“...all that you may desire cannot compare with her.” (Prov. 8:11)
“By me [wisdom] kings reign, and rulers decree what is just; by me princes rule, and nobles, all who govern justly.” (Proverbs 8:15-16)
“Just” or “justly” in this case is the Hebrew word Tsedeq, Strongs #6664. It means right, fair, accurate or righteously. If one wants to lead fairly and rightly, one needs God's wisdom. And the book of Proverbs is filled with practical wisdom on how to effectively lead others.
Leading others 'rightly' starts with seeking to know the Lord and His ways. Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary notes about Proverbs 8:12-21, “Wisdom here is Christ, in whom are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge; it is Christ in the word, and Christ in the heart; not only Christ revealed to us, but Christ revealed in us. All prudence and skill are from the Lord. Through the redemption of Christ's precious blood, the riches of his grace abound in all wisdom and prudence.”
Proverbs 1:7 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.”
“Blessed is he who fears the Lord, Who finds delight in His commands” sings in the background.
We are to seek after wisdom of God on how to live our lives. Proverbs 8:32 says, “and now, O sons, listen to me: blessed are those who keep my ways. Hear instruction and be wise, and do not neglect it. Blessed is the one who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors. For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the Lord, but he who fails to find me injures himself; all who hate me love death.”
Most often it has been my lack of wisdom and the pain I experienced from it (injuring myself for lack of knowledge) that have led me to seek out wisdom in my life. When I first became a supervisor many years ago now, I did not know the Lord and I was terrible at supervising.
Proverbs 29:2 (NLT) says, “When the godly are in authority, the people rejoice. But when the wicked are in power, they groan.”
I had an authoritative style of leadership, demanding performance from my people. While there is nothing wrong with having high (but realistic) expectations and goals, how one goes about achieving them makes a tremendous difference on staff morale. Rather than serving, supporting and investing in my people, giving them vision and encouragement on achieving goals, and the tools and resources to achieve them, I demanded performance from them. I told them what, when and how to produce their work.
I soon found out the hard way that this authoritative style of leadership was not getting the results I had hoped for or expected. As I experienced substantial turnover and difficulty, I realized I needed to make drastic changes if I wanted to continue in a leadership role. As a result, I began reading material on leadership and seeking better methods to manage people. I was fortunate that my remaining employees quickly forgave me and sought to support me in making transitions in my leadership style. As I attempted to make changes, I was demonstrating understanding of their needs so morale, loyalty and effectiveness in the department picked up substantially.
It was in my brokenness and failures that I realized my need for wisdom. And in my brokenness and struggles, I became open to knowing Christ. During this time of transition in my life, my boss at the time (now he is a pastor) introduced me to material from Steven Covey, “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.” It was through Steven Covey's material that I began to create some “spiritual time” in my week as suggested and I came to know Christ.
Coming to know Christ and reading the Bible, I began to realize more and more that not all material on leadership was effective or helpful at learning better how to lead. Some of the material I was reading and seminars I was taking were totally ineffective. The wisdom they carried was worldly rather than godly wisdom.
The more I studied the Bible, read leadership material and took seminars that were biblical, the more I realized I genuinely grew in my leadership skills.
Worldly wisdom is completely different from godly wisdom. As one of my pastors, Steve Wiens, noted in his sermon this weekend, Proverbs 14:12 says, “There is a way that seems right to man, but in the end it leads to death.” 1
“It's not for us, it's all for you....Not to us, but to Your name be the glory” sings in the background.
Looking through glasses of 'worldly wisdom,' according to Steve Wiens, we think to ourselves it is okay if something we want is good for ourselves, even if it is bad for other people. He noted we fight to gain what we want or think we deserve. As he notes, worldly wisdom has envy and selfish ambition in it (James 3:16).
Leaders with worldly wisdom are looking at their life and responsibilities in terms of what they have to do to get what they want or think they deserve from life. Frequently they are looking for success in terms of winning over others (at the expense of others), recognition and/or rewards.
Proverbs 8:10-11 says, “Take my instruction instead of silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold, for wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot compare with her.”
