Category: Life & Lessons

The Miserable Mystery and the Marvelous One

By Ife J. Ibitayo

I love reading mysteries. My favorite book is Marooned in Realtime by Vernor Vinge, a sci-fi murder mystery set in the ever-further future. Just as soon as you think you’ve figured out who the killer is, a new wrinkle enters the picture. The author is always one step ahead, breathlessly carrying you along until the ecstatic climax when all the puzzle pieces fall into place. I love reading mysteries, but I hate living them.

I’ve always snobbishly looked down on those who skip to the last chapter of books, having to know the end from the beginning. But if I had the novel of my life, you know I’d already be there! I can’t stand the real-life tension of not knowing.

Miserable Mystery

But life is full of mysteries. I don’t know when I’ll meet my special someone. I don’t know if I’ll be fired next fall or promoted next spring. I wake up each day not knowing if it will contain sorrow or joy. And this stresses me out to no end! How can you control what you can’t understand?

Then there’s God, the most unfathomable being in all existence. God declares to us, “‘My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts’” (Isaiah 55:8-9). Therefore, God is inherently other. Jesus is not Superman, the paragon of mankind, an example of what humanity at its best looks like. Rather, He is a being so beyond our imagination that we can only glimpse a shadow of His true nature.

And so, I’m tempted to despair. If my life is in the hands of a being beyond my comprehension, how can I know the outcome of all my sufferings and hardships, my trials and tears, my burdens and sacrifices?

Marvelous Mystery

The apostle Paul, arguably the most brilliant theologian who’s ever lived, was also confronted by the mystery of our God: “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable His judgements, and His paths beyond tracing out” (Romans 11:33)! But his response was very different from my own. He cried, “To Him be the glory forever!” (Romans 11:36).

Paul rejoiced in a God beyond His comprehension because that offered the perfect explanation to the inexplicable. Only a transcendent God can redeem our terrible circumstances. Good men can mitigate others’ personal hardships. Good countries can ameliorate a suffering world’s issues. But only a good God far above everything can keep this promise: “I cause everything to work together for the good of those who love Me” (Romans 8:28).

Conclusion

In a TV show I watched, I was struck by a particular scene between a mother, who was a district attorney, and her daughter. The daughter kept asking her mother for answers concerning a young woman who was wrongfully murdered. But her mother said she had her reasons for not giving them to her. However, her daughter hacked into her computer. Then she understood why her mother was acting the way she was. When her mother found out about this, her daughter asked her, “Why didn’t you just tell me?” And her mother replied, “Why didn’t you just trust me?”

There are millions of mysteries with millions of answers that we’ll never know here on this earth. We can spend our lives asking God, “Why didn’t you just tell me?” Or we can believe that even more than any mother, any district attorney, or any superhero, our God is trustworthy.

“As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things.”

(Ecclesiastes 11:5)

It is Well?

By Ife J. Ibitayo

November is the month of gratitude. Ever year we take this opportunity to commemorate God’s goodness over the past ten months. But I’ve been wondering, does that make sense in 2021?

By early October, more people had died from COVID this year than in 2020. Our great nation has wrought tragedy in Afghanistan and at the border. Wildfires, hurricanes, and earthquakes have shaken countries across the globe. And the pangs of injustice continue to reverberate as jury selection for Ahmaud Arbery’s shooting stumbles along. 

On a personal note, 2021 has been one of my most brutal years yet. Crippling heartbreak, debilitating loneliness, and mind-snapping stress all marked this past year for me. I resonate deeply with the laments of Jeremiah in his heart-rending Lamentations: “I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me” (Lamentations 3:19-20).

And so, I ask again, does gratitude make sense this year?

Though Trials Should Come

My question rests upon the false premise that ease is normal and suffering abnormal. I grew up in a happy, upper-middle class home in Hispanic suburbia. I never wanted for food or home. I wasn’t bullied at school, and I succeeded academically. This blissful bubble was part of the reason why I was shocked by the hardships I experienced in college, grad school, and beyond.

