King David, who ruled three millennia ago is often considered the greatest king. He becomes an interesting model for us because he manifested the same human weaknesses as we all share. And yet, he represents victory over our human weaknesses to do good for the people, which we all desire to do. Even more significantly, it is worthwhile to benefit from his wisdom on leadership gained in his 40 years of governing. In his very last recorded words, he described the kind of leader who should govern:

The one who rules the people with justice, who rules in the fear of God (2 Samuel 23:3).
King David described two characteristics that the ideal governing official would display:

1. Ruling the people with justice.
2. Ruling in the fear of God.

Truly, this would be a very special person, and these characteristics cannot be automatically expected of a mere mortal. Where do we, in fact, find this person? And is there any hope that we can we become such a leader?

Our Creator describes a process by which He can remake us into a person new and different than anything that could be experienced by human ability. It is described as being remade in our Creator’s image or remade in Jesus’ image. Our Creator describes the end result of this process this way:

He is a new creature [reborn and renewed by the Holy Spirit]; the old things [the previous moral and spiritual condition] have passed away. Behold, new things have come [because spiritual awakening brings a new life] (2 Corinthians 5:17).

It means to be new and different than anything we ever were, new and cleaned up from the self-serving life that we began with, and to be better able to care for and serve others. It is this life that one of God’s servants spoke of when he described being:

fully mature in Christ (Colossians 1:28).

King David graphically described what accompanied this change in his own life:

He [God] put a new song in my mouth (Psalm 40:3).

Truly, this is a person who is made new, and has the capacity to be the person King David described:

The one who rules the people with justice, who rules in the fear of God (2 Samuel 23:3).

But we must listen carefully to the context to understand the process:

Therefore if anyone is in Christ [that is, grafted in, joined to Him by faith in Him as Savior], he is a new creature [reborn and renewed by the Holy Spirit]; the old things [the previous moral and spiritual condition] have passed away. Behold, new things have come [because spiritual awakening brings a new life] (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Here, this process is described as being “in Christ”. Listen to our Creator’s description of the process:

For you died [to this world], and your [new, real] life is hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3).

– that is, died to the goals of mere mortals – self-promotion and self-aggrandizement – instead, allowing the life of God to live through us, as we do so in obedience to Him, and as His instrument. God goes on to tell us what step we must take in this process:

Put to death what belongs to your worldly nature (Colossians 3:5).

He then goes on to describe and address those who have accomplished this:

You have stripped off the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new [spiritual] self who is being continually renewed in true knowledge in the image of Him who created the new self (Colossians 3:9-10).

Hence, the new person:

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things have come (2 Corinthians 5:17).

What is so special is that it is not just for some select few. It is available for all of us. We must allow our Creator to open the channel into our lives so that He can literally live the life of Jesus through us. Opening this channel involves embracing Jesus’ sacrificial payment for our sin that blocks our relationship with God. Jesus said:

I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me (John 14:6).

Jesus is stating clearly here: “My death is the one and only payment for the penalty for your sins which separate you from your Creator.” As a result, we must embrace Jesus as our Saviour, thereby allowing God to open the communication channel between us and Him. And then our Creator elaborates on how we must use this channel of communication with Him to operate as this new person. It requires actively taking the approach that His servant described:

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).

To understand how the new person can function differently, in reality, our lives can be broken down into hundreds of smaller decisions each day. If in making each of these decisions we should ask “How would I choose if Jesus was making this decision instead of me?” Then if I were to act precisely that way, whose life would others see? In reality, it would be Jesus instead of the person I previously was. Practically, we would truly be made new – a brand new person!

As a part of maintaining this valuable asset, we must continually resist the pull to enjoy the benefits that the power of office tempts us with. That is why our Creator reminds us:

For if you are living according to the [impulses of the] flesh, you are going to die. But if [you are living] by the [power of the Holy] Spirit you are habitually putting to death the sinful deeds of the body, you will [really] live forever (Romans 8:13).

