Power Comes With Responsibility
He sounded like a power hungry man
Reference: You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock. (Ezekiel 34:3 NIV)
Explore: I was recently talking to a friend who was struggling with her boss. He sounded like a power hungry man who cared little for those who worked for him.
My friend listed story after story of how her boss put his own selfish needs first and struggled to communicate effectively. While she loved the task of her job, she was considering leaving – as many staff had done before her.
While I was not about to defend her boss I did remind her that in school we are taught how to write an essay and how to use math, but there are few lessons on how to communicate, how to build healthy relationships and how to lead effectively. We are left to pick up these essential ingredients for our lives on our own and hope we get them right.
The sad reality was that I wasn’t sure my friend’s boss would ever change. I assume he would continue to experience high turn over of staff and a business that struggled at every turn.
Application: There are some people who are called on to be leaders. This can be flattering and often brings pleasant bonuses. However, there is also greater responsibility attributed to such roles.
Time and time again I see people strive for the role higher up in their organisation, but once they get there they buckle under the responsibility that comes with the job. We’re so quick to think the grass is greener higher up, but the stress that comes with more expectation is often overlooked.
God doesn’t promote people flippantly either. There are responsibilities He allocates to all of us. This passage in Ezekiel 33 reminds us that God does give, but He can also take away.
Other people will put their expectations on us, but it’s God’s responsibilities that we must heed first and foremost.
Prayer: Lord, may we learn from You how to deal best with people. May we not selfishly focus on ourselves, but strive to put You and Your responsibilities first. Amen.
What are the responsibilities that God has allocated to you?
This article was written by Linda Bailey
Linda started theological studies in 1999 in Australia. After working for ten years in various church ministries, she now works as the breakfast producer at 89.9 LightFM - the Christian radio station in Melbourne, Australia. She writes blogs every day about passages she is currently reading in the Bible. Follow her on Google Plus +Linda Bailey or Facebook by clicking the like button on the right of this page.