Take a moment to read Deuteronomy 17 before reading the devotional below.
In elementary school, gym class meant doing group exercises like dodgeball or Simon Says. I always loved dodgeball, but Simon Says was always a frustrating game. I was always great at following what the leader did. If she put her hands over her head, so did I. If he jumped on one foot, so did I. But then you had to add another layer of obedience: only copying the leader’s actions if she said “Simon says…” I was always one of the first people to be out. I quickly followed the leader’s actions, but I frequently forgot to listen for the key phrase. Despite my failures, this was nevertheless one of my earliest experiences of learning about leadership.
Deuteronomy 17 (really the section begins in 16:18) begins to offer a series of standards for Israelite leaders. First, God’s people should never follow leaders who lead them away from God (17:2-7). Second, while leaders should exercise their God-given leadership with confidence, they should always have the humility to admit when they need help (17:8-13). Finally, leaders should always see their leadership as a way of serving God so they shouldn’t take advantage of their positions (17:14-20). What is the main idea here? Leaders are God’s appointed representatives who should seek to influence accordingly.
It may be that your influence comes from your role as a family-member or a friend. It may be the role you play at work (regardless of your official title) or the role you play in your neighborhood. In some arena of life, God has appointed you to be a person of influence. As you grow closer to God, he will continually invite you into greater and greater levels of influence. You can take great confidence in the fact that you have been appointed by God to the influence that you have. You can find great leverage in having the humility to align your leadership with God’s own leadership. Combine confidence and humility in your leadership and you will eventually find leverage.