Leadership God's Way

Abimelek went to the tower and attacked it. But as he approached the entrance to the tower to set it on fire, a woman dropped an upper millstone on his head and cracked his skull. -Judges 9:52-53 (NIV)

Abimelek wanted to succeed his father so he went to Shechem to drum up a following. His goals were self-serving and not of God. And his selfish goal led him to kill all but one of his half-brothers. He also wiped out entire cities that would not honor his leadership. Ironically, the death of this man who killed all but one of his half-brothers on a stone was hastened by a woman dropping a stone on his head.

The quest for power can make a person do terrible things. Abimelek's thirst for power was not for the godly reasons of his father, Gideon. It was self-serving. As the child of a concubine, Abimelek had probably felt slighted and less appreciated than his brothers. This was his chance to get back at them and to establish some respect. But because Abimelek's actions were self-serving and not pleasing to God, God stirred up animosity against Abimelek, animosity that ultimately resulted in his death.

From Abimelek's story I want to examine my own heart. As a leader of a church and family, are my motives pure and godly? What do the actions that I take toward the realization of personal and professional goals have to say about me?

Today, I invite you to consider your own heart and motives. Why do you do what you do? May God grant you the grace to live and lead in a way that would be pleasing to God.






If you're interested in reading through the Bible in a year, tomorrow's suggested readings are Judges 11-12, Psalm 50, and 2 Corinthians 1. Sunday's readings are Judged 13-16 and 2 Corinthians 2. I'll be back with another devotional on Monday from one of these selected readings: Judges 17-18; Psalm 89 and 2 Corinthians 3.