Our Creator paints a wonderful picture of what to us mortals seems like an unattainable achievement. He vividly describes the future of His Kingdom on this earth when He, through Jesus, will reign on the earth. God briefly describes that kingdom:

The God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed (Daniel 2:44).

And then He describes Jesus’ role:

The government will be on His shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. The dominion will be vast, and its prosperity will never end. He will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from now on and forever. The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will accomplish this (Isaiah 9:6-7).

That reign will be characterized by prosperity, justice and righteousness among other things. And, perfect justice will be fulfilled throughout the earth. Evil deeds will cease to be inflicted by humans upon humans. Sharing and generosity will replace selfishness and hoarding. Wars will no longer exist. The groanings of creation from human mismanagement will be no longer.

Is this so unrealistic and out of reach that it should be dismissed as unworthy of consideration? I am convinced NO. Although we live in a world of humans driven by their selfish motivations, I am convinced a proper understanding of God’s reign in His Kingdom can give us a picture of what could be achieved with the help of our Creator.

I am convinced that reflecting on the Kingdom of God causes the Statesman to gain a picture of the world as our Creator intended it to be and to work toward elements of achieving that during this era.

When William Wilberforce envisioned a world where humans have equal dignity regardless of race or social status, I am convinced it was because he had a picture in his mind of what life would be like when God took over and reigned over His Kingdom – where each person has the dignity of being created in the image of God. I believe this picture is what Martin Luther King had in his mind when he declared “I have a dream.” Rather than being a dream, I believe it was a clear picture of God’s Kingdom and of His intent for His creation. I believe that this picture is what Nelson Mandela had in mind when he dedicated his life to personal sacrifice so that the injustice of apartheid could be put away.

The dream or the picture was never perfectly achieved. Nevertheless, each of these visionaries moved us toward that picture. I am convinced that the Statesman can greatly benefit from studying this picture. The picture certainly represents our Creator’s desire for His creation, consisting of blessings which the fallen nature of mankind seeks to deprive us.

I am convinced that those we consider Statesmen have worked to improve our world based on a picture of the Kingdom of God under God’s reign. Furthermore, I am convinced that the one who would be a Statesman can greatly benefit by studying what the Kingdom of God is like and asking God how elements of that Kingdom can be approached during this age of imperfection. I am convinced that the Statesman does not plan based on what he or she can see but upon what can be envisioned while looking intently at the Kingdom of God. I personally dream of leaders looking at the Kingdom of God and committing to come as close as humanly possible to achieving that today by applying our Creator’s revealed principles.

There are several elements of implementing this: Looking at the Kingdom of God, studying it from God’s Word, envisioning it being implemented in one’s nation, and then taking the steps toward bringing it about. Let us consider the following elements:

Envisioning.  Seek to understand the picture God describes of His Kingdom:

Set your mind on the things above, not on the things on earth (Colossians 3:2).

I am sure Wilberforce, King, and Mandela had their detractors who viewed them as unrealistic idealists. Nevertheless, they saw something their detractors were unable to see.

Approaching the seemingly impossible. On one occasion, Jesus, in another context, expressed:

With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26).

Surely, relying on the supernatural power of God to change hearts and circumstances can be expected to make a difference. God, speaking through one of His servants, reinforced this:

I can do all things through Him who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13).

Open the communication channel with the One who will reign in implementing His Kingdom. And it is important to understand that our Creator uses imperfect instruments – humans who have a sinful nature but who can have those sins forgiven through our availing ourselves of the forgiveness based upon our repentance and Jesus’ sacrificial work on our behalf on the Cross and His resurrection. The result is that we can benefit from unhindered communication between our Creator and us, including His guidance, and then His power exerted on our behalf.

Operating under our Creator’s guidance. We can only achieve our Creator’s goals when we seek to be His instruments – His hands and His feet in serving humanity. He promises:

I will hold onto you with My righteous right hand (Isaiah 41:10).

This requires the attitude toward our Creator on our part:

I am a stranger on the earth; do not hide Your commands from me (Psalm 119:19).

Let us caution ourselves that any efforts during the current era must take into account that man’s fallen, sinful nature will hinder our efforts. Nevertheless, I am convinced that the more clearly we can see the Kingdom of God, the closer we can come to establishing the world that our Creator intended, with well-being for our people. And in the process, we can display the leadership of a Statesman.

APPLICATION TO THE STATESMAN

What are the major issues I am facing in building a healthy nation and how will God deal with these same issues during His reign?

Considering the fallen nature of man that I confront, how much of what I know God will do may I be able to apply?

The post The Statesman Envisions Our Nations as They Are Intended to Be appeared first on CENTRE FOR STATECRAFT.

In the history of imperfect humans as leaders, one stands out: King David of ancient Israel, who governed for 40 years. Our Creator described him:

I have found David My servant; I have anointed him …. I will also make him … greatest of the kings of the earth (Psalm 89:20, 27).

I have found David …, a man loyal to Me, who will carry out all My will. (Acts 13:22).

[King] David reigned …, administering justice and righteousness for all his people (2 Samuel 8:15; 1 Chronicles 18:14).

During his 40 years of attempting to govern as our Creator’s instrument, often stumbling due to his human weakness, he visualized what the ideal ruler would be like, based upon what he had learned, at the same time integrating this with his understanding of what Jesus’ coming reign would look like. We learn about this composite picture through his aspirations for his son Solomon who would follow him on the throne. This is expressed in Psalm 72 as a prayer for Solomon. Truly, this represents the understanding on the part of one Statesman of what another Statesman would look like. Let us explore some of these insights from this passage. He begins:

God, give Your justice to the king and Your righteousness to the king’s son. (Psalm 72:1).

