Bible Business Principal

Jeremiah 45:5a “And seekest thou great things for thyself? seek them not:”

I Timothy 3:1 “This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.”

We took a look at I Timothy 3 a while back and the thing that we talked about was that the desire to be in leadership was a good thing. Paul said if you desire the office of a bishop you are desirous of “a good work.”

The addition to the thought given by Jeremiah puts things in real perspective. Why do you want to be in a position of leadership? Why do you want to accomplish the things you want to accomplish? If you seek great things for yourself, you are seeking them for the wrong reason. He goes as far as to say, “seek them not”.

Your purpose in leading should be to elevate others, to help others reach their potential and reach new plateaus in their development.

So many in leadership today are demanding of loyalty and obedience. They fail to see that loyalty and obedience is earned not demanded. The help and encouragement that you give others is what gives you your leadership. People will follow you for a while out of duty but after a while, expect you to care for them and help them, to continue following.

Why do you want to lead? It will take work to assume the role of leader. Having the title does not make you a leader. As John Maxwell says, “Being a leader without followers is just taking a walk”. You will be just taking a walk if you seek great things for yourself.