The Uniqueness of Leadership

SCRIPTURE: Ezek. 44:1-3
¹ Then the man brought me back to the outer gate of the sanctuary, the one facing east, and it was shut. ² The LORD said to me, “This gate is to remain shut. It must not be opened; no one may enter through it. It is to remain shut because the LORD, the God of Israel, has entered through it. ³ The prince himself is the only one who may sit inside the gateway to eat in the presence of the LORD. He is to enter by way of the portico of the gateway and go out the same way.”

OBSERVATION: Leadership has its privileges. No one except the prince is allowed to go through the east gate, but the prince alone can sit in the gateway to eat in the presence of the Lord (this is a special picture of unique fellowship with the Lord). He does not go through the gate, but enters the portico of the gate and then leaves the same way.

APPLICATION: There is a special anointing that comes from God upon leadership. I have felt it. When we were assistant pastors, I thought we experienced it, but what we experienced then was nothing compared to what we felt when we were the lead pastors of a church. It is a kind of weight of authority and a special insight that comes from God so that you can minister to people with the Lord's mind and the Lord's power. It's not that God loves leaders more, it is that they have been given a unique task to accomplish for the good of all God's flock that are under their care. I have seen pastors lose this through disobedience, but it is definitely there for those called to serve as leaders. Now that we are not lead pastors, that weight of authority is gone. I know that if we step back into that kind of a position, it will come upon us again. It is a comfort to know that God equips for whatever task he calls us to. There is a special burden that comes with leadership, special responsibilities; and it is a good thing that God gives with those burdens and extra measure of insight and ability to call upon his divine anointing. Having experienced this, I now give pastors and other leaders my full attention and cooperation when they lead me and teach me. I also give them an extra measure of grace when they fall short in some way, knowing the difficulty of the task and how many people try to pull them in different directions.

PRAYER: Father, I pray for my pastors and those over me in any leadership capacity. I know the difficulty of their task and I know how much they need to hear from you. Give them an extra measure of your grace and let them hear the voice of your Spirit above all the others screaming for their attention. Give them the strength to make the hard calls and to go where you are leading, even if it is unpopular with the people under their care. May they not be swayed by the need for approval from humans but be only needing your approval. Provide for them as you have promised to do, and give them wise counselors. In Jesus' Name, Amen.