Wednesday, September 08, 2010

Idols and Leading

Proverbs 8:4 (NCV) Wisdom calls to you like someone shouting; understanding raises her voice.


I got ‘em. Trying to get rid of them as they become evident. But love them, anyway. After all, they are my idols.

As leaders, we often hang onto old stuff – stuff of our making. Wisdom - the capital “W” Wisdom, which has been around before creation, and is found only in God – and that Wisdom must drive my worship.

I’m reminded of God speaking in the major prophets about those foolish people who find wood, use part of it for a fire, and part of it to carve an idol. Melt some gold to wrap the wood: it’s still wooden. Then they worship it. I used to laugh. “How stupid. How silly. Why did the Israelites, who saw miracles, worship those things?”

I missed the point. I’m just like them. Wisdom was shouting at me. I was transfixed by my idol.

Leading – without the disciplines of knowing yourself, controlling yourself, giving yourself – easily can lead to hubris, not humility. Business publication, journals, papers contain good stuff, but not truth. God is Truth. Learning to listen to Wisdom only happens if we are in the Word.

Wisdom’s calling. Are you listening?


Copyright ©2010 by P. Griffith Lindell

1 comment:

Dave C said...

I hope I'm listening.

As you noted, it is a fine line between leading successfully and not becoming proud. Although I'd like to think I'm not proud, I have to guard against it all the time.

However, in today's economy, it is becoming easier to be humble(d). God loves me enough to take me through everything, so that I might trust Him in ALL things. I would never choose that on my own.

Wisdom calls out to me a lot right now.