Monthly Archives: November 2024

Thanking God for Rest

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Thanksgiving Day in the United States is a particularly special day because it is all about being thankful and community. It isn’t about presents or eggs or any other marketing ploy—though there is plenty of that anyway.

I was reading this morning in Matthew and Mark and came across something that is very helpful to me and may be very helpful to you as well.

Jesus and his disciples 2000 years ago were very, very busy. They became very important people in their time as the Gospel spread throughout southern Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. They were serving thousands upon thousands of people—saving, healing, and feeding them.

But, though that is an important part of the biblical text, there was something that stuck out to me this morning: Jesus and his disciples took a time out. In Matthew 14, Jesus heard that King Herod had executed his childhood friend (and relative) John the Baptist.

Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. 14 When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.

Matthew 14:13-14 (ESV)

Jesus, the ruler of the universe, took time out to rest and maybe reflect on the loss of his friend John.

But as the crowds gather, he once again served them, healing, teaching, and feeding thousands of people who were in need.

Then the text goes on:

Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. 23 And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray.

Matthew 14:22-23 (ESV)

Once again, he sends the disciples to get away from the crowds for a bit and he himself headed to the hills to get rest and pray. In Mark it more clearly says the disciples went away to be by themselves (Mark 6:30-32).

The point I want to make is that those who are caregivers for others, following Jesus’ call, need rest. It is not okay to burn out. It is expected by Jesus and you are called to get away at times to rest.

I am horrible at this. With a people-pleasing personality I get sucked into working all the time. . . and I promise you my motives are not always very good. I need that time to rest and pray and get some perspective. Often to come to grips with my rotten motives—to break away from pleasing people to recognize I am not really that important.

Advocates everywhere—heed Jesus’ calling and rest. Today is a good day between all the turkey and ham and mashed potatoes and nsima and fried rice to rest and turn to the Lord in prayer.

Embracing Criticism: Are They Words from the LORD?

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Do you hate to hear criticism?

Of course you do.

We would all like to think we are correct on every point . . . or even wise in how we lead a church, organization, or business . . . or our home.

However, one look at Genesis chapter three should put our minds at ease. We are neither wise or always right. It is there in the garden that we lost any bragging rights to being . . . right.

The Amos Problem

Amos was a “shepherd and farmer called to prophesy during the reigns of Uzziah (792–740 B.C.) in the southern kingdom and Jeroboam II (793–753) in the north.”1

Things were going well for Judah and Israel at the time. Economically, politically . . . but not spiritually apparently. Amos warned King Jeroboam that he would “die by the sword, and Israel must go into exile.” They were words the king didn’t want to hear.

But maybe even more importantly, the priest—a representative of the Lord who was to remain free from political control, but rather to act prophetically to kings—was more interested in remaining close to the power of the king. He went running to the king when Amos prophesied to encourage the king to take action against Amos.

“Amos has conspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel. The land is not able to bear all his words.”

Amos 7:10

Sometimes our followers—those subordinate to our leadership or influence, who have less power than we do—bring words that hurt. Our ego is bruised by their words that challenge our actions, heart (motives), or abilities.

In those moments we need to step back. We need to consider carefully whether those words—even when meant to hurt us because of jealousy or arrogance—are words the Lord wants to use to make us better at leading.

King David’s Experience

When King David came to Bahurim, there came out a man of the family of the house of Saul, whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera, and as he came he cursed continually. 6 And he threw stones at David and at all the servants of King David, and all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on his left. 7 And Shimei said as he cursed, “Get out, get out, you man of blood, you worthless man! 8 The LORD has avenged on you all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned, and the LORD has given the kingdom into the hand of your son Absalom. See, your evil is on you, for you are a man of blood.”

2 Samuel 16:5-8 (ESV)

Abishai, a companion and nephew of King David, sought to protect the king’s ego, and possibly life, and advised the king that he allow Abishai to “take of his head.”

David’s response is a lesson to all leaders. He says, “If he is cursing because the LORD has said to him, ‘Curse David,’ who then shall say, ‘Why have you done so?’” It is possible the LORD himself is cursing David through this “dog” as Abishai calls him.

Even those we do not respect may have a word from the LORD in the sense that the LORD is using them to help us see our blind spots and failures.

