What’s My Price?

Along with the costs of leadership come many opportunities-some positive, some negative. Many leaders have access to information or financial resources that they could use to their personal advantage. Others travel widely and almost anonymously, and have ample opportunity to compromise their purity. Still others use their position to unethically crush the competition-whether internal or external. Whether the temptation is money, sex or power, many leaders sell themselves out.

Every leader should periodically ask, "Do I have a price?"

A godly leader's commitment to God should be such that he or she will obey him no matter what he or she is offered to compromise. Unfortunately, Saul-the leader who had everything a nation could want-lacked such commitment. When the pressure was on, instead of obeying God's command to completely destroy the Amalekites, Saul spared the king and the best of the livestock (1 Samuel 15:9). That was Saul's price-a defeated king to gloat over and expanded wealth through owning animals, one of the major contemporary wealth indicators.

Later, when Samuel confronted the king, Saul feebly explained that he had saved the best for the Lord. Instead of owning his sin, he rationalized it.

How did God respond? He said, "To obey is better than sacrifice" (1 Samuel 15:22).

God doesn't want ours, He wants us. Why?

Because when God has us, he also has ours. King Saul rejected the Lord, and the Lord rejected him as king over Israel . So ask yourself, "What's my price? What would it take for me to disobey God?" Hopefully, your commitment is nonnegotiable. Such commitment is a crucial element in the character of a leader.

Posted by:Will Ravelob at the PHIAA e-group