What we are searching to get out of life determines how we view life, or as Steve Wiens noted in his sermon, what glasses we wear. If we are seeking gain for ourselves, and what we view as riches is money, success by the worlds terms, power, and/or recognition, we will automatically wear our worldly wisdom glasses. However, if our hearts are set to know Christ's ways and to follow after Him, seeking His instruction over all the world has to offer, we will wear our godly wisdom glasses.
“Show me Your heart, Show me Your ways, Show me Your glory” sings in the background.
Worldly wisdom in leadership sets expectations on life of what one deserves and needs to achieve/have (Proverbs 25:27; 10:28). Godly wisdom, on the other hand, does not expect to take from others, beat out others, intimidate others for gain, or be served by others, but rather hopes the best for people (Proverbs 10:28; 1 Corinthians 13) and looks to give and serve them with whatever skills and gifts they have available (Proverbs 11:24,25;14:31).
Whenever a leader is walking in love towards others, they are walking in godly wisdom. Paul describes the way of love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
When one invests in the people they lead and serve, walking in love towards them, the land prospers – the people are committed and invested. Proverbs 29:4 says, “By justice a king builds up the land, but he who exacts gifts [taxes heavily] tears it down.”
A godly leader seeks to establish a clear vision of where the people are going (Proverbs 29:18a). And then takes the time to establish a plan of how to get there (Proverbs 24:27). They also are the first to set an example by their own behavior. They do not just point the way to go, but they truly lead the way.
Proverbs 29:19, says “By mere words a servant is not disciplined, for though he understands, he will not respond.”
At a leadership seminar I attended, the instructor said to all of us, “quickly touch your chin” as he touched his nose. He then had us look around at everyone else. Only a few had touched their chin. Most of us had our fingers on our nose and did not think twice about it. It was not that we did not understand the instructions. It was that we were doing what people naturally do, follow the example of their leaders.
Jesus says in Luke 6:40, “A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher.”
Jesus teaches us, not just with words, but with the way He lived his life. Paul says in Ephesians 5:1-2, “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and give himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”
A leader can shout out direction all day long to go one way, but as long as the leader is not first and foremost demonstrating the behavior, though the people will understand, they will not respond. To “follow” takes leaders who are courageous, invested and determined enough to lead by example. They must be willing to give the most themselves rather than demanding the most from others.
I read or heard at one time, “Never assign your employees anything that you are not willing to do yourself.” Too often it is easy to look at leadership through worldly wisdom and 'dump' work on employees, expecting them to produce more and more because of intimidation of authority. However, authentic leaders, following godly wisdom, set the example and then delegate based upon what is best for others.
Proverbs 11:3 says, “The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.”
What makes someone godly, and therefore a good leader, is not that they get everything perfect in their choices or actions, but that learn from their failures -seeing the pain or destruction it causes others. 2 They may not always make good choices, but they genuinely desire to learn wisdom and follow the way that is right.
Proverbs 14:9 (NCV) says, “Fools don't care if they sin, but honest people work at being right.”
Godly leaders have a genuine desire to do what is right and they are continual learners, seeking wisdom on how to better lead and live their lives. A sign on a billboard on my way home said, “Justice is accomplished one right at a time.” None of us have full wisdom and understanding. We are all learning and growing, in the process of becoming. Decision by decision, we choose who we become. Our character is formed by our choices. And whether others willingly follow us as leaders, is substantially determined by our character.
Proverbs 2:3-4 says to “call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.”
A godly leader is a 'good leader' because they have a desire to do what is right for others in their hearts, not because they have always chosen rightly. At times, we are going to make mistakes and fail, letting others down and hurting them. The difference is that a godly leader who has wisdom, repents, learns, and makes better choices in the future.
Proverbs 9:9 says, “Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.”
A leader with worldly wisdom often thinks they have all the answers. Proverbs 3:7 warns, “Be not wise in your own eyes.” And Proverbs 9:8 says, Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you; reprove a wise man, and he will love you.” The wise are hungry and open to receive godly wisdom.
