"Without wise leadership, a nation falls; there is safety in having many advisers."
Proverbs 11:14
A good leader needs and uses many wise advisers. Even King Solomon, the wisest person that ever lived, knew that his own personal opinions, emotions, and sub-conscious preferences may bias his decisions. He sought the advice of his council before making decisions. Wise leadership seeks advice from a group of wise and trusted "elders". The "elders" would also seek advice from their groups of wise and trusted representatives from the area in which they represent. In this way, great ideas would flow to the proper spokespeople and be presented to the appropriate levels of leadership to be discussed and reviewed. Then, after careful consideration of all the facts, and with input from almost every group or region, the leader can make the best possible decision.
A wise leader seeks the counsel of many wise advisers.
There's that word "wise" again... What does it mean to be wise? Recall from our previous discussion in Proverbs 2 the difference between knowledge and wisdom that knowledge is the accumulation of information and wisdom is the ability to use that information effectively. We also discussed the importance of seeking God first because God's plan for us will be made clearer the closer we draw to Him. With the model presented above, the wise leader would present the situation to God in prayer, then present the situation to his leaders so they can present it to God in prayer and to their representatives. The representatives would present the situation to God in prayer and to their constituents. The constituents would present the situation to God in prayer and provide feedback to their leaders as to what ideas were presented to them from God. God will provide a solution through prayer. As the ideas begin to roll back in to the leadership, they will be able to make a better decision because they sought Gods help in the matter. God will provide the leadership with many excellent opportunities to solve the situation and God will help them discern the best solution from the group. The best options make their way up to the leader and the leader, through payer, would select the best course of action.
True wisdom comes from knowing that even with the best council of wise elders the leader still must bring the issue to the Lord first. In order to have true wisdom, the leadership must understand that there is still a vastly more powerful being that will provide for the people. That is as long as the people are walking with the Lord.
What happens if the people aren't walking with the Lord or aren't drawing nearer to God through daily worship? Recall from our previous discussion of Proverbs 3, if we aren't spending time in the Bible or drawing nearer to God then we may not hear God's voice or recognize His guidance. If the people aren't walking with God then they'll most likely not see any benefit in bringing issues to the Lord. They'll say things like "What's the point? He doesn't answer me." or "Yeah right. What good does that do? I just make the decision on my own anyway." They begin to think that God doesn't exist. This obviously moves them further away from God. The decisions they make are made on their own and aren't godly because the decisions are made by humans and humans are inherently flawed. Therefore, their decisions are also flawed. If everyone, even the leadership, falls into this category then the nation will fall.
Maybe I should let that sink in for a minute as you reflect on our current situation as a nation and as a planet.
How many times have you said "What in the world is going on?" or "Who was the idiot that made that decision?" or "How did that person get elected?" or "Who in their right mind would ever see that as the best possible course of action?"
We get the elected officials that we deserve!
Are you spending time in the Bible? Is your family spending time in the Bible? Have you trained your kids to seek first the wisdom of the LORD? Are you encouraging everyone you meet to get together to study the Bible? If we don't ALL start moving toward God, then we will continue to see the rapid descent of our schools, our community, our nation and our world until it falls! We cannot elect the proper officials if we haven't first sought the wisdom of the LORD. Our elected officials must also seek first the wisdom of the LORD. They must encourage all to seek first the wisdom of the LORD so they provide the proper advice and counsel to the person in charge. And ultimately, the person in charge needs to be an encourager of the nation to seek first the wisdom of the LORD so that the entire population will drawer nearer to God.
So, yeah, that's simple! (tongue squarely in cheek)
But hold on, it's not that difficult! We just have to make a few adjustments in our life. First, what is it that keeps us from picking up the Bible? No, now, don't tell me you don't have time. We all have the exact same amount of time. There are 24 hours in a day. It comes down to priorities -we all know that. How many of those hours do you spend watching TV, commuting to and from work, sleeping / resting / napping (whatever you want to call it), or Facebooking / Tweeting / Snapchatting (whatever social media tool you use)? Wait a minute...I can't read and commute!! That's true you can't, but the Bible is available in audio format. The Listener's Bible is a great tool for those of you that commute to work. Max McLean has a great voice for reading the Bible to you. (I'll put a link out on the Additional Bible Study Tools page so you can find it)
Once you start your journey into the Bible you will thirst for more and more on a daily basis. I guarantee it!! Please, let's get started - we can walk together. Ask me any questions you want. I'll guide you.