King David is expressing the need for righteousness and justice, presumably with justice flowing from righteous behavior as foundational to being a good leader – a Statesman. And the righteousness that must serve as the basis is not merely human righteousness, but the righteousness of God provided by His cleansing, through Jesus. Then, based upon that righteousness, we must strive for justice by our actions.

King David reflects on what the resulting society will look like:

May the righteous flourish in his days and prosperity abound … (Psalm72:7).

King David is here arguing that the Statesman would, through his policies and actions, cause the honorable people – the pure-hearted – to thrive, not merely the corrupt and the powerful, as too often seems to be the case. And that prosperity would abound as a result of the good-hearted members of society thriving.

As a further result, King David proceeds:

Let all kings bow down to him (Psalm 72:11).

Seemingly, this respect for the Statesman would come from other national leaders out of respect for his achievements in serving his people. Again, I believe King David is visualizing Solomon’s reign against an understanding of Jesus’ coming reign and praying that Solomon will reign as Jesus will, based on his own partial understanding of Jesus’ coming reign.

King David then illuminates what he believes will be some of the motivations for the Statesman:

For he will rescue the poor who cry out and the afflicted who have no helper (Psalm 72:12).

The heart attitude includes rescuing the poor and the afflicted. What will rescuing the poor look like? We can expect this to go far beyond welfare programs that might create a dependence upon government and may in turn help the leader remain in office. Seemingly, with the help of God’s wisdom, it will entail policies that will truly set the poor and entrapped free.

King David continues, giving us further insight:

He will have pity on the poor and helpless and save the lives of the poor (Psalm 72:13).

“Pity on the poor” connotes deep, heartfelt compassion that will drive the Statesman to act to “save the lives of the poor”, indicating taking strong action on their behalf. King David goes deeper:

He will redeem them from oppression and violence, for their lives are precious in his sight (Psalm 72:14).

Redeem, as used here, means “To deliver, to purchase, or to ransom, such as to free a person from bondage by payment.” Applying this to those entrapped in oppression and violence, the implication here is that the poor do not simply suffer from poverty but that they are further taken advantage of by the more powerful due to their helplessness. Hence, this statement also implies actively removing the threat of violence against them, as they may be unable to do this for themselves.

Caring for the lives of the poor and oppressed is not to be viewed as a hindrance to achieving one’s grand dreams for the development of the nation. Rather, the lives of the poor and the powerless are to be viewed as just as valuable to the nation as those of the rich and powerful. In fact, they are also to be recognized as created in the image of God, with the amazing potential this offers, and need to be set free to achieve all this entails. They need to live with hope and dream of achieving this. The clear implication here is that those once considered weak and a drain can be expected to become a strong asset to the nation. Hence the motivation for these efforts:

For their lives are precious in his sight (Psalm 72:14).

From King David’s point of view, this is the heart attitude that drives the Statesman – viewing the lives of those served as precious and valuable.

All this leads to an often overlooked component in the effectiveness of the Statesman:

May prayer be offered for him [the leader, the Statesman] continually, and may he be blessed all day long. (Psalm 72:15).

This reflects the partnership between the people governed and the leader – the governed continually appealing to our Creator to give guidance, wisdom, and favor to the good leader as he must act in the face of challenges beyond his ability in service to the people.

This leads to the accomplishment envisioned by King David, expressed:

May there be plenty of grain in the land… May people flourish in the cities like the grass of the field (Psalm 72:16).

The result of this kind of leadership is expected to be associated with prosperity and abundance – literally, the people flourishing.

And the consequences for this leader:

May his name endure forever; as long as the sun shines, may his fame increase (Psalm 72:17).

May he be remembered as a great and honorable leader, literally, a Statesman. King David had laid out how he understood his son Solomon could be remembered as a Statesman.

Of further significance:

May all nations be blessed by him and call him blessed (Psalm 72:17).

His good governance can be expected to contribute to well-being not only in the leader’s own nation, but in nations throughout the world. The actions of the true Statesman can be expected to ultimately contribute to the betterment of all humanity, as we see resulting from more recent Statesmen: William Wilberforce, Abraham Lincoln, George C. Marshall, Nelson Mandela.

To summarize, King David, one of the great Statesmen of all time, based upon what our Creator had taught him about governing from his own successes and failures, and his limited knowledge of what Jesus’ future reign would be like, shared these perspectives on what a Statesman would do in heart and action.

APPLICATION FOR THE STATESMAN

1. Can I truly see myself as God’s instrument in the lives of those for whom I am responsible, as King David clearly understood we must be?
2. In my desire to be the kind of leader King David described, what would God have me to do?
3. For example, when I embrace the heart attitude toward the poor and disadvantaged that King David advocated – “they are precious in his sight” – what steps must I take?

The post A Statesman’s Insights for Becoming a Statesman appeared first on CENTRE FOR STATECRAFT.

