How do you balance trust in God with personal responsibility? (134-4)

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” Proverbs 9:10.

A text note in Zondervan’s Leadership Bible states, “Leaders are effective to the extent they can gather, interpret, understand and apply good information. The processes cannot function fully when God’s power and sovereignty are not given appropriate respect. This verse tells us that nothing has higher priority for understanding reality and acting on it than standing in awe of Almighty God.”

Leadership is influence. Leaders influence the lives of others both through the long-range plans that give organization to life and in the moment-to-moment, make-instant-decisions, day-to-day functions needed to put wheels under the plans. Often it is these heat-of-the-moment leadership decisions that indicate if we have the appropriate trust in God’s power and sovereignty. The leader who reacts to every situation as if the outcome depends totally on them is missing the message of today’s verse and will experience the stress to prove it.

Developing a fear of the Lord that leads to wisdom and gaining knowledge of God that leads to understanding doesn’t happen without effort. The Proverbs 9:10 leader finds time during the day to deepen their relationship with God. They read God’s Word with a desire and attitude to learn more about God and better understand His life-truths and life-guiding principles so they can develop core truths that center on trust in God’s sovereignty. Wise Christian leaders experience a healthy balance in their lives when they can accept responsibility to own and complete an assignment while trusting God is directing their path.

The obvious next question is “How do I develop this balance of trust in God and personal responsibility?” Determine three actions you will take everyday for the next 40 days that will help you understand God’s sovereignty. Write them down; ask God if these are the perfect three steps; give God time to answer and direct your choices; do the work; and keep a journal you can continually refer back to of the truths you discover.