March 13, 2008
Leadership is About Sacrifice
When the Lord began to speak by Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea:
“Go, take yourself a wife of harlotry and children of harlotry, for the land has committed great harlotry by departing from the Lord.”
(Hosea 1:2)
Can you imagine what Hosea must have felt when God asked him to propose to a prostitute? The Lord instructed him to marry Gomer, a harlot, in order to illustrate the spiritual adultery Israel had committed against God. The Hebrews had been unfaithful to God and pursued other gods, just as a harlot joins herself to several men. What a request!
Leadership is about sacrifice. It means giving up personal options in order to guide the people to where they need to go. Hosea made several sacrifices in his leadership:
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He was asked to marry a prostitute.
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He was asked to lead in a time of rebellion.
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He was given a very unpopular message.
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He was told to have children despite an absentee wife.
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He was committed to remain poised under harsh demands.
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He was instructed to live faithfully and consistently in a volatile situation.
Leaders lose their right to selfishness. They must take into account the lives of others when making decisions. They must say what the people need to hear, not merely what they want to hear. They must guide the people to where they ought to go, not necessarily where they desire to go. Could this explain why we have so few good leaders?
For the kingdom,
City Bible Business Ministry
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