The Statesman, I am convinced, wishes to invest his or her life in the most significant way to improve quality of life for fellow humans. For decades, I have been privileged to walk alongside Statesmen. I have been greatly influenced by listening to their hearts. As I think of the desire of Statesmen to live a life of significance, I think of a brief commentary that I read early in my adult life that has greatly impacted the remainder of my life. It is by A.W. Tozer and is entitled “On Breeding Spotted Mice”, click the button below to read:

On Breading Spotted Mice

I encourage you to read this before proceeding. This commentary describes a man who, because he was independently wealthy and did not need to work to support himself, invested his whole life in attempting to breed the perfect spotted mouse. This commentary ultimately addresses the issue of investing our lives in such a way to make the greatest contribution upon our fellow humans during the limited time we have. Interestingly, it goes beyond the impact of our earthly lifetime in making an impact. The commentator concludes that man made in the image of God must invest with eternity in mind. This, of course, begins with investing in our own eternal destiny, then, investing in other humans and their eternal destiny. Our Creator addresses this issue through one of His servants:

You are … God’s building. According to God’s grace that was given to me, I have laid a foundation as a skilled master builder… But each one must be careful how he builds on it. For no one can lay any other foundation than what has been laid down. That foundation is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on that foundation with gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or straw, each one’s work will become obvious, for the day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire; the fire will test the quality of each one’s work. If anyone’s work that he has built survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, it will be lost, but he will be saved [based upon having the foundation of Jesus]; yet it will be like an escape through fire (1 Corinthians 3:9-15).

Our Creator describes that we must lay a foundation for our lives, consisting of Jesus. Based upon that foundation, we build in such a way as to last or otherwise perish. We are clearly admonished to build in a way that will survive when tested with fire at the conclusion of our earthly lives. With this perspective, what should the Statesman invest in as goals? We have the opportunity to invest our lives recognizing the eternal significance of the human life. And we recognize that we are accountable for each life we are responsible for. This is where the object of our discussion failed in investing his life in breeding the perfect spotted mouse. As servants to our fellow human beings, we have the opportunity to invest in eternal beings, perhaps the greatest of all opportunities.

It is frequently worth taking stock of our lives and recognizing what goals we work toward that may be of no greater significance than this sad man’s investing in breeding the perfect spotted mouse. As beings with an eternal destiny, we want to invest our lives in efforts with eternal significance.

APPLICATION TO THE LIFE OF THE STATESMAN:

• What are the goals in my life that have eternal significance as I invest in them?
• What are goals in my life that may distract me from improving the quality of life of my fellow humans and may be akin to breeding the perfect spotted mouse?
• When I envision making life better for my fellow humans, does my concern extend to the quality of their eternal life?

The post The Statesman Living a Life with the Maximum Significance appeared first on CENTRE FOR STATECRAFT.

A useful way to look at the life of the Statesman is through the perspective of relationships. There are several critical ones in the Statesman’s life.

First, there are the people served. Whatever the Statesman’s position, there is a population affected by each one’s decisions. Since the ultimate goal is that each member of society experience “a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity” (1 Timothy 2:2), each one must be viewed as having a human face, ultimately considered a friend.

Second, government is best viewed as an army serving the people. In each of our nations, a significant proportion of the population (typically 10-20%) is in the employ of government – a vast army charged with serving the people and making their lives better. The Statesman serving within that army cannot achieve his noble goals by himself. The effectiveness of that army is not determined by the Statesman alone but is determined by everyone serving in this vast army. The inter-personal connections of the Statesmen within that army are immense. Those who share service in this official capacity include superiors, colleagues, and subordinates.

Finally, there are the relationships in the Statesman’s personal life.

All of these relationships are a privilege and also a responsibility. Consider our Creator’s instructions regarding the relationships in our lives:

So then, we must pursue what promotes peace and what builds up one another (Romans 14:9).

Now we who are strong have an obligation to bear the weaknesses of those without strength, and not to please ourselves. Each one of us must please his neighbor for his good, to build him up (Roman 15:1-2).

No one should seek his own good, but the good of the other person (1 Corinthians 10:24).

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up (1 Thessalonians 5:11).

The principle here is that with everyone we interact, whether officially or personally, our goal should be to serve them and help them to have a better life.

This makes sense when one views the official as a shepherd of the sheep, protecting the sheep and making their lives the best possible. The Statesman is one committed to improving the quality of the people he serves so that they can experience all the benefits our Creator intends for them. This can only happen when those serving the people are committed to providing this quality of life. The more effective we can help our colleagues and subordinates to become, the more effective we can become as an army shepherding the people and meeting their needs.

The better my colleague can do, the better we can perform as a team. This is so logical that one might presume that it would be automatic that we should build up our teammates in order to be more effective as a team in building up the people whom we serve. And yet the perspective of the intended recipients – the people – is that this rarely happens.

You may ask “Where does one begin?” God begins with this practical step:

For you were called to be free, brothers; only don’t use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love (Galatians 5:13).

“Serve one another through love.” This leads us to one of the teachings from our Creator:

No one should seek his own good, but the good of the other person (1 Corinthians 10:24).

“No one should seek his own good.” What stands in the way is focusing on our “own good”. When one recognizes that immense authority is vested in government that the powerless are unable to exercise for themselves and which is to be used to specifically meet the needs of those who are otherwise powerless, it is hardly to be supposed that one holding that power would misuse it for himself. And yet, this is where we each need help to overcome our “own good”.

This is made even more challenging when we consider that within the government itself, there is the temptation to gain even greater amount of authority – more concerned about our own power than strengthening the team or building up our ultimate target, the people.

Before we can effectively help the people, we must effectively deal with our own aspirations. The solution is:

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me (Galatians 2:19-20).

Here, we need help that can only come from God:

For it is God who is working in you, enabling you both to desire and to work out His good purpose (Philippians 2:13).

We need God’s guidance and support to keep our responsibility as servant and shepherd in perspective. We need help from God, as He promises:

I am with you… I will strengthen you… I will help you. I will hold onto you with My righteous right hand (Isaiah 41:10).

We need confidence that our God, whom we are called to serve as His hands and feet in meeting the needs of the people, will reward us for that life of obedience – that we may hear at the end of our lives:

Well done, good and faithful servant (Matthew 25:21).