With the help of God living within us, we must put to death the temptation to assert lordship over our lives and our actions, instead allowing ourselves to become the instruments King David envisioned for the benefit of mankind:

The one who rules the people with justice, who rules in the fear of God (2 Samuel 23:3).

Becoming such a governing official, then, involves embracing the work of Jesus to break down the barrier that otherwise stands in the way of our relationship with our Creator.

The end result is:

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

This is the huge privilege we have to allow God to live through us as His instrument and to be the special kind of leader King David described.

APPLICATION TO THE STATESMAN.

Do I wish to be the kind of leader that King David identified to serve our nations in bringing the best quality of life to our people?

Am I willing to allow myself to be made into the brand-new person that King David and our Creator envisioned?

The post The Statesman Embraces the New Person Necessary to Govern appeared first on CENTRE FOR STATECRAFT.

Our Creator and Master teaches us that we live and operate within a temporary world before He comes to visibly reign in the person of Jesus. It begins with God’s clarification of Jesus’ birth 700 years beforehand:

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given (Isaiah 9:6).

But following quickly in the same sentence, there is a second promise:

The government shall be upon His shoulder.

This describes Jesus coming into our world twice: first as Saviour for our sins, and a second time as reigning King over the whole world. During this reign, He will put our world back together as God originally intended. It is this reign that we are waiting for. This is elaborated repeatedly throughout God’s instruction book:

He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end (Luke 1:32-33).

This is clarified in a further instruction to us:

God will bring this about in His own time. He is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings, and the Lord of lords (1 Timothy 6:15).

There is the clear reality of Jesus’ future reign on the earth. In preparation for that day, we have some issues to consider.

The first application is that we should do our best to learn from His rule and seek to emulate His rule to the best of our ability. I was recently reminded that if we would view God’s instructions as a love letter, we would take it far more seriously and study more intently every word. In reality, this is what God’s instructions are – a love letter to His creation. One of God’s spokesmen described it as “the royal law” (James 2:8), convincing us it has application to statesmen. This same spokesman admonishes us to “look intently into the perfect law of freedom and persevere in it” (James 1:25).

Then, it is expected that we will govern in such a way as to achieve a smooth transition, recognizing that the timing of His returning to rule cannot be perfectly anticipated. Hence, we must view ourselves as caretakers until the King returns to take up His visible reign.

In a parable Jesus taught (Luke 19:11-27), He instructed us how to operate while awaiting His exercising His rulership. Paraphrasing:

A nobleman traveled to a far country to receive for himself authority to be king and then return. He called several of his subordinates, gave them specific responsibility, and told them, “Engage in business until I come back.” … At his return, having received the authority to be king, he summoned those subordinates he had given the responsibility to, so he could find out how well they had conducted their responsibility… To one who had obeyed his master and conducted affairs according to his master’s wishes, he said: “Well done, good subordinate! … Because you have been faithful in a very small matter, I will reward you.”

Jesus’ teaching has clear application to the statesman. The statesman must realistically see that he/she is holding a caretaker role while the King is away and awaiting His return to take up His visible reign.

Interestingly, He also has given us clear directions for how we are to fulfill our responsibilities as we await His return. We are to govern as would the one for whom we are currently substituting.

Hence, our best view of office is as caretaker awaiting the King’s return. Then, as a steward, we must seek His instructions as to how we are to administer on His behalf. The best way to do this is to study His instruction book. Then, we must implore Him for His wisdom. God promises that if we, as His servants, will ask Him, He is eager to answer our requests:

Even before they call, I will answer; while they are still speaking, I will hear (Isaiah 65:24).

APPLICATION TO THE STATESMAN:

Do I view myself as caretaker on behalf of the King of Kings over those for whom I have responsibility?

Am I convinced God will hold me accountable for the way I fulfill my responsibility as caretaker on His behalf?

Am I willing to better fulfill my role as caretaker?

May we take our stewardship seriously, expecting the King to commend us:

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

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