Jesus Himself said, “Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows” (John 16:33). The apostles added, “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22). And Apostle Paul concluded, “You know that we are destined for such troubles” (1 Thessalonians 3:3). The overwhelming assertion of the Bible is that life on this earth will be filled with grueling challenges and soul-rending let downs.

Whatever My Lot

And yet, we often forget this because we swim in the deep seas of God’s benevolent mercies. Matthew 5:45 says, “He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” It’s only when the sun fails and the rain dries up that we look up, remember God, and curse Him.

Many days I found myself face down in the carpet, crying out to God to relieve my romantic anguish. But only from that low vantage point could I see with new appreciation the ready acceptance and love I receive from my friends and family. Only when I was cooped up in my apartment for several agonizing months did I realize how much I took for granted the weekly graces of church and fellowship. Suffering did not black out my reasons for gratitude but threw them in stark relief.

It Is Well

I remember the story of Horatio Spafford, a successful lawyer and businessman who lived a couple hundred years ago. He had it all, a loving family and a thriving company. But then, in an instant, he didn’t.

First, his young son died of pneumonia. Then the great Chicago fire decimated his business. Then a day before Thanksgiving Day 1873, he lost all four of his daughters in a horrendous ocean liner accident.

On his way to his grieving wife, he penned these famous words: “When peace like a river attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll, whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, it is well, it is well with my soul.”

I’ve come to believe that gratitude is less a product of our physical position than our spiritual perspective. Yes, these past couple years have been terrible. But my God has been good. He was good to me before 2020, and He’s been good to me during 2021. And He will continue to be good to me next year and forevermore.

“Enjoy prosperity while you can, but when hard times strike, realize that both come from God. Remember that nothing is certain in this life.”

(Ecclesiastes 7:14)

Goldfish from Heaven

By Ife J. Ibitayo

There is one snack I’ve never grown tired of. These orange, fish-shaped munchables come equipped with a quirky grin. I even remember the jingle: “The snack that smiles back: Goldfish.” But as I wrapped up my shopping at Wal-Mart this past week, I realized how creepy a concept that is.

We often go out of our way to make food look as little like the original animal as we can. We don’t want to see the strangled chicken or the gutted cow or the suffocated fish with its glassy eyes. When we see such things, it reminds us of the pain the creature experienced to become our sustenance. Yet cheddar goldfish gladly smiles at us as we mangle, pound, and chew away at it.

The Mangling, Pounding and Chewing of Jesus

Using similarly graphic language, Jesus said, “Whoever feeds on My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink” (John 6:54-55).

In an Old Testament passage on the suffering servant, the prophet Isaiah says, “He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by His wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5). In order to become our salvific supper, Jesus’ back was mangled by lashes, His wrists pounded by nails, and His back chewed up by a rough, splintering cross.

The Smile of Jesus

Yet the prophet Isaiah goes on to say, “the Lord was pleased to crush Him severely” (Isaiah 53:10). The Father actually delighted in crushing His Son on the cross. And even Jesus Himself, “for the joy set before Him endured the cross” (Hebrews 12:2). What’s going on here?

God loves us so much that He was willing to become our divine goldfish, our sacred snack that smiles back. As He suffered for our sins, He smiled because He knew that His beating would mean our healing (Isaiah 53:5), His abandonment our adoption (Galatians 4:4-5), and His death our life (Romans 6:4).

Conclusion

I lied. There are actually two snacks I’ve never grown tired of throughout the years. The second, the goldfish from heaven, is not a meal to be partaken once but every day. As we enter into this coming month of November, let’s start—not end—with Thanksgiving. Let’s appreciate and worship our Savior who rejoiced as He suffered for sinners like you and me.

“Surely He took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered Him punished by God, stricken by Him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by his wounds we are healed.

“Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush Him and cause Him to suffer, and though the Lord makes His life an offering for sin, He will see His offspring and prolong His days,
and the will of the Lord will prosper in His hand.”

