Leadership is one of the most talked-about topics in the world. Bookstores have entire sections and shelves overflowing with titles promising to unlock the secrets of influence, authority, and success. Yet for all the strategies surrounding the topic, genuine Godly leadership remains rare — and the world is desperate for it.
The Apostle Paul, writing to the church in Rome, laid out a vision for leadership that cuts against nearly everything our culture celebrates. In Romans 12, he describes 7 motivational gifts God has distributed among His people — Prophecy, Serving, Teaching, Encouraging, Giving, Leading and Mercy — and for each one, His instruction is brief and to the point: do it well! How’s that for a treatise on how! Do it well! Not for recognition. Not for applause. But as an act of grace extended to others, just as these ‘graces’ (these gifts) were first extended to us.
Now for the person gifted in leadership specifically, Paul's instruction is equally precise: take that responsibility seriously. Other translations say diligently, with zeal, earnestly. The implication is clear. Leadership is not a title to be worn. It is a weight … an honor - to be carried with care.
Knowing Your Gift Changes Everything
There’s a big difference between going through the motions of daily life and understanding that what you do - carries a higher purpose. Paul's instructions for these God given gifts assume that you already know something very specific about them. — What’s that? -
That you know which one(s) God has placed within. If you don’t know, how can you use it? – and if you don’t know - but wish God would reveal it - here’s how you can know … get busy and serve. When you serve others, your gifts will become clear. When you step into service, into teaching, into encouragement, into leadership, and something comes alive in you and in those around you, that is the fingerprint of God’s hand on your work. Knowing your gift clarifies your purpose. Much more – you feel a deep sense of fulfillment; it transforms ordinary effort into something sacred – something powerful. Whether you are raising children, managing a team, farming land, caring for the sick, or sitting at a school desk, what you do matters – it counts – it all adds up to something far greater than what began. Your life has great meaning - it impacts others. It reflects something too — either the kingdom of God or the absence of it.
Paul repeats almost like a refrain in a piece of music as he outlines these gifts: do it well, do it with excellence, and do it with joy. Do it well – do it with excellence and do it with joy! In the flesh – this is not possible – but in the Spirit, in your God given gifting – you find … you never want to stop!
The World Needs Godly Leaders to Stand Up
Proverbs 29:2 offers a sobering contrast. “When the Godly are in authority, the people rejoice. When the wicked hold power, people groan”. This isn’t just a political observation — it’s a spiritual reality that plays out in our homes, workplaces, communities, and governments alike. The world is not short on people who call themselves leaders. It is short on leaders who actually lead the way God intended. Too many who rise to positions of power rely on manipulation, intimidation, ego, and self-promotion. But God has defined leadership since the beginning of time, and Jesus Christ is His clearest expression. He is the model of the servant leader — the one who had all authority and washed feet anyway. Matthew 20:26 captures it simply: “whoever desires to become great among you must first be a servant”. That’s not just a suggestion. It is the design. Greatness in God's economy flows downward, not upward. It is measured not by how many people serve you, but by how faithfully you serve others.
The Character of a Godly Leader
Genuine leadership is built on character, and that character can be broken down into three essential qualities. The first is servanthood.
Servanthood: A Godly leader does not lead to be famous, powerful, or praised. A Godly leader leads because people matter to God. Joshua declared in Joshua 24:15 that as for him and his household, they would serve the Lord. That spirit — we will serve the Lord — is the foundation of Christian leadership. Leaders who love do not crush people, manipulate them, or use them as tools to advance a personal agenda. They lift burdens, encourage the weary, correct with love, protect the vulnerable, and give generously. The second quality is humility.
Humility: Pride and Godly leadership cannot coexist for long.
Jesus, who was worthy of every honor, humbled himself to the point of death – even to death on a cross. That’s the standard. The goal of Christian leadership is not worldly success. It is faithfulness and fruitfulness. And at the end of it all, the only words worth longing for by a Godly leader are these spoken by Jesus from the parable in Matthew 25:21- " … ‘Well [done], good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.'”
It’s true, isn’t it? - he who can be trusted with little – can also be trusted with more.
