When you think of leadership, what do you think of? My mind often thinks of the CEO’s, billionaires, or entrepreneurs of the world who focus mainly on money, power, and influence. Unfortunately, their leadership practices are often defensive, selfish, and prideful.
In this time of instability in our country and around the world, let’s think about what kind of leadership will we look to and what kind of leaders we hope to become.
One leader that we can consider is the Apostle Paul. Paul’s boldness for preaching the gospel caused many Jews to conspire against him. He was arrested, beaten, and sent to Rome for a trial that would likely cost his life.
They took him on a ship to Rome with 276 passengers. While on board, they encountered a great storm. Acts 27 tells us that Paul tried to warn the captains of the ship that the voyage would be disastrous and bring loss of their ship and cargo, as well as life. However, the centurion in charge, along with the pilot and owner of the ship wouldn’t listen to him.
The storm was so brutal that they had to throw cargo overboard. No one even had the ability to eat during this time, as they battled the storm. They began to give up hope that they could be saved.
Paul then went back to those responsible for the ship and told them that they should have listened to him. But this gave Paul an opportunity to tell them that an angel appeared to him to say that God would be gracious to them and all would be saved, even though they would have to run aground on an island for a time. He tried to encourage those on the ship to be courageous.
On the fourteenth night, the sailors took soundings and found the water was getting shallower. They were afraid of hitting the rocks, so they dropped down four anchors. In an attempt to escape the ship, the sailors let down a lifeboat, pretending they were going to let down anchors from the bow.
But Paul noticed what was happening. He knew they were going to try and escape, leaving everyone else behind. Paul warned the centurion and the soldiers that unless those men stay with the ship, they wouldn’t be saved. So, they listened to Paul and cut the ropes of the lifeboat and let it drift away. Then, Paul urged the passengers to eat since they hadn’t eaten for fourteen days. He encouraged them and told them they would be safe. And in the midst of the troubled sea, he took bread, gave thanks to God in front of them all.
Let’s think for a moment about Paul’s plight here. He was a prisoner, in the middle of a terrible storm, on a ship that’s going down. And what does he do? Does he cower in the corner of the boat and just pray the storm ends? No! He tries to make a difference.
That is what leaders do. In difficult times, they don’t cower; they stand up and speak the truth. They help everyone else understand what to do.
This takes boldness and initiative.
As a leader today, do you take initiative because you believe in the authority of God’s Word to speak boldly in any situation?
