Do you have difficulty exhorting your team? (124-2)

Godly leaders strive to be just and fair but, as the ultimate leader, when God enters a situation He brings perspective and exhortation that is truth. Read Job 38:1-39:30.

Job was in a desperate situation physically and emotionally. He was discouraged from his verbal exchanges with his friends concerning the “why” of his situation. Job had gone so far as to justify himself before God and his friends by saying things such as he had made and kept a covenant before God not to look lustfully on a girl, he had never let the poor or underprivileged go with out help, and he had never rejoiced at his enemies misfortune. He was very close to stepping over a line to say God had unjustly allowed him to be in this desperate situation.

When God finally entered the scene in Job 38 and 39 He brought justice, perspective and exhortation with Him. God ended the debate through a series of unanswerable questions. God spoke directly to Job about His power and wisdom in creating and sustaining the world. God rebuked Job’s friends for projecting their opinions as though they represented His mind and thoughts. He rebuked Job for questioning His goodness and power.

God always loves and cares for His people and desires the best for them. This is why he teaches and exhorts us. Some leaders are more comfortable with firm rebuke than others but there are times when the most loving thing a leader can do is exhort their team through direct confrontation. Effective leaders learn from God’s modeling of exhortation in the book of Job. Exhortation is the right action by leaders in some situations but it must always come from a position of justice and fairness.

Have you had difficulty or bad results in the past when exhorting your team? Exhortation is tricky at best because it is one person telling another person they need to do something and often that they need to make a change. Exhortation is nearly impossible if the leader has an unfair or unjust agenda. Effective leaders seek God’s wisdom and understanding of all the facts before using a firm exhortation similar to the exhortation God used with Job and his friends.

Proverbs 16:11-12tlb, “The Lord demands fairness in every business deal. He established this principle. It is a horrible thing for a king to do evil. His right to rule depends upon his fairness.”