APPLICATION FOR THE STATESMAN:

1. Am I in government for the purpose of building people up, helping them to experience the full potential for which our Lord created them?
2. Does the civilian population recognize the government as an army working harmoniously to meet their needs?
3. Am I viewed among the civilian population, as well as my colleagues as one who builds them up and makes their lives better?
4. Can I accept my own promotion or advancement as dependent upon the hand of our Lord in response to my effectiveness as a servant?

The post The Statesman Committed to Building Others Up appeared first on CENTRE FOR STATECRAFT.

We all recognize that a major part of the genius of the Statesman is the ability to see into the future and to effectively plan for it – to make decisions that impact much longer than the term in office. As expressed by Edmund Burke in the eighteenth century:

The great difference between the real statesman and the pretender is that the one sees into the future, while the other regards only the present; the one lives by the day, and acts on expediency; the other acts on enduring principles and for immortality.

In other words, the Statesman does not simply plan to meet the needs of the people over the time in office and will not simply be driven by aspirations of reelection. Rather, the Statesman cares about needs that will improve the quality of life for the people long after leaving office. This represents sincere concern for the people that will make their lives truly better and not just meet needs that will briefly satisfy the people. I believe Burke’s key was when he used the phrase “for immortality”. Burke is suggesting that the Statesman operates with an eternal perspective. I want to explore with you the significance of Burke’s phrase “for immortality” as it applies to the making of Statesmen.

Let us begin by looking at the eternal perspective that can provide this foundation. When Jesus was about to have His life cut short, He encouraged His followers by helping them to see into the future:

Your heart must not be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if not, I would have told you. I am going away to prepare a place for you. If I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come back and receive you to Myself, so that where I am you may be also. You know the way to where I am going (John 14:2-4).

Jesus clearly described the reality of a future life of living in the presence of God that would be eternal in existence for those who would embrace it. We are told about our eternal body we will be robed in:

Jesus Christ … will transform the body of our humble condition into the likeness of His glorious body, by the power that enables Him to subject everything to Himself (Philippians 3:20-21).

One of God’s servants addressed the issue of looking forward to this privilege, compared to living in this earthly body:

For we know that if our temporary, earthly dwelling is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal dwelling in the heavens, not made with hands. Indeed, we groan in this body, desiring to put on our dwelling from heaven, since, when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. Indeed, we groan while we are in this tent, burdened as we are, because we do not want to be unclothed but clothed, so that mortality may be swallowed up by life. And the One who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave us the Spirit as a down payment (2 Corinthians 5:1-5).

We are admonished to remember that we have an eternal existence to look forward to as we live out these short years on this earth. Then, our Creator clarified through this servant that the body in which we currently live is temporary and we must look forward to the permanent body that we will become if we will allow our Creator to do His work on our behalf. God’s spokesman then addressed how we should live as we look forward to our heavenly existence, based upon our assurance that the promise of Jesus is certain:

So, we are always confident and know that while we are at home in the [earthly] body we are away from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight, and we are confident and satisfied to be out of the body and at home with the Lord. Therefore, whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to be pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the tribunal of Christ, so that each may be repaid for what he has done in the body, whether good or worthless (2 Corinthians. 5:6-10).

God summarizes our expected response to this truth:

We make it our aim to be pleasing to [God].

I submit to you that having such an eternal view on our own lives affects the way we live each day and the decisions we make, all as we look forward to eternity with our loving Creator. We recognize that we will be held accountable for those decisions. Then consider the impact upon our decisions when we recognize that the lives of those we serve are eternal beings. We recognize that we are stewards for the well-being of these eternal beings, all of whom, we are reminded are created in the image of God and have eternal significance.

According to Burke, the Statesman acts with the future in mind, including with immortality in mind. Hence, we must conclude that our own preparation for eternity, and our keeping our focus upon it, as we go about our daily lives can impact the Statesman’s decision-making. As a part of that stewardship, we must ensure that our decisions facilitate the journey of each person under our care toward the eternal life that awaits them. Applying this reality to the life of the governing official is what, Burke is convinced, contributes to the making of the Statesman.

With this in mind, what must we do, and everyone we are responsible for, to ensure that we each have this future to look forward to? Returning to Jesus’ words:

I am going away to prepare a place for you … I will come back and receive you to Myself, so that where I am you may be also (John 14:2-3).

We have the promise by Jesus, supported by the integrity of His character, which is clear to every thoughtful person. Then, Jesus assures us that He has clearly given us everything we need to know to receive this eternal life with Him:

You know the way to where I am going (John 14:4).

As Jesus continued this conversation with His followers, He reminded us of what that way is:

I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me (John 10:10).

Jesus referred to the one and only provision for our sin nature through His death and resurrection, which soon followed. As a result of embracing Jesus’ provision for what would otherwise lead to an eternity apart from Him in hell, we have assurance of an eternity with Him, with His Father, and with all those who have embraced this same provision.

APPLICATION FOR THE STATESMAN

As a private citizen, am I prepared for eternity, in the presence of God as opposed to away from Him in hell?

As a government decision-maker, do my decisions reflect recognition that those I am called to serve are eternal beings headed for heaven or hell and need to be treated as created in the image of God and with immense dignity?

The post The Long Term Planning of the Statesman appeared first on CENTRE FOR STATECRAFT.