The third quality is integrity.
Integrity: Integrity is the consistency between who you are, what you say, and what you do. It is not perfection — no leader is perfect. But it is an absence of the double life. It is doing the right thing even when no one is watching, knowing that God sees and hears and knows everything, including our thoughts. When a leader's words and actions align, trust is built. When they do not, trust erodes. And when failure comes — because it will — integrity means telling the truth, admitting the blunder – repenting (re-directing), and making things right. Authenticity is infinitely more powerful than a polished performance.
The Source of a Leader's Power
All of the above — the Servanthood, the Humility, the Integrity — collapse without the final and most essential element: Prayer.
Prayer is the lifeblood of Godly leadership. Without it, leadership becomes nothing more than human effort dressed up with good intentions. With it, leadership becomes a channel for God's wisdom, strength, and power. A leader who prays is a leader who acknowledges a simple truth: I can’t do this alone. I need wisdom beyond my own understanding. I need patience beyond my own personality. I need love beyond my own emotions. I need perspective beyond my own ambitions.
James 4:13-15 says – “Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit"; whereas you do not know what [will happen] tomorrow. For what [is] your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead, you [ought] to say, "If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that." James reminds us that we do not know what tomorrow will bring. Every plan, every vision, every step forward must be held loosely and offered up with the words: if the Lord wills. Prayer keeps a leader dependent on God. And dependence on God is not weakness — it is the very source of Godly strength and wisdom.
The Question That Remains
Every person carries some measure of influence. Each of us is a leader in some area of our world. The question is never whether you have it. The question is what kind of influence are you giving away, and who is shaping yours. Are you leading people toward Christ? Are you modeling something worth following? The world is not waiting for more powerful personalities. It is waiting for men and women who “know the way, go the way, and show the way”-(John C. Maxwell) — because they are following the One who is ... "The Way, The Truth and The Life ..."
That is the gift of Godly leadership. Use it well.
Blessings,
Bob
The Apostle Paul, writing to the church in Rome, laid out a vision for leadership that cuts against nearly everything our culture celebrates. In Romans 12, he describes 7 motivational gifts God has distributed among His people — Prophecy, Serving, Teaching, Encouraging, Giving, Leading and Mercy — and for each one, His instruction is brief and to the point: do it well! How’s that for a treatise on how! Do it well! Not for recognition. Not for applause. But as an act of grace extended to others, just as these ‘graces’ (these gifts) were first extended to us.
Now for the person gifted in leadership specifically, Paul's instruction is equally precise: take that responsibility seriously. Other translations say diligently, with zeal, earnestly. The implication is clear. Leadership is not a title to be worn. It is a weight … an honor - to be carried with care.
Knowing Your Gift Changes Everything
There’s a big difference between going through the motions of daily life and understanding that what you do - carries a higher purpose. Paul's instructions for these God given gifts assume that you already know something very specific about them. — What’s that? -
That you know which one(s) God has placed within. If you don’t know, how can you use it? – and if you don’t know - but wish God would reveal it - here’s how you can know … get busy and serve. When you serve others, your gifts will become clear. When you step into service, into teaching, into encouragement, into leadership, and something comes alive in you and in those around you, that is the fingerprint of God’s hand on your work. Knowing your gift clarifies your purpose. Much more – you feel a deep sense of fulfillment; it transforms ordinary effort into something sacred – something powerful. Whether you are raising children, managing a team, farming land, caring for the sick, or sitting at a school desk, what you do matters – it counts – it all adds up to something far greater than what began. Your life has great meaning - it impacts others. It reflects something too — either the kingdom of God or the absence of it.
Paul repeats almost like a refrain in a piece of music as he outlines these gifts: do it well, do it with excellence, and do it with joy. Do it well – do it with excellence and do it with joy! In the flesh – this is not possible – but in the Spirit, in your God given gifting – you find … you never want to stop!