(Isaiah 53:4-5, 11)

Impossible Perfection, Possible Generosity

By Ife J. Ibitayo

I don’t find generosity as easy as I thought I would. We’re in the middle of a pandemic and still reeling from the greatest drop in national GDP since the Great Depression. And here I sit, a young, gainfully employed bachelor without any meaningful dependents.

I live in one of the top ten wealthiest counties in the United States in the richest country in the world. While families have been scraping by to put food on the table, I’ve been eating out every week. While unemployed millions struggled to pay enough their bills to make it to the end of last year, I bought a new laptop for Christmas. What is wrong with me? But let’s be real, my story is not all that unique. What is wrong with us?

Impossible Perfection

I’ve been thinking about the story of the rich young ruler a lot recently. There once was a young man with power, money, and authority who approached Jesus. He had lived his entire life righteously, and yet he still felt he was lacking something. Jesus knew what that something was, so He told the young man, “‘If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me’” (Matthew 19:21).

I think this is one of the hardest sayings in the Bible. We’ve spent decades of our lives earning our keep. We love our house in the suburbs with our blue Ford F-150 and our new Apple iPhone. We relish waking up in our own bed, drinking our morning coffee from our special mug, and typing away on our precious laptop. Yet we forget our impoverished neighbor. We pass by on the other side of the road as they shiver their nights away beside the Walmart down the street.

This is not so much a call to action as a plea for introspection. Why can’t I sell my phone, my car, or even my house to love my neighbor? Is this too high an ask for anyone? I’m clearly being unrealistic, aren’t I? Yet this is exactly how the early church lived. Acts 4:34 says. “There were no needy people among them, because those who owned land or houses would sell them.”

Possible Generosity

One of the most quoted verses of the Bible is Matthew 19:26, “‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’” Unfortunately, the context of this verse is often lost as well. Notice that this saying is only five verses after the story of the rich young ruler. Upon hearing the steep cost of perfection, the young man left in great sadness. Then Jesus declared how impossible it was for the rich like you and I to enter into heaven. But when the disciples asked who then could be saved, Jesus replied with this promise.

In my own strength, I can only close my fists tighter and tighter, no matter how hard I try to open them. But God is love, and if I surrender myself and my riches to Him, then I have a sliver of a chance of loving others the same way He does.

“Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life.”

(2 Timothy 6:17-19)

Rest, Relationships, and the Altar of Busyness

By Ife J. Ibitayo

It’s downright amazing how much time Jesus spent hanging out with people. Many of Jesus’ best teachings took place on comfy dining couches with 1st century AD comfort food. He was a man on a mission, relentlessly marching toward the cross. Yet somehow, He found an abundance of time to sit down and chat with others along the way.

For the past couple months, I’ve also been seized by a mission. I’ve been plugging away at work each day and typing up a storm each night. I’ve been cramming ministry into the free spaces and filling up every last crevice with errands and unanswered emails. It would be an understatement to say that I’ve felt a little busy. But I’ve come to see unique dangers in my present situation.

Importance of Rest

The first danger of busyness is that it often comes at the expense of rest. As we go to bed later, wake up earlier, cut our lunch breaks shorter, and extend our workdays longer, we squeeze out the Sabbath rest God offers us.

I’d contend that the fourth commandment may very well be the most despised of them all. In university, we applaud the students who sustain themselves on a well-balanced diet of coffee and Adderall, cramming in hour after hour studying for their examinations. On the job, we reward our employees who forgo vacations, sick days, and holidays to finish one more task. This disease has even infected the church! We praise pastors who are perpetually stretched thin, caring beyond their capacity, serving beyond their ability.

But consider that God rested on the Sabbath (Genesis 2:2), even though He didn’t need it. Then He blessed the Sabbath (Genesis 2:3a). Then He declared it holy—set apart, special (Genesis 2:3b). And throughout the Old Testament, God continually rebuked His people specifically for not keeping the Sabbath (Isaiah 58:13, Ezekiel 20:12-13, Nehemiah 13:15-18). Clearly rest is an extremely important concept to God, and people who are perpetually busy will struggle to find time to rest.

