Biblical Leaders

Dear Victorious,

Of all the leaders in the Bible, who do you think represents the greatest qualities of what we could aspire to in modern day leadership?

Ian D. - Coventry, England

Dear Ian,

It's hard for me to narrow it down to one. The various leaders who are exposed in the Bible all demonstrate some very significant qualities. At the same time, many of them possess those same, significant qualities. I'm particularly drawn to two key qualities of leadership.

First, leaders who trust God and do a good job of staying consistently connected to Him are exemplary. It's perhaps the strongest quality of a leader. Second, leaders who own their brokenness stand out. They are the ones who know who they are --- and who they aren't. (Perhaps that motivates them to stay connected to God!)

In the Old Testament, King David appears to exhibit these qualities the best. In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul appears to be the best example of those same qualities. Mind you, there are other leaders who exhibit these qualities. But these two are my favorites.

Most people would say that Jesus is the best Biblical example of leadership. I don't agree - because Jesus didn't have any brokenness to own. Granted, Jesus certainly knew who He was and wasn't. But there's a sense of humility that comes with owning up to one's own sinful nature that I believe strengthens human leadership. In fact, it's paramount to successful human leadership. (So I look to those leaders who weren't fully God at the same time that they were fully human.)