relinquishment. This is the power that helped David leave his history in his past! God has been known to take the downcast and illegitimate and make them legitimate!
God saw past the surface and peered into David's heart. When young David told King Saul he would go out to meet Goliath in battle, he didn't brag, "Watch how good my aim is!" He didn't even mention the slingshot and the five smooth stones or the fact that he had just enough "ammunition" for Goliath. He just said, "The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine" (1 Sam. 17:37a).
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"Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded Gothe rock. Now everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall." (Matthew 7:24-27)
The above text presents every person in one of two classes: wise or foolish builders. In it, Jesus is encouraging those who had heard His teachings in the Sermon on the Mount to apply them in their lives -- not to be "forgetful hearers" (Jas. 1:22).
Each of us is to be involved in that building process by applying the principles of Scripture to our thoughts and conduct, conforming to the will of God in all things -- even "bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ" (2 Cor. 10:5). This process is described in Romans 12:1-2, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." The renewed mind one is to have is "the mind of Christ" (Phil. 2:5) which is revealed in the New Testament Scriptures (Heb. 1:1-2). When one allows the gospel to mold and renew his mind, a transformation occurs. He begins to take on the qualities of character that it sets forth that children of God should have. Every Christian must build such a character (2 Pet. 3:18).
We are not speaking of one's reputation. Reputation is what others think you are but character is the person you really are.
There are many standards people in the world use to develop and build character but for the Christian the only correct standard is that which is revealed in the inspired word of God.
Jesus: Our Perfect Standard.
Thanks for sharing this wounderful sermon with the parishioners of the church.
Where leadership is concerned, that even includes the "approval" of the people you lead. Leadership can be lonely at times, and misunderstanding seems to be part of the leadership package. Even Jesus had to live with misunderstanding throughout His earthly ministry, and after all, He was perfect.
This process is described in Romans 12:1-2, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."
Character is everything. The gift in a man will take him to palace but it is the character that will sustain him to remain in the palace.
We need to develop godly character in every aspect of our lives
The authority by which the Christian leader leads is not power but love, not force but example, not coercion but reasoned persuasion. Leaders have power, but power is safe only in the hands of those who humble themselves to serve.
The authority by which the Christian leader leads is not power but love, not force but example, not coercion but reasoned persuasion. Leaders have power, but power is safe only in the hands of those who humble themselves to serve.
God does not look at physical attributes before choosing a person to work for him, David was the least in his family but he was chosen Moses was a stammerer but God chose him, this goes on to show that the wisdom of man is like foolishness unto God, God is God and he's not a man
If you don't have hope, you don't have anything. Faith believes, but hope expects. A person who lives by confidence in God alone and looks to God alone has Christian character.