Back to: Equipped To Lead
Essential Practicals:
Check Your Growth
The account of Saul has many important lessons for Christian leaders. The primary lesson to pay attention to is the importance of continual growth and self-examination.
Some describe Saul as a king that God never chose, that it was David that God really wanted to be king. That is just not the case. God’s issue was that the people wanted a human king like other nations. They rejected Him as their king, but God accepted that and gave them Saul as their king. God had Samuel anoint Saul with oil and God anointed Saul with His Holy Spirit.
God did choose Saul. And Saul started out well. Saul started out in humility and he passed some important tests early on. Even though he had all this going for him, Saul came to the place where he forfeited his right to be king.
The moral of the story is to examine yourself. Just because you are called, anointed, and gifted does not mean that you are invulnerable. Saul’s story could be repeated in your life if you are not careful. The wages of sin is still death.
Saul forgot the real nature of authority. Many leaders do. The real nature of authority is opposite of what most people think. Authority is not about lordship, but submission, humility and servanthood (Matthew 20:25-28). Saul began practicing lordship, and in doing so, rejected God as his Lord.
Those who have authority cannot do whatever they want. You must be submitted to God, His Word, and other leaders that God has placed over you. The more authority you have, the more submitted you must be.
Check Yourself. You may be called, you may be anointed, but if you are not submitted you will end up disqualified like Saul. Make your call sure, by submitting yourself to God and serving humbly.
2 Peter 1:10-11, Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (NKJV)