The Shepherd
Return to The Proverbs Challenge
Proverbs 11:14
A good leader needs and uses many wise advisers. Even King Solomon, the wisest person that ever lived, knew that his own personal opinions, emotions, and sub-conscious preferences may bias his decisions. He sought the advice of his council before making decisions. Wise leadership seeks advice from a group of wise and trusted "elders". The "elders" would also seek advice from their groups of wise and trusted representatives from the area in which they represent. In this way, great ideas would flow to the proper spokespeople and be presented to the appropriate levels of leadership to be discussed and reviewed. Then, after careful consideration of all the facts, and with input from almost every group or region, the leader can make the best possible decision.
A wise leader seeks the counsel of many wise advisers.
There's that word "wise" again... What does it mean to be wise? Recall from our previous discussion in Proverbs 2 the difference between knowledge and wisdom that knowledge is the accumulation of information and wisdom is the ability to use that information effectively. We also discussed the importance of seeking God first because God's plan for us will be made clearer the closer we draw to Him. With the model presented above, the wise leader would present the situation to God in prayer, then present the situation to his leaders so they can present it to God in prayer and to their representatives. The representatives would present the situation to God in prayer and to their constituents. The constituents would present the situation to God in prayer and provide feedback to their leaders as to what ideas were presented to them from God. God will provide a solution through prayer. As the ideas begin to roll back in to the leadership, they will be able to make a better decision because they sought Gods help in the matter. God will provide the leadership with many excellent opportunities to solve the situation and God will help them discern the best solution from the group. The best options make their way up to the leader and the leader, through payer, would select the best course of action.
True wisdom comes from knowing that even with the best council of wise elders the leader still must bring the issue to the Lord first. In order to have true wisdom, the leadership must understand that there is still a vastly more powerful being that will provide for the people. That is as long as the people are walking with the Lord.
What happens if the people aren't walking with the Lord or aren't drawing nearer to God through daily worship? Recall from our previous discussion of Proverbs 3, if we aren't spending time in the Bible or drawing nearer to God then we may not hear God's voice or recognize His guidance. If the people aren't walking with God then they'll most likely not see any benefit in bringing issues to the Lord. They'll say things like "What's the point? He doesn't answer me." or "Yeah right. What good does that do? I just make the decision on my own anyway." They begin to think that God doesn't exist. This obviously moves them further away from God. The decisions they make are made on their own and aren't godly because the decisions are made by humans and humans are inherently flawed. Therefore, their decisions are also flawed. If everyone, even the leadership, falls into this category then the nation will fall.
Maybe I should let that sink in for a minute as you reflect on our current situation as a nation and as a planet.
How many times have you said "What in the world is going on?" or "Who was the idiot that made that decision?" or "How did that person get elected?" or "Who in their right mind would ever see that as the best possible course of action?"
We get the elected officials that we deserve!
Are you spending time in the Bible? Is your family spending time in the Bible? Have you trained your kids to seek first the wisdom of the LORD? Are you encouraging everyone you meet to get together to study the Bible? If we don't ALL start moving toward God, then we will continue to see the rapid descent of our schools, our community, our nation and our world until it falls! We cannot elect the proper officials if we haven't first sought the wisdom of the LORD. Our elected officials must also seek first the wisdom of the LORD. They must encourage all to seek first the wisdom of the LORD so they provide the proper advice and counsel to the person in charge. And ultimately, the person in charge needs to be an encourager of the nation to seek first the wisdom of the LORD so that the entire population will drawer nearer to God.
So, yeah, that's simple! (tongue squarely in cheek)
But hold on, it's not that difficult! We just have to make a few adjustments in our life. First, what is it that keeps us from picking up the Bible? No, now, don't tell me you don't have time. We all have the exact same amount of time. There are 24 hours in a day. It comes down to priorities -we all know that. How many of those hours do you spend watching TV, commuting to and from work, sleeping / resting / napping (whatever you want to call it), or Facebooking / Tweeting / Snapchatting (whatever social media tool you use)? Wait a minute...I can't read and commute!! That's true you can't, but the Bible is available in audio format. The Listener's Bible is a great tool for those of you that commute to work. Max McLean has a great voice for reading the Bible to you. (I'll put a link out on the Additional Bible Study Tools page so you can find it)
Once you start your journey into the Bible you will thirst for more and more on a daily basis. I guarantee it!! Please, let's get started - we can walk together. Ask me any questions you want. I'll guide you.
The Shepherd
Return to The Proverbs Challenge
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