The Daily Fountain Devotional of the Church Of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) 6 January 2024 – Two Needs Of A Leader
TOPIC: Two Needs Of A Leader
READ: Psalm 72: 1-14 (NKJV)
- A Psalm of Solomon. Give the king Your judgments, O God, And Your righteousness to the king’s Son.
- He will judge Your people with righteousness, And Your poor with justice.
- The mountains will bring peace to the people, And the little hills, by righteousness.
- He will bring justice to the poor of the people; He will save the children of the needy, And will break in pieces the oppressor.
- They shall fear You As long as the sun and moon endure, Throughout all generations.
- He shall come down like rain upon the grass before mowing, Like showers [that] water the earth.
- In His days the righteous shall flourish, And abundance of peace, Until the moon is no more.
- He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, And from the River to the ends of the earth.
- Those who dwell in the wilderness will bow before Him, And His enemies will lick the dust.
- The kings of Tarshish and of the isles Will bring presents; The kings of Sheba and Seba Will offer gifts.
- Yes, all kings shall fall down before Him; All nations shall serve Him.
- For He will deliver the needy when he cries, The poor also, and [him] who has no helper.
- He will spare the poor and needy, And will save the souls of the needy.
- He will redeem their life from oppression and violence; And precious shall be their blood in His sight.
THE MESSAGE:
Two things are important for leaders at all levels – justice and righteousness. Solomon’s prayer today is quite instructive. “Give the king your justice, O God” (verse 1). As king, he was desperate in asking God to give His “love ofjustice” (NLT) to him (Solomon). Every Christian leader must love justice if he will be effective and godly. One wonders how many Christians in politics, for example, understand and are pleading with God for this. A casual look at the practice of democracy in Nigeria since 1999 will reveal an array of very selfish politicians who have led, or are leading, without recourse to genuine justice. Sadly, some of them are professing Christians. This is inconsistent with biblical expectations of a leader. Solomon understood how much God hates injustice and he made it a primary plea.
The second thing is righteousness; Solomon also asked for this. Righteousness has to do with being in a right standing with God as a result of being upright and decent in living and handling affairs. Again, every leader must have this attribute to lead well. Please note that leadership is at different levels and that God has placed leaders at these levels: Homes, Churches, offices, local government areas, states, and the national level. If you are a leader at any of these levels, bend your knees until these two things become manifest in your leadership; otherwise, you will end in failure. If you’re not a leader already, know that you will grow into it soon. Prepare!