What makes Government special among the institutions our Creator established to ensure an orderly society, alongside Family and Religious Institution, is the authority Government has been given. In order to properly exercise the authority of office, it is necessary to understand the authority granted to Government and to the individual officials serving within that institution. We learn in this regard as Pilate, the Roman administrator who had responsibility for dealing with Jesus over charges that He should be put to death for claiming to be God. At one point in Pilate’s questioning of Jesus, we are told:

Jesus did not give him an answer. So Pilate said to Him, “You’re not talking to me? Don’t You know that I have the authority to release You and the authority to crucify You?” (John 19:9-10)

Pilate stated that He had the authority to put Jesus to death. Jesus’ answer to Pilate teaches us:

You would have no authority over Me at all, if it hadn’t been given you from above (John 19:11).

Jesus did not dispute that Pilate had the authority to put Him to death. And Jesus, speaking as God and on behalf of the Godhead, confirmed that Pilate possessed this authority by virtue of his office. Jesus, as God, could have withdrawn that authority to Pilate in this specific case, but He chose to allow it in order to provide His payment for the penalty for our sin as the Saviour of mankind.

Elsewhere, we learn more about the authority governing officials possess, including the way it is to be viewed by both governing officials and by the people:

Everyone must submit to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those that exist are instituted by God. So then, the one who resists the authority is opposing God’s command, and those who oppose it will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have its approval. For government is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, because it does not carry the sword for no reason. For government is God’s servant, an avenger that brings wrath on the one who does wrong. Therefore, you must submit, not only because of wrath, but also because of your conscience. And for this reason you pay taxes, since the authorities are God’s public servants, continually attending to these tasks (Romans 13:1-6).

This passage supports Jesus’ assertion that Government possesses authority, including the sword, making clear the authority to dispense corporal punishment and that this authority is granted to it from God. However, that authority is to be used cautiously, recognizing that:

Government is God’s servant (Romans 13:4).

Government as an institution is designed to serve God’s purpose for achieving a godly society with well-being for all:

so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity (2 Timothy 2:2).

And governing officials are God’s servants to achieve that:

the authorities are God’s public servants, continually attending to these tasks (Romans 13:6).

Government is established by God for the purpose of creating a just and orderly society. Hence, an important part of that authority is to encourage good behaviour:

For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have its approval. For government is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, because it does not carry the sword for no reason. For government is God’s servant, an avenger that brings wrath on the one who does wrong (Romans 13:3-4).

Government’s wrath over individual wrongdoing is intended to be in harmony with God convicting the individual through his or her conscience that He has implanted within us. Thus, that threat of punishment is intended to be for the purpose of creating the society and quality of life our Creator intends. Thus, clearly, in dispensing justice within society, Government is to be an extension of our Creator’s plan, with the requirement to operate under His guidance in the exercise of that authority. With the threat of punishment, there is no hint that this authority may be used for any other purpose but encouraging and enforcing good behaviour – certainly not for political power.

The people are to view governing officials as “God’s public servants”. And Government is intended to be God’s servant. As such, the people are intended to have respect for the authority that Government holds:

But if you do wrong, be afraid, because it does not carry the sword for no reason. For government is God’s servant, an avenger that brings wrath on the one who does wrong (Romans 13:4).

The purpose of Government is not to instill fear, but rather respect for the authority and to encourage healthy societal behaviour – “for your good”. The lives of the people are to be measurably better because of the healthy exercise of this authority by Government and its public servants.

APPLICATION OF THIS TRUTH TO THE STATESMAN:

Do I recognize that the authority I exercise in office comes from God?

Do I recognize that I exercise this authority in office as God’s servant and under His guidance as His instrument?

Do the people recognize that I exercise this authority as God’s servant?

If the authority available to me in my office comes from God, should I not consult Him closely in the exercise of that authority to make sure that I am exercising that authority in a way He intends and approves?

The post The Statesman Understands the Authority of Office appeared first on CENTRE FOR STATECRAFT.

For any noble character trait, we often use the expression: “… are made, not born”. This implies that natural ability is not enough but that we need help in improving ourselves. Nowhere is this truer than in the making of the Statesman. Truly, The Statesman is made, not born. By this, we are saying that the individual does not come equipped to function as a Statesman but must rather develop the necessary ability.

Our world has often mistakenly called those in high government positions “Statesmen”. This is a misunderstanding of the classic usage of the term. When the term is correctly applied to someone in Government, it refers to the decision-maker respected as one who made life better for the people. This describes people whose goal is not primarily high office, but rather using the authority of office to make life better for the people. This is the person who accepts power, but carefully uses it. When we use this qualification, we realize we are considering a special kind of person. Let us address what makes this type of leader so special. I propose that we consider two qualities: COMPASSION and A HEART TO SERVE others. We previously saw these two in King David as demonstrated in his prayer for his son Solomon, who followed him as king:

May he vindicate the afflicted among the people, help the poor, and crush the oppressor… For he will rescue the poor who cry out and the afflicted who have no helper. He will have pity on the poor and helpless and save the lives of the poor. He will redeem them from oppression and violence, for their lives are precious in his sight (Psalm 72:4,12-14).

Let us consider these two qualities and, also, how they can be strengthened in the life of the one desiring to be a Statesman. First, COMPASSION. This is where the tension exists between being a strong leader and one who cares. The people want both, not realizing the challenge this presents to the leader. When we consider compassion, we are really asking: How can we so deeply love people that we do everything we can to help them? We naturally tend to care most for ourselves. However, our Creator has designed a way for us to be able to have compassion for others. The mechanism He has described is:

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:37-39).

Perhaps the reason the command “Love your neighbor as yourself” is repeated so many times in God’s instruction book is because it is so difficult — and so essential! God’s instruction is filled with the reminder to “love another”:

You yourselves are taught by God to love one another (1 Thessalonians 4:9).

