The 5 Minute Discipleship Podcast

#68: How God Chooses Leaders

October 17, 2020 Loren Hicks
The 5 Minute Discipleship Podcast
#68: How God Chooses Leaders
Show Notes

All leadership in the kingdom of God is “servant-leadership.”  We lead out of service to God.  We might think “I’m not a leader.”  I don’t have a position or a title.  I don’t have business cards.  John Maxwell – “Leadership is influence.”  You are more influential than you think.

I believe the one quality God is looking for is character.

In the Old Testament, when David was anointed to be the next king of Israel, the prophet Samuel would have overlooked him in favor of one of his brothers, because he didn’t have the outward qualifications. 

Samuel actually wanted to select Eliab, David’s older brother. But listen to what the Lord told the prophet in 1 Samuel 16:7 - “But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.

David’s selection goes again everything our society seems to affirm.  Think about it…We exalt those with intelligence, charisma, giftedness, popularity, and power.  Little is done to discern the heart and character of a person.

God looks…
- Not at your resume, but at your character
- Not at what you have done, but why you do it
- Not at who you know, but how you care
- Not at your public persona, but at who you are in private

Phillip Keller:  God does not see as man sees.  He does not measure character by charisma.  He does not defer to human values.  God’s chief criteria for selecting people for his purposes is: Are you willing to do my will?  This is the acid test.  Despite all of our failings, if above all else our one consuming desire is to be a “man after God’s own heart”  we will be lifted above the turmoil of our times, in great honor.”

David is the only person in all of Scripture whose epitaph reads “A man after God’s own heart.”  As a result we might be tempted to think of him as a spiritual superman, without any problems or failures.  Nothing could be further from the truth.

God chose David.  On the surface, the choice made no sense, But God doesn’t work on sense, he works on grace.  God called David.  He called me.  He called you, and he knows what he is doing.

God chooses unlikely people to accomplish his purposes so his power can be displayed in their weakness.  God uses people who will depend on his power rather than their own strength and abilities.

For the first season of his life, David was a shepherd. It was a lowly position, but without him knowing it, he was in a development process.  God had been preparing him:  in solitude, in obscurity, and in monotony. 

Today’s Challenge: Determine in your heart to be a man or woman of Godly character and integrity. This decision begins in the heart but is demonstrated in our daily lives. If you will, don’t be surprised if God chooses you for an opportunity to serve.

Discussion Questions:

  • What opportunities of servant leadership has God opened for you?
  • Describe your season of preparation.
  • Why is character so important in God's selection process?

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