Leading a Nation to Serve the Lord
“And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude.” (1 Kings 3:8)
Early in Solomon’s reign as king, God made him this offer: “Ask what I shall give thee.” (1 Kings 3:5) Solomon said, “And now, O LORD my God, thou hast made thy servant king…” (1 Kings 3:7) He recognized that even as king, he was God’s servant. The first point to being a good leader, then, is to see that God is sovereign, and even as a leader, you’re His servant.
Ever wonder why you’re here on earth? Whether you’re in a place of prominence and power, or a place of relative obscurity, you’re here to please God. Revelation 4:11 says so: “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.” (boldface added)
Solomon also told God, “…I am but a little child:” (1 Kings 3:7) not that he was a grade-school kid, but he knew he needed God’s help. The second point of a good leader, then, is to recognize you need God’s help to make wise decisions and to seek His guidance in His Word and prayer.
Third, as our verse says, Solomon saw the importance of his nation. God had founded Israel for His glory. Israel had sunk into deep sin many times, but they were still special to God; not that He doesn’t love anyone else: “…God is no respecter of persons: But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.” (Acts 10:34-35, boldface added)
Even a casual look at our founding documents makes it clear the founding Fathers had a deep respect for the God of the Bible and His Word. Why else do phrases like “…laws of nature and of nature’s God…”, “…endowed by their Creator…”, “…appealing to the Supreme Judge of the World…” and “…protection of Divine providence…” appear in the Declaration of Independence?
Some people will cite reasons why they say the U.S. is a bad country. They are entitled to their opinions, and we live in a country where people can freely give opinions and even criticize the government. Yet if America is so bad, why do so many people continually try to get in?
Still, many people in America have forgotten God, as we see by rampant sin that poisons our culture and people’s hearts. God’s promise of Acts 10:34-35 that we saw above is for “…every nation …that feareth him…”, but His warning of Psalm 9:17 is for people who would forget and disregard Him: “The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.”
No one can force people to fear God nor should anyone try. Yet leaders can encourage people by their words and example to seek God’s will and blessing. Will you be a leader like that? Most importantly, are you sure you’ll be in heaven when you die? If you’re not sure but you’d love to be, please go to www.clevelandbaptist.org, click “Helpful Links, then “How Do I Go to Heaven?”
Brian Miller 10/27/2021
Cleveland Baptist Church 4431 Tiedeman Road, Brooklyn, Ohio 44144 216/671-2822