Are those under my authority at rest or restless?
Do those in my charge rejoice or recoil?
Are “my people” happy or hapless?
When God places me in authority, He expects me to bless others, not boss them around. He calls all leaders (dads, moms, ministers, bosses, teachers, managers, foremen, etc) to be shepherds, not lords.
Consider Proverbs 29:2 — “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.”
How do I rate as a leader?
I am very fortunate to work for a really excellent leader. He is not a believer, but he is fair and encourages all of his employees to excel at what they do. He listens to ideas and uses them, giving credit to the one who brought the idea forth. I have worked for a lot of mediocre and downright bad “leaders”. I can tell you from experience that Proverbs 29:2 is absolutely true. Thanks for another good post Mark.