What are characteristics of God’s Chosen Leaders?

 

 

God’s chosen leaders are often not who we imagine. Most times, people judge leaders by external things. God does not.

Characteristics of God’s chosen leaders

For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart (1 Sam 16:7b)

Moses was humble. Nehemiah was compassionate, courageous, had a generous spirit, and was very tenacious.

King David was fearless, had a winning mindset, a passion for God, and a love for God’s people. Even though David committed two egregious sins, David wholeheartedly repented. And God forgave him. Under David’s 40-year reign, Israel had peace and prosperity.

So, God chooses ordinary people to do extraordinary tasks. When God’s chosen leader says, “Yes, I will,” God equips that person to get the job done.

God chooses leaders to facilitate His purpose.

God called King Cyrus of Persia to deliver the Jews out of Babylonian captivity, restore them to their homeland, and help them rebuild. He introduced Himself to Cyrus like this: “I AM GOD, THE ONLY GOD THERE IS” (Isa 45:3). What an introduction!

And Cyrus understood his purpose. “This is what Cyrus king of Persia says, “The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah.” (Ezra 1:2)

So, we see God’s chosen leaders align themselves with God’s plan. They do not try to implement a private, personal, or adversarial agenda.

God’s chosen leaders often face extreme opposition.

God chose Nehemiah to rebuild Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile. From the start, Nehemiah faced extreme opposition. His adversaries paid people to creep in, inject fear, create confusion, and stop the work. Officials mocked him. People hurled false accusations against him. Even the prophets conspired against him. (Neh 6:1-14)

Matthew Henry said: “Those who disagree in almost everything will unite in persecution.”

But Nehemiah had the one thing his enemies did not: As God’s chosen leader, he had Divine help. And that, my friends, is the game-changer.

1. God strengthened Nehemiah’s hands.
2. He brought people who had a mind to work to help him build.
3. He kept Nehemiah informed of the enemies’ plots.

So, we see the work was completed (6:15). And all the enemies’ attempts to bring down God’s chosen leader failed.

What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? (Rom 8:31, NIV)

How should we choose a leader?

You might say, “Well, we can’t see people’s hearts. How then can we know God’s chosen leader?”

The answer lies in a question you can ask yourself: “Who most favors God’s righteous cause?” Because that is the bottom line and the only thing that matters in the end.

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What kind of leader do you want? Please feel free to post your comments.

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