Why We Long for Leaders With Moral Authority

Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – December 1, 2017

But select capable men from all the people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain—and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you. Exodus 18:21-22

Our God-given sense of right and wrong creates within our hearts and minds a self-evident desire for leaders of integrity. Our fears flee and our faith is strengthened when imperfect but honest leaders have a maturing and consistent character. Men and women with moral authority freely admit their flaws, while aspiring to a higher code of conduct defined by Christ. Leaders with moral authority admit their mistakes, seek to make things right and move on to learn from their failures. Best of all, God blesses and people trust those who lead with a moral compass.

Moses wisely listened to the mentoring and coaching of his father-in-law Jethro. Exhausted, overwhelmed and facing a murmuring mob of followers, Moses was teachable and open to upgrading his level of leadership. Because God’s man had moral authority, he was able to select public servants to assist him who feared God, were trustworthy and managed money wisely. The new system of managing smaller groups of people worked, because they were led by leaders with moral authority. Good ideas championed by leaders of integrity, enjoy stellar execution.

“The Lord knows the days of the blameless, And their inheritance will continue forever. They will not be ashamed in the time of evil, And in the days of famine they will have plenty and be satisfied” (Psalm 37:18-19, Amplified Bible).

Why do our public and private sectors seem to be in moral chaos? One main contributor is the moral bankruptcy of our leaders in key positions of influence. Like a house with massive roof leaks, so our government, entertainment industry, businesses and churches are being drenched by a character crisis with flood like proportions. A tsunami of distrust, disappointment and disrespect has been unleashed on our culture, because our leadership dam of moral authority has burst. In fear, we justify outcomes and ignore the immoral means that compromise character.

We long for leaders of moral authority because we know this is God’s heart and the heart of what has led our nation, our institutions, our communities and our families into greatness. There are trusted voices of reason, souls of character and sound minds of morality that we can listen to and live out. But will we have the courage to humbly begin with ourselves? Ask the Lord how you can grow in your moral authority and help other leaders do the same. We can courageously face this crisis of leadership by working together and bowing to Almighty God!

“The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not trust in an idol or swear by a false god. They will receive blessing from the Lord and vindication from God their Savior” (Psalm 24:4-5).

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