Leadership: Understand Yourself and Fight Complacency
It is far easier for us to see the speck in our friend’s eye than the log in our own (Matthew 7:3–5). We need friends who will tell us the truth. There is a sobering story in the Bible; it's a good reminder for each of us. In this account, we encounter a great king who becomes complacent, lukewarm, self-satisfied, and arrogant. Like an oilman from Saskatchewan who started scrappy and humble, but after selling his third company to big oil, now collects cars, watches, and more attractive women, King David transitioned from a godly rebel to an entitled and wicked ruler.
You know the story, so I won’t retell it in exhaustive detail. David, fresh from massive victories and the accumulation of power, decided to stay home while his troops went to war. He was God’s anointed man, a man after God’s own heart. He had trusted God deeply and fiercely fought those who defiled the Living God. Against all odds, he rose to power, and his wealth, fame, territory, and fortune exploded. He could be ruthless (2 Samuel 8:2), but also demonstrated a keen sense of justice and fairness, all by the providential grace of God (2 Samuel 8:14).
But he grew lukewarm. He stayed home when his troops marched into battle. He lounged in the noonday sun. He spotted a gorgeous woman and lusted after her intensely. He desired her, and he would have her.
Scroll forward. Bathsheba became pregnant. Ah, those inconvenient consequences of sin. Yet David schemed to cover them up. He summoned her husband, Uriah, back from the front lines, intending for Uriah to sleep with his wife so the pregnancy could be attributed to him, all would seem right in the world, and surely God would understand. We convince ourselves that God tolerates sin. But Uriah, a man of integrity, a Hittite, if you can believe it, knew what it meant to be on fire for the Lord. Uriah had burned his bridges in a way even Cortés would admire. Even when drunk in the king’s presence, he refused to defy his convictions to God. Those irritating people who point out God’s ways while other Christians are busy amassing empires, argh.
David resorted to Plan B. Unable to manipulate the man into crossing his godly convictions, he had him killed. Simple and clean, like a CIA operation. We see this in our Christian organizations, in Machiavelli’s 'The Prince', and sadly, even in our family histories: scheming, feuding, and disloyalty to God in pursuit of personal gain or to justify sin.
The prophet Nathan, a true friend to King David, came and told him a story straight from the heart of God. He spoke of a rich man with vast flocks of sheep and a poor man who had nothing but one little ewe lamb he loved like a daughter. The rich man, instead of taking from his own abundance, seized the poor man’s lamb and slaughtered it for his guest. Terrible, right!
When David heard the word of the Lord through Nathan’s parable, it pierced his soul like a sword. His own sense of justice, long dulled by self-deception, suddenly blazed again. He burned with anger against the man in the story and declared, “As the LORD lives, the man who has done this deserves to die!” Only then did Nathan drive the truth home: “You are the man!” (2 Samuel 12:1–7). That is the power of God’s word rightly spoken; when we truly hear it, it penetrates even the hardest heart and divides soul and spirit (Hebrews 4:12). We are the sinners in need of Jesus, our Savior.
Being lukewarm, flippant, and unserious in the face of our day’s troubles and the true needs of our brothers and sisters in Christ is a sure sign of fidelity to the world. Let’s be keenly aware of how to spot it in our own lives and replace it with steadfastness for Jesus. When we show contempt for God through complacency, we fail to take seriously the role He has given us.
I recently attended a confirmation service led by a very unserious bishop in a conservative denomination (the ACNA). He pushes for women’s ordination and recently dared to ordain his own wife as a “priest”, a gross misapplication of spiritual authority, a conflict of interest, and a flippant disregard for Scripture, all wrapped into one. This is a man who appears to care little for God’s standards, claiming exceptions create new rules and that he knows better than God’s ancient truths. I pray this bishop repents, just as I pray we all do, following King David’s example when the word of God through his friend Nathan broke him and brought him to repentance.
I don’t want to belabor the point, but I do want to highlight how hard it can be to discern this in the leadership teams I’ve advised over the years. It’s easy to miss because traits I admire, self-deprecating humor, easygoing attitudes, and fun-loving frivolity, can mask deception.
A pastor who jokes when men need love and encouragement. A strategic plan from a CFO or CEO that includes nothing of God’s key principles. A leader who dismisses sin and flippantly spews Christianese. Listen to David’s chillingly casual response in 2 Samuel 11:25 after Joab reported Uriah’s death (a death David himself ordered): “Well, tell Joab not to be discouraged,” David said. “The sword devours this one today and that one tomorrow! Fight harder next time, and conquer the city!” Empty, polished words from a heart that had grown cold. This echoes in my mind of James in the New Testament, "...and you say, 'Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well, ' - but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?" So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless" (James 2:16-18).