God’s creation is dependent upon caring for each other at every level of society in order to function harmoniously. Furthermore, God emphasizes that it is so difficult that we need His power to do it, and where it is difficult, He supplies the power to achieve it, as in these promises:

The One who calls you is faithful, and He will do it (1 Thessalonians 5:24).

I am able to do all things through Him who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13).

The second priority that characterizes the Statesman, and builds upon loving those whom he has not even met, is to SERVE others:

For you were called to be free, brothers; only don’t use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love (Galatians 5:13).

Serve with a good attitude, as to the Lord and not to men … (Ephesians 6:7).

We are to serve others not merely to make them happy, but, more importantly, to please our ultimate Master. We learn a lot about servant-leadership from Jesus’ teaching to His disciples, when they were concerned about their self-importance:

A dispute also arose among them about who should be considered the greatest. But He said to them, “The kings of the nations have absolute power and lord it over them …. But it must not be like that among you. On the contrary, whoever is greatest among you must become like the youngest, and whoever leads, like the one serving” (Luke 22:24-26).

From God’s point of view, the good leader is the one most committed to serving. To paraphrase: the more that one is a servant, the greater the leader he is.

Here again, in the way that we need the help and power from God to love, we need the power of God to serve others. We especially need God’s power because serving others easily goes against our desire to benefit ourselves:

We have died to what held us, so that we may serve in the new way of the Spirit (Romans 7:6).

If anyone serves, it should be from the strength God provides, so that God may be glorified through Jesus Christ in everything. To Him belong the glory and the power forever and ever (1 Peter 4:11).

Serving others is so unusual for the human being that we can best accomplish this when we depend upon God for His strength. As one servant of God explained:

For we are … the ones who serve by the Spirit of God, boast in Christ Jesus, and do not put confidence in the flesh— (Philippians 3:3).

In summary, two of the essential attitudes within the heart of the one who would be remembered as a Statesman are COMPASSION and willingness to SERVE, without regard to whether they are worthy of our love and service. It is clear that the kind of SERVICE to humanity that the Statesman is called upon to exercise can only happen if there is great COMPASSION. Furthermore, it is clear that we must so completely submit to our Creator that we literally become His instrument, literally His hands and feet, operating as His human extension, thus, allowing the helpless in our societies to experience the character of God demonstrated in human form through our efforts.
CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE ONE WHO WOULD BE STATESMAN:

Have I submitted to God and Jesus as my Saviour and Lord so that I may have the love and compassion to serve His creation? Do I submit to Him in each action so that I am literally His instrument in serving my fellow human beings?

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The Statesman stands out in his vision. As analysts have pointed out:

The great difference between the real statesman and the pretender is that the one sees into the future, while the other regards only the present; the one lives by the day, and acts on expediency; the other acts on enduring principles and for immortality (Edmund Burke).

A politician thinks of the next election, a statesman of the next generation. A politician looks for the success of his party; a statesman for that of his country. The statesman wishes to steer, while the politician is satisfied to drift (James Freeman Clarke).

The Statesman is the rare individual who does not think like everyone else does. The Statesman stands out against the majority who are politicians. Considering how rare they are, to whom can the Statesman turn for advice and guidance with confidence? There may be no human to whom the Statesman can turn with confidence that they will give him the help that he seeks in support of his vision.

We all need someone we can trust, from whom we can seek wise counsel as a check on our human wisdom to ensure that there is no human error in our plans. We all need someone we can trust to literally hold us by the hand, someone we can trust to guide us and support us. Because the Statesman is often operating in a direction diametrically opposed to the norm, on whom can he count for support? Statesmen are human beings largely travelling into uncharted territory. As a human being, when is a time when you felt fully secure? I sincerely hope this takes you back to childhood, when a loving parent held you by the hand. As an adult, how can we capture that same sense of security? As we consider this issue, let us consider the truly helpless in our societies. When no human is available to help them, the One they must reach out to is the same One the Statesman must reach out to – Almighty God Himself. Clearly, in order to do this, we must gain confidence in His ability to meet our needs.

Although the context is different, God made clear His basic principle when He said to one He addressed as “My servant”:

I am the Lord, I have called You for a righteous purpose, and I will hold You by your hand. I will keep You and appoint you… (Isaiah 42:6).

Although this is part of a passage that points to Jesus, it has wider application that, I submit, applies to all of us. And God clarified, seemingly to a broader audience that He addresses as His servants:

Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with My righteous right hand (Isaiah 41:10).

“I will hold on to you with My righteous right hand.” – This is God’s way of supporting those humans who are His instruments. Applying this to the Statesman, God said of King David, whom He referred to as “My servant”:

My hand will always be with him, and My arm will strengthen him (Psalm 89:21).

I believe this is what made David, perhaps one of the great Statesman of all time, and can help us to be a Statesman. Listen to the ways King David expressed this understanding of God holding him by the hand throughout his life:

I follow close to You; Your right hand holds on to me (Psalm 63:8).

Your right hand upholds me (Psalm 18:35).

You will extend Your hand; Your right hand will save me (Psalm 138:7).

Your right hand will hold on to me (Psalm 139:10).

It was his continual understanding that God was holding him by the hand, as hopefully your father did for you as a child. Let us attempt to glean truths from the promises we began with in Isaiah’s writings:

I am the Lord, I have called You for a righteous purpose, and I will hold You by your hand. I will keep You and appoint you… (Isaiah 42:6).

Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with My righteous right hand (Isaiah 41:10).

