Look Out for Succession In Leadership, Not Protection of Position

“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.” — Matthew 2:1 - 3 NKJV

One time I was having a chat with a friend of mine about one recent university graduate who was looking for employment in a company. He told me another person was already doing the same job in that institution, but the upcoming one had more qualifications than him. And because of that, he had been finding ways and means to prevent the graduate from getting employed.

After our conversation, I wondered what kind of leadership is exhibited in several workplaces today. That employee is thinking about securing his position, forgetting that the graduate is new, and in terms of work experience, he’s a novice. So even if he gets employed, it would have been an opportunity to mentor him. But you see, not all people think this way.

Herod showed this same attitude toward Jesus. How can wise men from the East travel and tell him that the “king of the Jews” is born, and he’d be intimidated? How can an old man like Herod think about losing his position to a fresh baby? It’s a picture of poor leadership styles today. Instead of Herod looking out for succession in leadership, he was thinking about protecting his position of power.

Dr Myles Munroe said that the purpose of leadership isn’t to protect power but to share power. Herod didn’t know this. He thought God wanted him off the throne for Jesus. He didn’t know what kind of kingdom Jesus had been made king over. It wasn’t and still isn’t physical Israel, but the commonwealth of believers all over the planet.

If you’re in leadership today, stop thinking so selfishly. Stop thinking about securing your position so firmly that you’ll not mentor anybody to take your place when you’re not around. If you do that at the workplace, it’ll even be hard to take a leave because you’ll be afraid of losing your job.

With all that Herod did to kill Jesus, he was unsuccessful. Instead, he died, and Jesus lived. That means you cannot kill a person that God has purposed to do mighty things for His kingdom, no matter your authority. God himself will protect that person from your wicked ways.

Life is in seasons. Failure to raise people that carry your godly values and principles to the next generation is a failure in leadership. Think twice about this.

You’re a blessing.

Prayer (specifically for leaders)

Father, I pray as a leader to repent holding on firmly to my position of authority. Assist me to train subordinates effectively so that no void will be left where I am now when you lead me to take the next step of my life. In Jesus’ name. Amen!

Devotional Code: KGD // 2022 – 360

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