A leader with worldly wisdom also has a 'scarcity mentality.' They believe that resources are limited and one must compete or fight to obtain their fair share (what they think they deserve). Viewing life with a scarcity mentality, one thinks more for you means less for me.
However, Proverbs 22:9 says, “Whoever has a bountiful eye will be blessed, for he shares his bread with the poor.” Godly wisdom does not look a the world with a scarcity mentality but rather from an 'abundance mentality.' They see what they have been given as a gift from God. They are free to use it to bless others with. What I have is not 'mine' to tightly hold onto, but a resource to gratefully use and bless others with.
When a scribe came to Jesus and asked to follow Him in Matthew 8:19-20, Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” Following Jesus means letting go of our desire to grip hold of what the world has to offer and looking to build a place of security for ourselves.
When one's goal is to establish a place of security for themselves, they will see the need to protect their territory at the expense of others. When we are spending our energies and resources to protect and keep what is 'ours,' we fail to see (and therefore meet) the need of others.
Instead of protecting our territory, God's wisdom would call us to protect the rights of those who are in need. Proverbs 31:8-9 says, “Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute. Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy.”
“The time has come to stand for all we believe in, so I am going to give my praise to You!... Today, Today I live for one thing: To give you all the Praise... In everything I do, all the praise goes out to you!”
In Luke 12:20, Jesus tells a parable of a rich man who produced abundant crops. He looked around and asked himself what to do, given he had nowhere to store all his crops. So he decided to build bigger barns to store all his stuff and then retire from working. God said to him, “Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” Jesus ends by saying, “So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich towards God.”
As Jesus says in Luke 12:34, where our treasure is, there our hearts will be also. Lord, I long for you to be the only treasure I seek after. I long to walk in greater godly wisdom. As the song sings in the background, “In my life be lifted high, in my world be lifted high, in my love be lifted high.”
1. Wiens, Steve. Wisdom: Mastering Our Choices. March 21, 2010. Available at: www.thedoor.org
2. Steve Wiens said something to this effect in his sermon this past weekend, March 21st, 2010 titled “Wisdom: Mastering Our Choices” but I can't remember exactly what was said.
“Just” or “justly” in this case is the Hebrew word Tsedeq, Strongs #6664. It means right, fair, accurate or righteously. If one wants to lead fairly and rightly, one needs God's wisdom. And the book of Proverbs is filled with practical wisdom on how to effectively lead others.
Leading others 'rightly' starts with seeking to know the Lord and His ways. Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary notes about Proverbs 8:12-21, “Wisdom here is Christ, in whom are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge; it is Christ in the word, and Christ in the heart; not only Christ revealed to us, but Christ revealed in us. All prudence and skill are from the Lord. Through the redemption of Christ's precious blood, the riches of his grace abound in all wisdom and prudence.”
Proverbs 1:7 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.”
“Blessed is he who fears the Lord, Who finds delight in His commands” sings in the background.
We are to seek after wisdom of God on how to live our lives. Proverbs 8:32 says, “and now, O sons, listen to me: blessed are those who keep my ways. Hear instruction and be wise, and do not neglect it. Blessed is the one who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors. For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the Lord, but he who fails to find me injures himself; all who hate me love death.”
Most often it has been my lack of wisdom and the pain I experienced from it (injuring myself for lack of knowledge) that have led me to seek out wisdom in my life. When I first became a supervisor many years ago now, I did not know the Lord and I was terrible at supervising.
Proverbs 29:2 (NLT) says, “When the godly are in authority, the people rejoice. But when the wicked are in power, they groan.”
I had an authoritative style of leadership, demanding performance from my people. While there is nothing wrong with having high (but realistic) expectations and goals, how one goes about achieving them makes a tremendous difference on staff morale. Rather than serving, supporting and investing in my people, giving them vision and encouragement on achieving goals, and the tools and resources to achieve them, I demanded performance from them. I told them what, when and how to produce their work.