Importance of Relationships

Secondly, busy people will find it challenging to enter into deep relationship with others, especially God. Many people are familiar with the story of Mary and Martha. The God man in the flesh had come over for dinner. But the sisters’ attitudes toward Him were polar opposites. The NIRV says, “Mary sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what He said. But Martha was busy with all the things that had to be done” (Luke 10:39-40).

I really like this translation because it captures well the tension of Martha’s situation. There were many important things that “had to be done”: cooking, cleaning, serving. Often times when we read this passage, we can dismiss the meaningfulness of Martha’s tasks, but they were quite important. If no one cooked, no one ate. Imagine letting God go hungry! But there was “one thing” more important than serving God, and that was listening to Him (Luke 10:41-42).

 Take a look at Matthew 7:21-23, and you’ll see a similar story. There are many who will serve God mightily—prophesying in His name, casting out demons, healing diseases, and working miracles, but Jesus will turn them away at the gate to heaven. Why? Because they were too busy “serving” Him to get to know Him.

The Altar of Busyness

God created us to work. Genesis 2:15 says, “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” And God didn’t just create us to work, He created us to work hard (Ecclesiastes 9:10) and to work excellently (Colossians 3:23). But we must not sacrifice rest or our relationships on the altar of busyness.

“Then Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.'”

(Matthew 11:28-30)

Strolling Through the Storm

By Ife J. Ibitayo

Have you ever wondered why Jesus walked on water? He could have sailed over the Sea of Galilee with His disciples when they left (Matthew 14:22). Or He could have teleported like Philip did, taking the Divine Express to His next destination (Acts 8:39-40). Why did Jesus break the rules of physics to commit such a miracle? And why did He allow Peter to join Him, walking on the waves like steppingstones ((Matthew 14:29)?

On Top of It All

If you’re like me, this pandemic has pushed you to your limit. You’ve been asked to do the impossible for the past year and a half: Watching your kids while wrapping up work on your computer screen, waiting “just one more month” before life can return to normal, finding joy in the middle of a pandemic, and loving others from the midst of isolation.  Many days I find myself barely treading water, let alone walking on it!

This experience brought me back to Jesus’ miracle. Keep in mind that this water was not a placid, peaceful surface like you might see in a suburban swimming pool. Gale force winds blasted back and forth. Monster waves heaved the disciples’ boat up and down like a wooden boy toy. But in the midst of this chaos, Jesus was walking.

A better way to translate the Greek word peripateo in this context was that Jesus was “strolling.” He was strolling through the storm. In this way, Jesus demonstrated His mastery over all of life’s circumstances. Whether it be earth, sea, or air, nothing could stop Jesus’ steady, unhurried progress.

The book of Acts is the story of the steady, unhurried progress of the gospel throughout the ancient world. The entire Bible is the story of Jesus’ steady, unhurried progress restoring the entire universe. And your life is the story of Jesus’ steady, unhurried progress transforming you into the person He designed you to be.

Under the Waves

Which brings me to Peter. By asking Jesus to allow him to walk on the waves (Matthew 14:28), Peter was asking Jesus to grant him His perspective. Where everyone else saw a storm to sink into, Jesus saw a surface to stroll on.  That is why Jesus didn’t tell him, “Stay back.” Rather, He commanded Peter, “Come here” (Matthew 14:29). He wanted Peter to experience the serenity of His grace, the greatness of His power, and the glory of His provision in the midst of the storm.

But Peter didn’t remain on top of the water for long. He saw the wind and heard the crashing waves. As fear clutched his heart, he plunged beneath the surface (Matthew 14:30). But that was not the end of Peter’s story. He screamed for Jesus to save him, and Jesus didn’t wait for him to “raise his faith.” He grabbed onto Peter and didn’t let him go. He rescued him out of his watery grave and set his feet back on solid ground.

