Running to Win

More than once in the Old Testament,the Bible sums up the leadership of various kings with a declaration such as “he did what was good in the sight of the Lord” or “he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.”  Those descriptions seem vague at best, and leave much to the imagination.  Does the sum total of a leader’s reign boil down to the pronouncement “good king” or “bad king”?

However, there are places where scripture expounds more fully.  For instance,  II Chronicles 26:5 says of King Uzziah that “as long as he sought the Lord, God made him prosper.”  II Chronicles 31:21 says of King Hezekiah that in every work he sought the Lord and “he did it with all his heart.  So he prospered.”   God prospered those leaders who sought to do God’s will with their whole hearts.  It seems like the Bible is saying that when a leader has the determination, courage, and passion to seek God with his whole heart, God sees and rewards him.

One particularly convicting evaluation is found in II Chronicles 25:2, where King’s Amaziah’s leadership was described: “He did what was right in the sight of the Lord, but not with a loyal (whole, perfect) heart.”  We have all been guilty of doing a half-hearted job of serving others, with a less than perfect attitude.  This should not satisfy us, and we know it doesn’t please God.

I Corinthians 9:24 says “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain [it].”  Doing God’s will wholeheartedly is not a casual, take it or leave it, “just-glad-I-finished-the-race” attitude.  This is a pressing forward to serve God  in such a way that the prize is won. As women’s leaders, we shouldn’t be satisfied to just get the job done.  We would be wise to serve God with a determination and passion, and to seek God with our whole heart.  God notices, and He rewards it.