First, there is the promise: that He will “hold us by the hand”. There is an interesting choice of words here. The reality is that when we are held securely by the hand, we still may stumble. This is not a promise that we would never face obstacles or never trip over them, but that we will not and cannot fall. When we stumble, we cling even more tightly to the hand that is holding us, and this is what God intends. Just to clarify, when we place our hand in God’s hand and we stumble, it is possible to fall, but only if we let go of God’s hand – if we intuitively attempt to right ourselves and, in the process, let go of God’s hand to regain our balance. But it is at times like this that we must cling all the more tightly to Him.

Then, observe the purpose: “a righteous purpose”. From this, we learn that the endeavour God supports in holding us by the hand is “a righteous purpose.” We recognize that the only purpose we can be sure is a righteous purpose is the one He directs us to take. As we undertake that “righteous purpose”, note what He provides: “I will strengthen you; I will help you”.

What does it mean to allow God to hold us by the hand? What does it mean to hold God by the hand? We have seen King David’s expressions as Statesman, where he emphasizes to God “I follow close to You”. President Abraham Lincoln expressed it in a similar way:

I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. My own wisdom and that of all about me seemed insufficient for that day.

This is Lincoln, as Statesman, describing God holding him by the hand and his holding onto God’s hand. We were designed by our Creator to need Him and, in the process, to grow more deeply into an intimate dependence upon Him. One reminder is the prayer of the psalmist:

Open my eyes so that I may contemplate wonderful things from Your instruction. I am a stranger on earth; do not hide Your commands from me (Psalm 119:18-19).

I submit that this must be the mindset for the Statesman allowing God to hold him by the hand.

Application to the Statesman: Do I recognize my own need to have someone I can trust and I know will hold me by the hand? Do I trust the Creator of my life and this world to play that role in my life? Clearly, He wants to hold my hand. Am I willing to hold His? What steps would I have to take to do this?

Let us each actively work to tighten our grip on our Creator’s hand through increasing our knowledge of Him through His instruction and strengthening our trust in Him.

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Our Creator, the One we know as the God of the universe and the ultimate King over every king, created from one righteous man a nation that was to be a visible model to every other nation of what it means to live in obedience to Him and experience His abundant blessings. The more we get to know our God, the more we are convinced that the blessings promised to that people as a result of obedience to Him are intended to motivate other nations to learn from that obedience and apply that same obedience to God. This raises the question of whether the blessings promised to ancient Israel in response to righteousness and obedience to God apply to other nations that would commit to the same obedience. We have historical evidence of God disciplining nations as a result of their lack of righteousness. God, speaking through His spokesman Jeremiah, tells us:

At one moment I might announce concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will uproot, tear down, and destroy it. However, if that nation I have made an announcement about turns from its evil, I will relent concerning the disaster I had planned to do to it. At another time I announce that I will build and plant a nation or a kingdom. However, if it does what is evil in My sight by not listening to My voice, I will relent concerning the good I had said I would do to it (Jeremiah 18:7-10). 

From this, we learn that God holds each nation accountable for its obedience to His revealed requirements of it. From His character, we know that He has made Himself and His requirement for righteousness known to all mankind. Furthermore, from this passage, we learn that God would prefer to pour out abundant blessings upon a nation – every nation – but that He asks that we place ourselves under obedience to Him.

We learn a lot about God’s mercy from the example of Nineveh, which became the most prosperous city in the ancient world in the eighth century B.C. In the midst of that growing prosperity, God sent His prophet Jonah to Nineveh. We are told that God warned the population:

In 40 days Nineveh will be demolished! (Jonah 3:4)

In response:

The men of Nineveh believed in God. They proclaimed a fast and dressed in sackcloth—from the greatest of them to the least. When word reached the king of Nineveh, he got up from his throne, took off his royal robe, put on sackcloth, and sat in ashes. Then he issued a decree in Nineveh:

By order of the king and his nobles: No man or beast, herd or flock, is to taste anything at all. They must not eat or drink water. Furthermore, both man and beast must be covered with sackcloth, and everyone must call out earnestly to God. Each must turn from his evil ways and from the violence he is doing. Who knows? God may turn and relent; He may turn from His burning anger so that we will not perish. 

Then God saw their actions—that they had turned from their evil ways—so God relented from the disaster He had threatened to do to them. And He did not do it (Jonah 3:5-10).

The king recognized the truth of God’s message through Jonah that they were disobedient to the requirements imposed by God and the king led the people in seeking God’s mercy, while imploring:

Each must turn from his evil ways and from the violence he is doing. 

In response, God extended mercy to the people of Nineveh and not the punishment He had warned. Jonah, the prophet, quickly understood this character of God when he said:

I knew that You are a merciful and compassionate God, slow to become angry, rich in faithful love, and One who relents from sending disaster (Jonah 4:2).

In light of the suffering that exists in our world and in our nations, I believe we must consider whether our disobedience is at the root of our suffering as a nation and that we must lead our people in repentance and appealing to God for mercy. Should we view some of our difficulties as due to our disobedience to God’s clear instructions and then seek His mercy?

During one of the most painful periods in American history – the Civil War – U.S. President Abraham Lincoln issued a call to the people on August 12, 1861 for a day of national repentance and pleading with God for mercy. Included were these words:

Whereas it is fit and becoming in all people, at all times, to acknowledge and revere the Supreme Government of God; to bow in humble submission to His chastisements; to confess and deplore their sins and transgressions in the full conviction that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; and to pray, with all fervency and contrition, for the pardon of their past offences, and for a blessing upon their present and prospective action;

And whereas, when our own beloved Country, once, by the blessing of God, united, prosperous and happy, is now afflicted with faction and civil war, it is peculiarly fit for us to recognize the hand of God in this terrible visitation, and in sorrowful remembrance of our own faults and crimes as a nation and as individuals, to humble ourselves before Him, and to pray for His mercy,—to pray that we may be spared further punishment, though most justly deserved… that the inestimable boon of civil and religious liberty, earned under His guidance and blessing, by the labors and sufferings of our fathers, may be restored in all its original excellence….