Conclusion

Jesus extends His arms to us as well. He says, “Come, stroll on the sea with Me.” And if we ever start to sink into the waves, He’ll too ask us, “Why did you doubt” (Matthew 14:31)? Because our safety is never in doubt; He’ll always catch us.

“When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.”

(Isaiah 43:2)

The Rot of Jealousy (How the Mighty Fall Pt. 3)

By Ife J. Ibitayo

For Part 1, “Mighty Presumption”, click here. For Part 2, “Putting First Things Second”, click here.

The last nail in the coffin of Saul’s leadership followed hot on the heels of a great victory. The shepherd boy David had just defeated the giant Goliath with a sling and a stone. The Israelites had routed the Philistinian army, and the conquering heroes returned home to much singing and fanfare. The women broke out in song, “‘Saul has killed his thousands, and David his ten thousands!’ But this made Saul very angry. ‘What’s this?’ he said. ‘They credit David with ten thousands and me with only thousands. Next they’ll be making him their king!’ So from that time on Saul kept a jealous eye on David (1 Samuel 18:7-9).” Jealousy was the final rot that toppled the tree of Saul’s legacy.

Jealousy Rots Happiness

Firstly, jealousy wreaks havoc on our emotions. Jealous leaders are short-tempered (1 Samuel 20:30), fearful (1 Samuel 18:12), and paranoid (1 Samuel 22:13).

The stability of our emotions is rooted in the source of our identity. If we define our leadership based on something that’s continually evolving like the progress of our graduating class or Fortune’s top 500 CEOs, our emotions will always be in flux. When we feel like we’re ahead, we’ll be on top of the world, riding high on our surging pride. But if we fall behind, which we inevitably will at some point in our journey, we’ll be crushed by the weight of unmet expectations. Our identity must be rooted in something fixed and unchanging if we ever want to develop emotions that are tranquil and harmonious.

Jealousy Rots Friendship

Secondly, a jealous leader will drive away key advisors and associates. David served in Saul’s inner court long before he himself became king. Every day he soothed the king’s frayed nerves by strumming masterful songs on his lyre. But the day following David’s defeat of Goliath, Saul tried to impale the young man on the tip of his spear, twice (1 Samuel 18:11)! He even attacked his very own son, Jonathan, when he protected the shepherd boy (1 Samuel 20:33)!

Jealousy will transform our closest allies into our bitter rivals. If we hold on to this emotion, we’ll soon find that it really is “lonely at the top.”

Jealousy Rots Leadership

Lastly, jealousy prevents leaders from fulfilling their responsibilities as a leader. Saul enlisted Israel’s best and brightest to hunt down one of his most loyal citizens (1 Samuel 24:2). So distracted was he by his hunt for this shepherd boy that a foreign nation was able to penetrated deep into his territory in the meantime (1 Samuel 23:19-27)!

When a leader fixes their gaze on someone else, of course they won’t be in a position to lead their own people well. It’s like you’re driving your family on the highway in your beat-up Prius while staring out your window at the Maserati cruising next to you. It’s just a matter of time before you–and everyone with you–suffers harm. We have to fix our gaze straight ahead on whatever God has called us to do if we want to finish it well.

Conclusion

When Saul fell into jealousy, his kingdom fell as well. His sons died in battle (1 Samuel 31:2). His people fled from their homes for their very lives (1 Samuel 31:7). And his dying moments were ignoble and pitiful (1 Samuel 31:3-5). If we let jealousy consume our leadership, it will consume all we hoped to build as well.

“A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.”

(Proverbs 14:30)

Clumsy Man in the Hands of a Perfect God

By Ife J. Ibitayo

While shopping at Wal-Mart last week, I knocked over a bottle of Dove body wash. I fumbled it like a loose football, and it slid under the shopping cart of a fellow shopper. The skinny Asian woman graciously handed it back to me. As I bent over to accept it, my glasses fell off my face. The woman smiled and asked, “Is this some kind of trick?” like a charade or a comedy act. I grinned back sheepishly and thought, Unfortunately, this is a way of life.

