Have you noticed a drift from humility toward arrogance? (125-3)

Christian leaders must balance their identity as a child of God with their self-confidence. Read Psalm 8.

How self-assured should a leader be? When does a leader’s confidence become arrogance? God has stated that He hates arrogance and loves humility but leadership by its very nature requires a large dose of self-confidence and that kind of self-confidence can be dangerously close to arrogance. Additionally, leaders can display a healthy, godly self-confidence for years and then after a few successes begin believing their own press clippings and actually morph a healthy self-confidence into arrogance. This can be a very tricky area for Christian leaders.

David was king of Israel when he wrote Psalm 8. Reading the book of Psalms is like looking into his personal journal. In yesterday’s study we saw David openly display his fears, anxieties, and his ambitions. Not everything in yesterday’s study would inspire a team to follow David with confidence yet we know from history his men loved David, followed his leadership, and were loyal beyond belief. We can learn from Psalm 8 some of the ways David balanced his humility and transparency with confidence and self-esteem that garnered him the respect of an army and a nation:

• David starts Psalm 8 (and probably each day) thinking about the greatness of God. Wise Christian leaders regularly consider the majesty and glory of God and the fact that He deserves praise.
• David constantly reminded himself of his own weakness and humanity. In verses 3 and 4 David asks why a God who created the moon and stars would even be mindful of him as a man. It is humbling for a leader to remember who they are when compared to God.
• In verses 5-8 David acknowledges that God gave humans a position of privilege and authority in His creation. David stated his influence as a leader was a gift from God not something he earned through his actions. Remembering who established the position helps a leader remain humble even after great success.
• David sandwiched the thoughts about man’s potential between thoughts about God. He brought his thinking back to a praise of God’s majesty. Wise Christian leaders understand how the human mind works. The last thought on a subject tends to be the truth remembered. David remembered God’s majesty last in this journal entry and that helped him balance his perspective of God’s role and the leader’s role.

Have you noticed a drift from humility toward arrogance? Are you able to identify from David’s actions some error you make repeatedly? Evaluate David’s actions and determine what you need to do to balance humility and self-confidence.