The World Needs Godly Leaders to Stand Up
Proverbs 29:2 offers a sobering contrast. “When the Godly are in authority, the people rejoice. When the wicked hold power, people groan”. This isn’t just a political observation — it’s a spiritual reality that plays out in our homes, workplaces, communities, and governments alike. The world is not short on people who call themselves leaders. It is short on leaders who actually lead the way God intended. Too many who rise to positions of power rely on manipulation, intimidation, ego, and self-promotion. But God has defined leadership since the beginning of time, and Jesus Christ is His clearest expression. He is the model of the servant leader — the one who had all authority and washed feet anyway. Matthew 20:26 captures it simply: “whoever desires to become great among you must first be a servant”. That’s not just a suggestion. It is the design. Greatness in God's economy flows downward, not upward. It is measured not by how many people serve you, but by how faithfully you serve others.
The Character of a Godly Leader
Genuine leadership is built on character, and that character can be broken down into three essential qualities. The first is servanthood.
Servanthood: A Godly leader does not lead to be famous, powerful, or praised. A Godly leader leads because people matter to God. Joshua declared in Joshua 24:15 that as for him and his household, they would serve the Lord. That spirit — we will serve the Lord — is the foundation of Christian leadership. Leaders who love do not crush people, manipulate them, or use them as tools to advance a personal agenda. They lift burdens, encourage the weary, correct with love, protect the vulnerable, and give generously. The second quality is humility.
Humility: Pride and Godly leadership cannot coexist for long.
- A proud leader needs to be seen. A humble leader is content to serve in the shadows.
- A proud leader demands applause. A humble leader wants God to receive the glory.
- A proud leader always has to be right. A humble leader can listen, learn, and repent.
Jesus, who was worthy of every honor, humbled himself to the point of death – even to death on a cross. That’s the standard. The goal of Christian leadership is not worldly success. It is faithfulness and fruitfulness. And at the end of it all, the only words worth longing for by a Godly leader are these spoken by Jesus from the parable in Matthew 25:21- " … ‘Well [done], good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.'”
It’s true, isn’t it? - he who can be trusted with little – can also be trusted with more.
The third quality is integrity.
Integrity: Integrity is the consistency between who you are, what you say, and what you do. It is not perfection — no leader is perfect. But it is an absence of the double life. It is doing the right thing even when no one is watching, knowing that God sees and hears and knows everything, including our thoughts. When a leader's words and actions align, trust is built. When they do not, trust erodes. And when failure comes — because it will — integrity means telling the truth, admitting the blunder – repenting (re-directing), and making things right. Authenticity is infinitely more powerful than a polished performance.
The Source of a Leader's Power
All of the above — the Servanthood, the Humility, the Integrity — collapse without the final and most essential element: Prayer.
Prayer is the lifeblood of Godly leadership. Without it, leadership becomes nothing more than human effort dressed up with good intentions. With it, leadership becomes a channel for God's wisdom, strength, and power. A leader who prays is a leader who acknowledges a simple truth: I can’t do this alone. I need wisdom beyond my own understanding. I need patience beyond my own personality. I need love beyond my own emotions. I need perspective beyond my own ambitions.
James 4:13-15 says – “Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit"; whereas you do not know what [will happen] tomorrow. For what [is] your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead, you [ought] to say, "If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that." James reminds us that we do not know what tomorrow will bring. Every plan, every vision, every step forward must be held loosely and offered up with the words: if the Lord wills. Prayer keeps a leader dependent on God. And dependence on God is not weakness — it is the very source of Godly strength and wisdom.
The Question That Remains
Every person carries some measure of influence. Each of us is a leader in some area of our world. The question is never whether you have it. The question is what kind of influence are you giving away, and who is shaping yours. Are you leading people toward Christ? Are you modeling something worth following? The world is not waiting for more powerful personalities. It is waiting for men and women who “know the way, go the way, and show the way”-(John C. Maxwell) — because they are following the One who is ... "The Way, The Truth and The Life ..."
That is the gift of Godly leadership. Use it well.
Blessings,
Bob
HOPE Blog ... Pastor Bob DeFelice
Sometimes random - sometimes not - some things I think - measured against scripture.
"Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."
~ 2 Timothy 2:15
"Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."
~ 2 Timothy 2:15
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