Today I was reading the account of when the prophet Samuel told King Saul that his Kingdom would be taken from him. Samuel said these stinging yet informative words, “Had you remained small in your own eyes, God would have continued to use you and established His work through you” (1 Samuel 15:17 paraphrase). Saul started out small and humble, but power got to him. He had become a big deal in his own eyes. He was above the law. He wanted the glory. He consolidated his power and worked to keep it at all costs. He was building a monument to himself. He was tall. God was smaller. Saul forgot to surrender and neglected the authority of God and His Word. The result was his crown was ripped away from his head. His mutilated corpse hung from the city walls, but the truth was he had been dying for years. He just was blinded to it.
Leaders who are not under God’s authority are unhealthy leaders. Their shadow side plays out and there is a price others pay. Just ask those within striking distance of Saul’s paranoia, jealousy, rage and javelins. As someone said, “When you are too big to serve, you become too small to lead.” Ronald Reagan had the following words on a plaque in the Oval Office, “There is no limit to what a man can do or where he can go if he doesn’t mind who gets the credit.”
It is easy to point fingers at others, but Saul’s condition is the human condition. Adam and Eve’s problem was EGO – Edging God Out! As someone once quipped, “God made us in His image and then we return the favor.” We create God in our image … the god we think we want and one we think we can control. Let’s not do that.
Scripture is not primarily a pair of binoculars to peg others but a mirror to examine ourselves. Saul’s story is my story or can be. It’s easy to EGO. It’s easy to be concerned about success and winning. I need to remember Greatness is Serving … Faithfulness is Success … I am responsible for Obedience and God is responsible for Outcomes. The real Kingdom is an upside down Kingdom where you lose your life to find your life. “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6).
Ninety percent of the people God used in the Bible were not pastors or priests. They were businesspeople, government workers, soldiers, farmers, moms and dads, etc. People like you. Stay humble. Surrender daily. That’s it. You will do it imperfectly, but God invites you to join Him in His work.
Louisiana Legislative Session Finishes
Our Regular Legislative Session wrapped up on June 12. I have been traveling to the Capitol three days a week. There is nothing like seeing God at work in a Capitol community. Some think God is not at work in Government leaders, but I get to see it week by week with my own eyes. I do not take Jesus to the Capitol. He is already there. My job is to discern where He is at work and join Him in His work. Thank you for faithfully praying and supporting our work in this MISSION FIELD.
Speaking Events and Prayer
- June 20-27, White Sulphur Springs, PA Conference Teaching
- July 11, Covington Prayer Breakfast
- August 14, Industry of Faith Revival
- August 24, Leadership St. Tammany Retreat
- The Gathering of St. Bernard, September TBA
- Podcast, The Gathering, September TBA
- October 18-30, Holy Land/Rome Tour (tentative)
- November 12-15, Capitol Commission Gathering
Pictures
