Devilish deeds

Grown men will do devilish things to get the upper hand in situations where power is at stake.  They will lie.  They will cheat.  They will abandon otherwise cherished principles to secure position and status.   We love control and are loath to relinquish it to another.   Call it the male ego.  It’s deplorable.  This is why.

  1.       These battles usually take place in leadership contexts where followers are involved.  People are hurt when leaders selfishly squabble over control.   Trust erodes and organizations and individuals start to wobble under the weight of anger and distrust.
  2.       Good causes can be irreparably damaged.  Reputations can be ruined.
  3.            Relational poison is released into the air and people breathe the hatred.  It’s toxic.  It fills the atmosphere.  Fresh air becomes hard to find. 

But fresh air is available.  For those who imitate two kings.  One king is a man named David.  Pursued like prey as a young king-in-waiting, David refused to kill his victimizer when given an opportunity.  He simply would not raise a violent hand against Saul, the Lord’s anointed.  Saul was an ego-maniac driven by the green-eyed monster of jealousy, who twice tried to pin David to the wall with a spear.  He lost the kingdom by rebelling against God.  David was God’s choice to rule.  While he could have justified lethal action against Saul, he recognized that God raises up leaders and brings them down.  David trusted God to act in His time.  It’s likely the kingdom was spared pain and embarrassment by David’s humble approach.    

The second King is Jesus Christ.  The beautiful description is His humility is in Philippians 2.  If anyone ever had the right to the upper hand it was Jesus.  He deliberately and intentionally chose a downward trajectory knowing that by humbling Himself He would rise to unprecedented heights of power and influence.  He taught an others-oriented approach to leading.  We’d do well to follow His lead.e

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