Day 6: Proverbs 9:8-9

“Don’t rebuke a mocker, or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man, and he will love you. Instruct a wise man, and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man, and he will learn more."



All right, we’re gonna talk about two things today. Being rebuked and being taught. Sounds like fun, yeah?


First of all, What the heck is a rebuke? That’s when someone calls you out when you do something stupid. I’m sure that’s never happened to you (in the last five minutes). What do you do when someone points out that you’re wrong. Do you pout? Do you deny being wrong? Do you get angry? Solomon says that only idiots do those things. A wise person is always looking to learn from their mistakes. Wise people also know that they’ll be learning from their mistakes a lot, because at the heart of it, we’re a bunch of foul-ups. So the next time someone points out the fact that you’re stuck on stupid, consider very carefully how you react. Learn from your mistake. Trust me, you’ll be mad a lot less, and you’ll learn a lot more.


In the same vein, If you’re going to be a Christian leader (and you are), then you’re going to have to adapt a very difficult stance on life: you can always learn more. This is pretty obvious as you go through your studies at school and learn new things everyday. Sometimes though, we start to think we’re smarter than everyone else, and we refuse to learn from anyone. Bad move. In fact, Solomon says here that a righteous, wise man will always be teachable. We have to constantly be looking for ways to learn. There is always someone who is smarter and more experienced than we are. We need to look for them, and ask them to teach us. This could mean a chat over coffee, or a mentor type of situation. It might also mean we need to read more books (I know, I can hear everyone groaning now).


And let’s not forget, everyone we meet has something they can teach us. Don’t think because you’re smarter, better educated, or are a leader that you can’t learn anything from the people you lead. The best leaders learn as much as they teach.


CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP PRINCIPLE: Always look for ways to learn. Whether through mistakes or from someone that knows more than we do, never stop learning. The day we stop learning is the day we stop growing as a leader.


Here’s a set of verses to meditate on today: Luke: 18:18-23.


Prayer: Lord, make me teachable. Humble me and show me where I am wrong. Help me listen to others who have something to teach me. Above all, give me a love for Your word. In Christ’s Name, amen.

Day 2: Proverbs 2:6-10

“For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding. He stores up success for the upright; He is a shield for those who live with integrity so that He may guard the paths of justice and protect the way of His loyal followers. Then you will understand righteousness, justice, and integrity-every good path. For wisdom will enter your mind, and knowledge will delight your heart.”



Now that’s a mouthful. Solomon wrote the Proverbs for young men who were about to enter government service, so you could say that Proverbs is just a leadership handbook. With that in mind, take a look at what Solomon (and God) wants you to get: you need wisdom, righteousness, justice, and integrity. That’s what you need to lead people, businesses, and ministries. So what are those things, anyway, and why do you need them? God is very clear here about why you need these things. He is all about justice, protecting His people, and giving success to those who seek Him. But He also provides a description of the kind of person that He blesses with success. Wisdom we’ve already talked about, but here are the others…


1. Righteousness. In the Old Testament, righteousness is regarded as doing the will of God, and being godly. The righteous person (not to be confused with New Testament Righteousness, which has more to do with salvation) is focused on doing the godly thing all the time. The righteous person works tirelessly for God and His kingdom. Biblical leadership is based on working for God, rather than for yourself or others.


2. Justice. God is very concerned with justice. Justice is treating all people the same. “love your neighbor as yourself”, as Jesus would say. You see, He created every person, and as such, if you treat some people badly, you are insulting their maker. A leader understands that God made all people, and so all people are too be loved and respected; treated just as you would yourself.


3. Integrity. Integrity is personal character. Do you do the right thing all the time, even when other people aren’t looking? Integrity is key to leadership, because without the reputation as a person with integrity, no one will follow you. Not to mention that if you talk about God and then have a habit of screwing up people will begin to question God. Not cool.


And what’s the connector? Wisdom. With wisdom, all these other things fall into place. Do you see the connection? Fear God, get knowledge. With the knowledge God gives you, He also gives you wisdom. With Wisdom, He also lets you understand righteousness, justice, and integrity. And when you’ve got that, you can lead.


CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP PRINCIPLE: Justice, righteousness, and integrity don’t come naturally to us. They are taught to us by God through wisdom.


Here’s some verses you might want to meditate on today: I Kings 3:4-14


Prayer: Lord, you are the giver of all good things. You alone have wisdom, and You are the only place I can get wisdom. Help me to be wise. Teach me righteousness, justice, and integrity. Make me a leader. Give me what I need to complete your will. Thank you Father, in Christ’s name, amen.