Leader in God's eyes

The qualifications for God-ordained leadership are in Numbers 27:17:

(1) “Who may go out before them.” The Christian life is always ongoing and never stagnant. The path of the righteous is like the shining sun that shines ever brighter unto the perfect day (Prov. 4:18). A shepherd must always lead his sheep into new pastures—new experiences, fresh anointing and greater revelations of God’s truth. Sheep cannot feed forever upon old pastures. They will lose the vitality of their faith and passion for the Lord if they live on stale manna.

(2) “Go in before them.” A leader must lead from the front and be a trailblazer for his people. As he does that, he must also carefully inspect that the new pastures are free from “poisonous weeds”—erroneous doctrines that could harm his flock. The important truth here is that, as leaders, we do not lead our people into doctrine that we have not carefully inspected ourselves. A leader must test the fruit first. As a leader, be certain to take counsel with other godly men concerning every new thing that comes along.

(3) “May not be like sheep which have no shepherd.” A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He feeds them with the integrity of his heart and guides them with the skillfulness of his hands (Ps. 78:72). He inspects them. He heals and anoints them with fresh oil from the throne of God. The best model of a great leader is our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. He is the good shepherd of our soul.