I soon found out the hard way that this authoritative style of leadership was not getting the results I had hoped for or expected. As I experienced substantial turnover and difficulty, I realized I needed to make drastic changes if I wanted to continue in a leadership role. As a result, I began reading material on leadership and seeking better methods to manage people. I was fortunate that my remaining employees quickly forgave me and sought to support me in making transitions in my leadership style. As I attempted to make changes, I was demonstrating understanding of their needs so morale, loyalty and effectiveness in the department picked up substantially.
It was in my brokenness and failures that I realized my need for wisdom. And in my brokenness and struggles, I became open to knowing Christ. During this time of transition in my life, my boss at the time (now he is a pastor) introduced me to material from Steven Covey, “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.” It was through Steven Covey's material that I began to create some “spiritual time” in my week as suggested and I came to know Christ.
Coming to know Christ and reading the Bible, I began to realize more and more that not all material on leadership was effective or helpful at learning better how to lead. Some of the material I was reading and seminars I was taking were totally ineffective. The wisdom they carried was worldly rather than godly wisdom.
The more I studied the Bible, read leadership material and took seminars that were biblical, the more I realized I genuinely grew in my leadership skills.
Worldly wisdom is completely different from godly wisdom. As one of my pastors, Steve Wiens, noted in his sermon this weekend, Proverbs 14:12 says, “There is a way that seems right to man, but in the end it leads to death.” 1
“It's not for us, it's all for you....Not to us, but to Your name be the glory” sings in the background.
Looking through glasses of 'worldly wisdom,' according to Steve Wiens, we think to ourselves it is okay if something we want is good for ourselves, even if it is bad for other people. He noted we fight to gain what we want or think we deserve. As he notes, worldly wisdom has envy and selfish ambition in it (James 3:16).
Leaders with worldly wisdom are looking at their life and responsibilities in terms of what they have to do to get what they want or think they deserve from life. Frequently they are looking for success in terms of winning over others (at the expense of others), recognition and/or rewards.
Proverbs 8:10-11 says, “Take my instruction instead of silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold, for wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot compare with her.”
What we are searching to get out of life determines how we view life, or as Steve Wiens noted in his sermon, what glasses we wear. If we are seeking gain for ourselves, and what we view as riches is money, success by the worlds terms, power, and/or recognition, we will automatically wear our worldly wisdom glasses. However, if our hearts are set to know Christ's ways and to follow after Him, seeking His instruction over all the world has to offer, we will wear our godly wisdom glasses.
“Show me Your heart, Show me Your ways, Show me Your glory” sings in the background.
Worldly wisdom in leadership sets expectations on life of what one deserves and needs to achieve/have (Proverbs 25:27; 10:28). Godly wisdom, on the other hand, does not expect to take from others, beat out others, intimidate others for gain, or be served by others, but rather hopes the best for people (Proverbs 10:28; 1 Corinthians 13) and looks to give and serve them with whatever skills and gifts they have available (Proverbs 11:24,25;14:31).
Whenever a leader is walking in love towards others, they are walking in godly wisdom. Paul describes the way of love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
When one invests in the people they lead and serve, walking in love towards them, the land prospers – the people are committed and invested. Proverbs 29:4 says, “By justice a king builds up the land, but he who exacts gifts [taxes heavily] tears it down.”
A godly leader seeks to establish a clear vision of where the people are going (Proverbs 29:18a). And then takes the time to establish a plan of how to get there (Proverbs 24:27). They also are the first to set an example by their own behavior. They do not just point the way to go, but they truly lead the way.
Proverbs 29:19, says “By mere words a servant is not disciplined, for though he understands, he will not respond.”
At a leadership seminar I attended, the instructor said to all of us, “quickly touch your chin” as he touched his nose. He then had us look around at everyone else. Only a few had touched their chin. Most of us had our fingers on our nose and did not think twice about it. It was not that we did not understand the instructions. It was that we were doing what people naturally do, follow the example of their leaders.
Jesus says in Luke 6:40, “A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher.”
