“The Character of a Godly Leader”
Part 1
The character of a godly leader plays
a key role in their effectiveness in leadership. They may say all the right things but their
lives may contradict the message that they teach. In Matthew 23:2-3 Jesus says, “The scribes and the Pharisees have seated
themselves in the chair of Moses. 3 Therefore, whatever they tell you, do and comply
with it all, but do not do as they do; for they say things and do not do them.”
Men have to be qualified for
leadership in order to lead God’s people properly. The following qualities of a godly leader can
be found in Titus 1:7-9 and 1 Timothy 3:1-7
- Not
self-willed: Leaders should be prayerful in regard to
God’s will being done; not their own will.
As individuals, we may come up with plans for how we desire for
things to go but we need to seek God to determine what He desires to occur.
- Not
quick tempered: Proverbs 14:17 says that “a quick tempered man acts foolishly.” James 1:20 reveals that “the wrath of man does not produce the
righteousness of God.” God
requires us to make sound decisions.
A leader cannot lead or function in ministry properly if his
actions are constantly governed by his emotions.
- Not
given to wine: The use of alcohol impairs our judgment
when we consume too much, and it has the ability to kill our brain cells
even when we consume small amounts of it.
- Not
violent: If a leader is throwing temper tantrums
when he doesn’t get his way, something is wrong. That is called immaturity and immaturity
is a disqualification of leadership.
- Not
greedy for money: The gospel of prosperity was pushed so
hard that many people do not believe that they are blessed unless they
have an exorbitant amount of money.
When we are money hungry, we can easily be bought and led astray.
- Hospitable: This word means to be friendly or
welcoming to strangers or guests. Displaying
hospitality is a key attribute of a leader because it keeps his role as
servant in its proper perspective.
- Lover
of what is good: Isaiah 1:17 says “Learn to do good;
Seek justice, Rebuke the oppressor, Obtain justice for the orphan,
Plead for the widow’s case.” A godly leader should be an advocate of righteousness. - Sober-minded: It is important to be sober-minded for 2 reasons: 1) we make better decisions when we are not emotionally driven and 2) it is not likely that we will be open to fallacious ideas or concepts. Timothy and Titus are two books in the bible that specifically address sound doctrine. They teach us God’s perspective on living our lives as Christians. Sober, in this context points toward exercising discretion.
- Just: If a friend and
another person are in a heated argument and the other person is in the
right, can we support the individual who is right, rather than taking the side our friend? The act of being just is being able to
identify and correct wrong in spite of what we may personally feel about
the behavior.
