What standard do you use to measure success?
There will be times when a leader does everything right and still has little or no measurable success. ReadIsaiah 6:8-13.
When the Lord commissioned Isaiah as His prophet, Isaiah was overwhelmed by God’s holiness and his own sinful nature. After God had redeemed Isaiah from his own depravity, Isaiah volunteered to serve God in Jerusalem and Judah. Isaiah faithfully ministered for about sixty years. During that time he faithfully and eloquently warned at least four kings in Judah of the foolishness of making alliances with foreign powers rather than trusting in God for protection and deliverance.
Isaiah’s words, which came directly from God, were delivered in a straightforward understandable way but did not change the behavior of the kings and leaders of Judah. Isaiah had no doubt that he had received a clear call from God but his ministry was often personally humbling. In verses 9-13 God prepares Isaiah for the inevitable lack of results when He tells Isaiah that the people will “Be ever hearing but never understanding” (v. 9). When Isaiah asked how long it would take to break through to the people, God told him, “Until the cities lie ruined and without inhabitant, until the houses are left deserted and the fields ruined and ravaged, until the Lord has sent everyone away” (v.11). In other words, Isaiah you will never see success as a leader if you must measure success by the changes in the people. Isaiah’s words made him so unpopular with royal audiences that according to tradition King Manasseh ordered him to be executed by being sawed into two pieces.
Leaders, even those who have demonstrated impeccable preparation, may at times be asked to serve in humble surroundings and low visibility. Christian leaders must not measure success by these trappings. Success for a Christian leader is measured by obedience to God’s call. Wise leaders understand that serving God faithfully may not always be accompanied by recognition and awards or even visible change in those a leader is asked to serve.
Romans 12:1 “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer you bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.”