What concerns me today, frankly, are my own motives. I’m considering new career opportunities as I approach my mid-50s. It’s an exciting time. But what drives me now? Is it money, fame, knowledge, ego, or acclaim? I’ve made millions and lost millions, advised billionaires, served in soup kitchens in Victoria, and built tiny homes near Tecate. I’ve dined on sushi at the fanciest restaurants in Cape Town and Caracas, and I’ve driven past the shanty towns in both cities. What ought to drive a man after God’s own heart? Why isn’t it living for and serving people more? Why aren’t we more eager to share the life-changing knowledge of Jesus? I trust God will increase our faith this weekend and, through the Advent season, help us love Him with great fidelity and loyalty, far beyond what we could hope or imagine.
God instills in the Christian mind a desire to grow in godliness. If you are a child of the One True God, He expects you to gain understanding. That’s true for every member of the household. But men, spiritual leaders of your marriages and households, listen up: this definitely applies to us. Spiritual maturity. Sanctification. We are called to grow and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:6–8).
Christian curiosity, we see it in our grandkids. Jesus wants to see it in all His children, yes, even those of us in our 50s, 60s, and beyond. God loves for us to learn. Jesus asks good questions, and so should we. The Christian mind realizes just how little we know and how hard it is to retain information. But we have a creative spark, a God-given ability to learn, understand, and create, to unfold the mysteries of God. This gives Him great pleasure.
That doesn’t just mean the obvious: growing in spiritual understanding of God the Creator, sin, redemption, rebirth, baptism, and fruitful production before the return of the King and His making of a new heaven and earth.
No knowing for knowledge’s sake! Yes, it is good if you can recall that Nero was the Caesar at the time of the great persecution of the Church; he was the sixth Caesar and orchestrated the armies that marched to Jerusalem, bringing forth the 42 months of tribulation foretold in the Bible, which occurred between AD 67 and 70. Nero followed Claudius and preceded the short-serving Galba. But it is incumbent on us to know why it matters.
Likewise, understand why God wants us to know the ancient civilizations and how He used them, and how they chose to follow God or evil. The Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Greeks, and the Romans, we learn from them all.
And the understanding of the growth of Christ’s Kingdom: the Romans under Constantine, the Byzantine Empire, the Holy Roman Empire as it moved into the Crusades, and the Church states in Palestine blending into the Renaissance. The expansion of the Christian faith into the New World, the history of the Catholic Church, the Reformation via bold men, the British Empire, and right up to today. God is still on the move, using His prized possession, His dearly loved children, to grow His Kingdom. God has been ruling, reigning, and building. He is not slow at all; He is patient.
But in all this great history that we must learn, what is our role today? What must we do today? Why make connections at all? Why think about the goodness of Cicero, or why (or why not) the Neoplatonists make sense as they recognized the thought and good governance of pagans, the engineering and architectural accomplishments of the Vitruvian Man, and the abilities of artists and men and women who achieved great things?
Each of us will stand before Christ Jesus, and He makes no mistakes in rewarding people for what they have done (Revelation 22:12). Jesus is the Master in the parable of the talents in Matthew 25. He decides which so-called believers are thrown into hell and to whom He says, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” So what motivates us? Money? Acclaim? Reputation? Security? Political influence in DC? Or making disciples of Jesus Christ and building as our role and responsibilities require.
Our purpose in life is God-given. We all play a part in building the Kingdom. We are living stones in the temple of God. There will be no third temple, as Jesus is the Temple raised by the power of the Holy Spirit on the third day. We are to love God. But do we? And does it matter if we don’t love God? Does it matter if we care more about our benefits package than the souls and development of Christians worldwide? Are we so “America First” that we care nothing about Christians in Lithuania, Russia, and Mozambique?
We must have fidelity to God. In His glorious creativity, God devises how His body functions: many parts, one purpose, to build disciples for Christ, to build with Jesus. Let’s never forget the weightiest matters of the law that Jesus Himself declared we must practice without neglecting the others: justice, mercy, and faithfulness (Matthew 23:23). “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices - mint, dill, and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law - justice, mercy, and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.”
We can and must be for good, godly government in our country. Let's do so as Christ-exalting, Scripture-obeying, sinners saved by grace and serving Christ. Yes, hate evil and love orthodoxy; by all means, point out the antichrists. That’s not hate speech; it is the truth that can save anyone willing to accept God’s gift of life.
Lord Jesus, help us be motivated by Your will alone. Help us desire the exciting things of building Your Kingdom. Help us share the Gospel well with others. Amen.
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