I am not in a position to confirm that the outcome of this conflict leading to the nation becoming greater than it had ever been before was due to this action by Lincoln, as previously demonstrated by the King of Nineveh. However, I am convinced that at times of national suffering and uncertainty, we should explore with God whether He desires repentance and a turning away from disobedience and a recognition of the need for greater obedience to Him. Too much is at stake to risk carelessly disregarding our Creator God’s stated requirements and His promises for blessings.

APPLICATION FOR THE STATESMAN:

Do I owe it to the people, whose well-being I am charged with, to ask God if there is behaviour displeasing to Him that is hindering us receiving the full blessing He desires for us?

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The question continues to be

The Second Great Commandment to us as humans is: 

You shall love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:39).

The command “Love your neighbor” is generally quoted out of context. While it is true that we are commanded to love our neighbor, this instruction is much richer and deeper than it appears on the surface. And it has powerful application to Government decision-makers charged with using the authority at their disposal to improve the lives of their people. Clearly, the focus of this command is to look beyond ourselves to others. However, in an effort to understand how much more powerful this teaching is than it appears on the surface, let us look at this command in its context:

An expert in the law, asked [Jesus] a question to test Him: “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important commandment. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:34-40).

There are three primary words in Greek, the primary language in which the New Testament is written, which are all translated into the one English word “love”: 

1. eros = sexual passion, based on physical attraction. This word is not used in the New Testament. 

2. phileo = brotherly love, mutual kindness, friendship. 

3. agapē = a love for the other party that is a sincere concern for them not based on what they can do for us in return; often described as “unconditional love”. This word appears nowhere else in Greek literature other than in the New Testament. 

Instinctively, we might have expected God to have used the second – brotherly love, mutual kindness – to define the love we are expected to bestow upon our neighbor. Surprisingly, Jesus chose the third – agapē – as the love employed in this command and defined further in God’s instruction manual:

Love is very patient and kind, never jealous or envious, never boastful or proud, never haughty or selfish or rude. Love does not demand its own way. It is not irritable or touchy. It does not hold grudges and will hardly even notice when others do it wrong. It is never glad about injustice, but rejoices whenever truth wins out. If you love someone, you will always be loyal to him no matter what the cost. You will always believe in him, always expect the best of him, and always stand your ground in defending him (1 Corinthians 13:4-8).

Returning to God’s Great Commands as spoken by Jesus:“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” And “Love your neighbor as yourself,” clearly, we are to love God first before we can begin to love anyone else. But, how are we to love God? In a re-statement of the Great Commandment, we are to: 

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind (Luke 10:27).

We are to love God with our total being and its many facets — heart, soul, strength, mind — emotions, passion, our spirit, physical energy, mentally.

We gain a picture of the love we are to exert by looking at the love God exerts toward us: 

We love because He first loved us (1 John 4:19).

What does God’s love for us look like? 

We need have no fear of someone who loves us perfectly; His perfect love for us eliminates all dread of what He might do to us. If we are afraid, it is for fear of what He might do to us and shows that we are not fully convinced that He really loves us (1 John 4:18).

His love for us teaches us what love really looks like. It is a model for the way we are to love Him. Then, based upon this,

Love your neighbor as yourself. 

“As yourself” — we are to love ourself with the same kind of love God has for us and with the same kind of love we are to exercise toward God Himself — heart, soul, strength, mind. We are to love ourselves and admire ourselves as the unique and amazing creation that we are. We are do this as a prerequisite and a model for the love we are to exert toward others.

What does loving ourself look like? God does not expect us to love ourself with a selfish love. We are to love ourself with the same kind of love that God exerts toward us and that we are to exert toward Him. We are to love ourself with our total being — heart, soul, strength, mind, displaying our respect for the amazing creation He has made us.

How does loving God help us to love ourself? As we love God and get to know Him, we begin to understand what an amazing creation He made when He made each of us. We are to treasure ourself as a unique, special creation of God and to treasure what God has made, even if we can see imperfections in ourself. At the same time, when we know that God has adopted us into His family, we must recognize that He is making us into the image of His Son Jesus. When He appears, we will be conformed to the image of Jesus:

For those He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers (Romans 8:29).

We are a special and unique creation made in the image of the Creator of the universe by that Creator. We are a creation that He is continuing to work on until we become like Jesus. This should also motivate us to allow Him to work on any imperfections we see within ourself.

Let us pause and reflect: Can we love our neighbor without loving ourself in this way first? How does loving ourself help us to love our neighbor? It is only as we learn to view ourself as a special, unique creation of God, done so out of love by God, that we can begin to recognize our fellow human as a special, unique creation of God, done so out of love by God, and to treasure them with all their shortcomings, with the confidence that the Holy Spirit can work in their lives to continue to re-make them into the image of Jesus. And recognizing that supporting them in this journey is one of the most loving things we can do.

APPLICATION TO THE GOVERNMENT DECISION-MAKER. If I love myself as much as God commands me, what would my life look like? If I love myself as God intends, can I not do my best to help provide the best quality of life for my neighbor – those I serve? Do I not need God’s power in my life to be able to love Him, myself and my neighbor in the way He desires?

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