I’ve been notoriously clumsy ever since I was young. Slamming doors are the mortal enemies of my delicate fingers. I’d swear that invisible stub magnets are attached to my pinky toes. And I can only thank God that I didn’t grow up in any cities that iced over frequently. I slip well enough all on my own!

The Weight of My Imperfection

In spite of my clumsy ways, I’ve also ironically struggled with perfectionism my whole life. Growing up in a Nigerian household, I was implicitly and explicitly taught that “A” was the standard. Anything less was failure, and I applied this lesson ruthlessly to every area of my life. I strived to be an “A” student, an “A” brother, an “A” son, an “A” engineer, an “A” writer, and an “A” Christian because anything less was not acceptable. My college experience could be summed up by Matthew 5:48: “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

Perfection is not an easy weight to bear. I remember getting my first report card in grad school and being shaken at receiving two A-minuses. My GPA only went down from there. I’ve always striven for perfection, but over time, I’ve become devastated by the overwhelming chasm between where I am and where I think I should be.

The Strength of His Perfection

This reality is why I’m uniquely passionate about the Christian concept of grace. Grace is unmerited favor, receiving what you do not deserve. In the book of Ephesians, Apostle Paul said, “We were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved” (Ephesians 2:3-5). I am not good enough to be an “A” son. I don’t have what it takes to be an “A” employee all day every day. And I will never be an “A” Christian. But none of that matters.

God chose me because He loves me. I’m not subject to His wrath because of His mercy. I am heaven bound because of His grace. None of these realities are contingent upon my performance. They are rooted in the unchanging nature of my God (Hebrews 13:8).

Conclusion

The title of this article is a reference to Jonathan Edwards’ famous sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” In that message, Edwards’ describes our plight in horrifying, vivid detail: “Your wickedness makes you as it were heavy as lead…and if God should let you go, you would immediately sink and swiftly descend and plunge into the bottomless gulf.” The shackles of my sinfulness weigh down my wrists. The mistakes of yesterday enfold my throat. The inky abyss awaits to swallow me whole if I trip just one more time.  But something arrests me.

As Paul said in the book of Ephesians, “But God.” In spite of my imperfection, because of His perfection, my salvation is sure. Each teetering step I take is steadied by the hand of my invisible Father. His perfection is stronger than my clumsiness, and it’s greater than all my mistakes.

“My God, His way is perfect: The LORD’s Word is flawless; He shields all who take refuge in Him.”

(Psalm 18:30)

Putting First Things Second (How the Mighty Fall Pt. 2)

By Ife J. Ibitayo

For Part 1, “Mighty Presumption, click here.

Greatness comes from putting first things first. If you want to be a great basketball player, you have to master the core principles of the game—taking care of the ball, shooting high quality shots, and the like—and never lose sight of them. If you want to be a great engineer, you have to maintain a strong knowledge of geometry, algebra, and calculus. No amount of sweettalking will save you when your poorly designed bridge crumples. This same principle applies to great leadership.

In the book of 1 Samuel, the LORD commissions King Saul for his last God-given assignment, destroying the wicked Amalekites and razing everything they owned. Saul and his men did wipe out the Amalekites, but they “spared Agag, the king of the Amalekites, and spared the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves and lambs—everything that was good. These they were unwilling to destroy completely, but everything that was despised and weak they totally destroyed” (1 Samuel 15:9). The prophet Samuel was again called on to rebuke the king, and their conversation revealed the several ways King Saul failed as a leader.

Putting Humility Second

Samuel begins his chastisement by saying, “‘Although you once considered yourself unimportant’” (1 Samuel 15:17). There once was a time when King Saul was simply Saul. He was a mere farmer who worked the ground (1 Samuel 11:5). He was so afraid of leadership that he hid among a pile of baggage when his reign was announced (1 Samuel 10:20-22)! But power corrupted his view of himself. When Saul ascended the throne, he no longer saw himself as Saul the man, but Saul the king. And kings do whatever they please.