Jesus teaches us, not just with words, but with the way He lived his life. Paul says in Ephesians 5:1-2, “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and give himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”
A leader can shout out direction all day long to go one way, but as long as the leader is not first and foremost demonstrating the behavior, though the people will understand, they will not respond. To “follow” takes leaders who are courageous, invested and determined enough to lead by example. They must be willing to give the most themselves rather than demanding the most from others.
I read or heard at one time, “Never assign your employees anything that you are not willing to do yourself.” Too often it is easy to look at leadership through worldly wisdom and 'dump' work on employees, expecting them to produce more and more because of intimidation of authority. However, authentic leaders, following godly wisdom, set the example and then delegate based upon what is best for others.
Proverbs 11:3 says, “The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.”
What makes someone godly, and therefore a good leader, is not that they get everything perfect in their choices or actions, but that learn from their failures -seeing the pain or destruction it causes others. 2 They may not always make good choices, but they genuinely desire to learn wisdom and follow the way that is right.
Proverbs 14:9 (NCV) says, “Fools don't care if they sin, but honest people work at being right.”
Godly leaders have a genuine desire to do what is right and they are continual learners, seeking wisdom on how to better lead and live their lives. A sign on a billboard on my way home said, “Justice is accomplished one right at a time.” None of us have full wisdom and understanding. We are all learning and growing, in the process of becoming. Decision by decision, we choose who we become. Our character is formed by our choices. And whether others willingly follow us as leaders, is substantially determined by our character.
Proverbs 2:3-4 says to “call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.”
A godly leader is a 'good leader' because they have a desire to do what is right for others in their hearts, not because they have always chosen rightly. At times, we are going to make mistakes and fail, letting others down and hurting them. The difference is that a godly leader who has wisdom, repents, learns, and makes better choices in the future.
Proverbs 9:9 says, “Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.”
A leader with worldly wisdom often thinks they have all the answers. Proverbs 3:7 warns, “Be not wise in your own eyes.” And Proverbs 9:8 says, Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you; reprove a wise man, and he will love you.” The wise are hungry and open to receive godly wisdom.
A leader with worldly wisdom also has a 'scarcity mentality.' They believe that resources are limited and one must compete or fight to obtain their fair share (what they think they deserve). Viewing life with a scarcity mentality, one thinks more for you means less for me.
However, Proverbs 22:9 says, “Whoever has a bountiful eye will be blessed, for he shares his bread with the poor.” Godly wisdom does not look a the world with a scarcity mentality but rather from an 'abundance mentality.' They see what they have been given as a gift from God. They are free to use it to bless others with. What I have is not 'mine' to tightly hold onto, but a resource to gratefully use and bless others with.
When a scribe came to Jesus and asked to follow Him in Matthew 8:19-20, Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” Following Jesus means letting go of our desire to grip hold of what the world has to offer and looking to build a place of security for ourselves.
When one's goal is to establish a place of security for themselves, they will see the need to protect their territory at the expense of others. When we are spending our energies and resources to protect and keep what is 'ours,' we fail to see (and therefore meet) the need of others.
Instead of protecting our territory, God's wisdom would call us to protect the rights of those who are in need. Proverbs 31:8-9 says, “Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute. Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy.”
“The time has come to stand for all we believe in, so I am going to give my praise to You!... Today, Today I live for one thing: To give you all the Praise... In everything I do, all the praise goes out to you!”
In Luke 12:20, Jesus tells a parable of a rich man who produced abundant crops. He looked around and asked himself what to do, given he had nowhere to store all his crops. So he decided to build bigger barns to store all his stuff and then retire from working. God said to him, “Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” Jesus ends by saying, “So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich towards God.”
As Jesus says in Luke 12:34, where our treasure is, there our hearts will be also. Lord, I long for you to be the only treasure I seek after. I long to walk in greater godly wisdom. As the song sings in the background, “In my life be lifted high, in my world be lifted high, in my love be lifted high.”
1. Wiens, Steve. Wisdom: Mastering Our Choices. March 21, 2010. Available at: www.thedoor.org
2. Steve Wiens said something to this effect in his sermon this past weekend, March 21st, 2010 titled “Wisdom: Mastering Our Choices” but I can't remember exactly what was said.
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