Leadership by Power and Control?
Worldly leadership emphasizes power and control. God does not think like that. Just the opposite – God tells us that our ways are not His ways, and we need to make His ways our ways (Isaiah 55:8)! In 1 Corinthians 1:26-29, Paul writes that God chose “foolish,” “weak,” and “low” things that no person should glory in His Presence. Consider David’s statement in Psalm 51:17, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” Isaiah 57:15 states, “For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: ‘I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.’”
The Lord does not lead by power and control.
It should not surprise us that God became the Son of a carpenter’s wife, and lived a relatively ordinary life (for the most part). He truly humbled Himself (Philippians 2:7-8). He rebuked His disciples for having the attitude of a world that desired power above all (Mark 10:35-45) concluding that, “the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” The image of Jesus as a lamb that has been slain comes from the first Passover in Exodus 12:1-13. John uses this image repeatedly in the book of Revelation. It is most striking, however, when he draws upon it in Revelation 7:17 to highlight the fact that Jesus is our Shepherd and fulfilled prophecy in Isaiah 49:9-10. Only God could make a Lamb the Shepherd! This is the leadership that describes who God is—the kind we must practice as His people.