Jesus Himself affirmed that the heart of good leadership is not pleasing yourself but serving others. “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave” (Matthew 20:26-27). No one with a proud heart will bend their backs to serve others.

Putting Purpose Second

Secondly, Saul lost sight of the reason God had given him this mission in the first place. When Samuel called him out for disobeying the voice of the LORD, Saul rebutted, “But I did obey the Lord…I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back Agag their king. The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the Lord your God at Gilgal.” Keep in mind that when an animal was sacrificed to the Lord during that time, the one who offered the sacrifice would then consume part of the offering themselves.

So easily, when success comes, we too can lose sight of our original vision. We can start a hospital to help, a nonprofit to serve, or a church to love. But when funds start pouring in, we can be tempted to help others and help ourselves, serve others and serve ourselves, love others yet love ourselves more. An organization without vision is like a lamp without oil, in mortal danger of being snuffed out (Revelation 2:4-5).  

Putting God Second

In desperation, Saul made one final plea. He cried, “‘I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice” (1 Samuel 15:24). Saul’s last excuse was that he was pressured into his actions by his followers.

When a leader becomes subject to the desires of their followers, they are no longer a leader. Leaders lead by definition. They point their followers to someone or something greater than themselves: a cause, an ideal, or a moral principle. In this case, King Saul and his subjects’ obedience to God would have demonstrated that they were the LORD’s people, driven not by material gain but spiritual truth. They would have fulfilled the greatest commandment: “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength’” (Mark 12:30). Instead, by giving into the masses, King Saul demonstrated that he loved the approval of others even more.

Conclusion

Greatness requires humility, purpose, and obedience to a higher calling. When we lost sight of any one of these, we won’t only lead ourselves astray, we’ll mislead all those who follow us. But when we maintain all of these in spite of success, riches, and fame, then we’ll truly be great leaders.

“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

(Matthew 16:33)

The Freedom of the Terrifying Truth

By Ife J. Ibitayo

I recently read an article about a number of anti-vaccine radio hosts who died of COVID. This got me thinking, “What happens when your beliefs are rooted in something other than reality?”

We all hold fundamental beliefs that we think are self-evident like “We should all have a right to choose” and “Love is love.” We hold to such statements because, just like gravity, they ground us. They provide a comforting framework through which we can make sense of our dizzyingly complex world. But comfort is not a sufficient reason to hold on to any belief.

The Terrifying

Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “I still believe that freedom is the bonus you receive for telling the truth. Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.” This truth resonated strongly in March 1965, when the suffering of the black community viscerally confronted white America.

The United States government passed the Civil Rights Act the year before. They were attempting to legislate desegregation from the top down. But it could be argued that the dismantlement of “separate but equal” institutions did not begin in earnest until Bloody Sunday. On that fateful afternoon, racist local law enforcement brutally beat down Martin Luther King Jr. and thousands of others. It could not have been comfortable for any “upstanding, moral” American to come to terms with the vile ugliness of complacency lying in their souls. But only when our nation was awoken from its slumber could it continue the hard work of reconciliation.

This behavior is not anomalous. It’s a worsening trend. 2 Timothy 4:20 says, “For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear.” Now is that time. In the internet age, we can find voices that preach whatever message we want to hear. We live in a generation when many are entrenching themselves in their worldviews, attempting to block out the terror of reality.

The Truth

But Martin Luther King Jr.’s statement still rings true today, “Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.” Grounding, orientation, only comes when we submit our preferences to the one who said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).

Someone once said that no one holds the market on truth, and there is some validity to this statement. No politician, no preacher, no blogger has got it all right. That’s why we must be willing to question and challenge them. But we ourselves don’t know it all either. That’s why we must be willing to humbly retract and correct ourselves. Yet truth does exist. And if it can’t be found with humanity, maybe it can be found with the one who made us all.

“‘You say that I’m a king,” Jesus replied. “I was born for this, and I have come into the world for this: to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.’”

(John 18:38)