Leaders need to take warning. Certainly, not every word from our detractors is correct or should be honored or affect our leadership. However, in rejecting the words of Amos, Israel did suffer the fate of being sent into exile. The country continued to rebel against the LORD because they were too proud to hear the words of this shepherd—words from God, Himself.

It is a humble heart that will hear words of criticism as gifts from the LORD.

References

  1. ESV New Classic Reference Bible, Introduction to Amos, (Wheaton, Ill, 2011)
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A Covenant of Peace: When the Lord Banishes Toxic Leadership

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There will come a day.

It is not here, yet.

Nearly everyone who works in the marketplace experiences toxic leadership at some point in his or her career. Approximately a third of women are abused in their lifetime.

The time of peace is not here.

But there will come a time when the Lord banishes toxic leadership in the home, workplace, church, and organization.

Prophesy Against the Shepherds

The prophet and priest, Ezekiel was taken away into exile in Babylon in 597 B.C.

In 597 B.C., King Nebuchadnezzer of Babylon besieged Jerusalem. The siege caused appalling deprivation and suffering. Nebuchadnezzer took Judah’s King Jehoiachin and the nation’s leading citizens off to Babylon. Then, ten years later, he uprooted everybody else and destroyed the temple. The so-called Babylonian Captivity had begun. And tens of thousands were massacred in the process.1

Ministering for over 23 years, Ezekiel “addressed both the exiles and the people left in Judah with messages of warning and judgment, predicting the fall of Jerusalem.”2 In chapter 34, Ezekiel gives a scathing message from the Lord to the spiritual leaders of Judah.

Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require my sheep at their hand and put a stop to their feeding the sheep. No longer shall the shepherds feed themselves. I will rescue my sheep from their mouths, that they may not be food for them.

Ezekiel 34:10

For the purpose of vindication and validation, we can be thankful that the Lord will stop the toxic leadership of these “shepherds.” But much of the chapter is more about the kindness of the Lord to those who have suffered under that self-serving leadership.

Ezekiel goes on to say that the Lord “will seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered. . . (vs. 11b-12a).”

Toxic leadership always scatters. In this case, Ezekiel is speaking specifically to those located in a small area in the Middle East 2500 years ago. The leadership of Judah had both religious and national consequence as Judah was a full-blown theocracy—a government ruled by a religious organization.

This religious leadership over the nation had “scattered” the sheep of Judah. We can understand this to involve both a spiritual and physical scattering of the people of Judah. It is evident that there was a decided lack of spiritual commitment to God’s law and rule and the people had been taken into captivity by another nation. They had been scattered.

As we bring this warning and teaching into our day and age we would normally apply God’s warnings and promises to the “church” that is the New Testament expansion of God’s people—including both Jew and Gentile. We cannot categorically apply the promises or warnings to Judah in the fifth century B.C. to our own time, but the promises and warnings in this chapter were only in part fulfilled as the Lord brought His people out of exile and back to Jerusalem.

There was still toxic leadership. There was still hatred. There was still suffering in that time and ever since.

However, we know there will come a day when the promises found in this chapter of Ezekiel will be fully—completely and perfectly—realized. That day will be when Christ comes again and banishes evil and enfolds His people in his arms in a love we cannot fully grasp in this life.

Listen to this incredible promise:

And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land. And I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the ravines, and in all the inhabited places of the country. I will feed them with good pasture, and on the mountain heights of Israel shall be their grazing land. There they shall lie down in good grazing land, and on rich pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel. I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord GOD.

Ezekiel 34:13-15

It is idyllic. God’s people will be fed and nurtured and protected and given rest.

The “wild beasts” who have created havoc and death and suffering, he says, will be “banished.”

What sweet promises these are. As I watch the suffering of those under toxic leadership I am reminded of these promises that give hope. We might see some relief in this life—gaining freedom from the leader’s grasp—but in the long term, it will only be in eternity that we fully gain that freedom from the ravages of sin in leadership. Even in my own heart, that will be the day I no longer hate and hurt and curse.

Come Lord Jesus, come.

NOTES

  1. Ligonier Ministries. “The Babylonian Captivity.” Accessed October 20, 2024. https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts/simply-put/the-babylonian-captivity.
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  2. ESV New Classic Reference Bible. Introduction to book of Ezekiel. Wheaton, Ill: Crossway, 2011.
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