[SHORT THREAD on encouraging pastors/elders]
2Chronicles 17 charts the rise of Jehoshaphat's kingdom. He inherited a dreadful legacy from his father - a nation where leadership was in crisis, and where the spiritual temperature of the people was tepid at best. Here's what he did:
2Chronicles 17 charts the rise of Jehoshaphat's kingdom. He inherited a dreadful legacy from his father - a nation where leadership was in crisis, and where the spiritual temperature of the people was tepid at best. Here's what he did:
1. He sought the God of his father (v4): lesser fixes were aplenty, but Jehoshaphat's first recourse was to seeking the Lord. That greatly challenges me: do I seek palliation of circumstances before intercession before my God? Am I looking for remedies or looking to him?
2. He found courage in the ways of the Lord (v6): a man who is in spiritual retreat in his personal life will not know spiritual advance in public ministry. So much of my timidity can spring from a lack of confidence in God, which can be traced back to a lack of confiding in God.
3. He sought the minds of God's people, not just their hearts (v7): teaching became routine in the cities of Judah. Jehoshaphat understood that his great priority was not to win the hearts of the people by politics, but convince the hearts and minds of the people by precept.
4. On the basis of God-given gains he sought to appoint God-gifted people to defend the work (vv13ff), and to progress its concerns. The victories which attended his pursuit of God were consolidated by putting good people in place to guard against setback and enemy advance.
None of the above is a panacea for our challenges, but I've been encouraged afresh today to seek the Lord, be strong in the Lord, instruct people in the Lord, and equip people in the Lord. Whatever other conditions are prevailing at present these seem like bedrock priorities.
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