Just Do It (JustJeff | Life Journal)

Just Do It

Ezra 9:1; 10:4
9:1 - When these things were done, the leaders came to me, saying, “The people of Israel and the priests and the Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands, with respect to the abominations of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites.
10:4 - "...Arise, for this matter is your responsibility. We also are with you. Be of good courage, and do it."

The two sides of leadership have to do with not only setting direction and providing vision, but also holding people accountable to the values of the community. Most leaders (at least me) find thier value and source of energy when engaged with the creative side of leadership; dreaming, visionizing, directing. One of the energy drainers is management; supervision of people and accountability. This passage is a great reminder of the responsibility of leadership, especially this second side. The issue is described in Chapter 9, and Ezra's person response to it completes the remainder of the chapter. The begining of chapter 10 tells of the leaders coming to Ezra and calling him to take action. There's three leadership thoughts in vs. 4.

1) The hard stuff is the leader's. No one else is responsible to deal with the issue, nor will anyone else be accountable for the entire group. Ezra's "management team" gives thier report and tell Ezra what they expect of him. The first thing they remind him is that only he can deal with the issue. Leadershi...eeping up and doing the hard stuff.

2) Make sure that your team is with you. Many times a leader is tempted to take action before his team is ready. Somehow, they much be allowed to share the weight of the issue which will cause them to look to you. Ezra didn't rush into anything, but patiently waited for the elders and leaders of the nation to realize that something must be done, and that only Ezra could take care of it. When this takes place, a leader has the weight of everyone behind him and has allowed concesnsus to take place. Now everyone will own the course of action brought by his decision.

3) Just do it. There comes a time when any more waiting become detrimental. When it's time to act, it's time to act. The issue won't just go away. In fact, it often gets worse. Any hesitancy will cause those with you to begin to become frustrated. Be courageous! Take action.

Lord, help me to be the kind of leader that does what needs to be done, not only what I like or want to do. Help me lead my family and those you've placed under my responsibility with courage and obedience.

Posted by Jeff on October 3, 2006 12:00 AM | Permalink

Just Do It

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