Moses was not perfect—far from it. Yet Moses
was a great leader. He was a man of character.
He was a man who ultimately was committed to
his God. After a reluctant beginning, Moses
followed God’s plan in almost every situation
(“almost” because of his unfaithfulness at
Meribah). Consider what Moses’s life must have
been like: tapped as leader of the fledgling
Israelites; cast into the role of guiding that mob
through hill and dale; hearing continual complaints
and arguments; answerable for that motley mass
of malcontents. Imagine, too, returning to Egypt
after all that had transpired there in his earlier life.
Moses was a great leader. He was a man of
character. He was a man of God. “See, I am
setting before you today a blessing and a curse:
the blessing, if you obey the commandments of
the LORD your God, which I command you today,
and the curse, if you do not obey the
commandments of the LORD your God, but turn
aside from the way that I am commanding you
today, to go after other gods that you have not
known” (Deut 11:26-28).
David was not perfect—far from it. Yet David
was a great leader. He was a man of character.
He was a man who ultimately was committed to
his God. After a rocky beginning, (Bathsheba,
Uriah, etc.), David followed God’s plan in almost
every situation (“almost” because of his
unfaithfulness with the census). Ponder what
David’s life must have been like: pursued
relentlessly by Saul and his acolytes; always
under threat of death; having occasion to rid
himself of Saul, but refusing; succeeding Saul as
the one accountable for the nation of Israel.
Imagine, too, the added pressure of flawed family
members who opposed him. David was a great
leader. He was a man of character. He was a man
of God. “I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD
my God that cost me nothing” (2 Sam 24:24).
None of us is perfect—far from it. Yet God
is in pursuit of great leaders. God demands
men of character. God’s plan for his church
requires men who are committed to him.
Some of us have received the call to
leadership, yet remain hesitant. Some
have had rocky beginnings in our
relationship with God, yet he still calls us to
greater commitment, deeper devotion, and
dedicated service. It is good to
contemplate what answering such a call
may mean. It will mean times of frustration,
as Moses experienced. It will mean times
of rejection and opposition, as David
experienced. Yet faithful service—
answering the call—will also mean a richer
relationship not only with God, but also
with God’s people.
God does not call the equipped—he
equips the called. I am convinced, as are
our shepherds, that there are men at West
Metro whom God is calling into leadership.
Maybe those being called feel a bit like
Isaiah when he said, “Woe is me! For I am
lost; I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell
in the midst of a people of unclean lips”
(Isaiah 6:5a). Isaiah deemed himself
unworthy. He knew he was not perfect—far
from it. Yet God came for him, because
God had an important work for him.
The prayer is that the men among us
being called into leadership will remember
what Isaiah said next, after the LORD
queried, “Whom shall I send, and who will
go for us?” The response of the great
prophet, leader, and servant was this,
“Here I am! Send me.”
–Ricky