One of the great leaders in history is King David. We are naturally drawn to seek to understand how he became such an effective leader. I believe the key is where God told us:

He chose David His servant and took him from the sheepfolds; He brought him from tending ewes to be shepherd over His people …. He shepherded them with a pure heart and guided them with his skillful hands (Psalm 78:70-72).

From this, we are told that God used a unique school to prepare David to be king, one that might surprise us. We tend to think that the best training to prepare for high leadership is to learn while fulfilling lower governing positions. However, God is explaining here that He prepared David to govern a whole nation by grooming him as a shepherd of sheep.

Let us consider what God did in preparing David to be king. One aspect of David’s training is that he accepted humility. There is hardly a responsibility that is more humbling than caring for sheep. The sheep need the constant watch of the shepherd night and day. They have no natural defenses against predators. They are often helpless in finding food and water, even in discerning between healthy food and poisonous plants. The sheep continually need the watchful eye of the shepherd for their survival.

If one thinks about it, between the shepherd and the sheep, who is really the master? It is the needy ones. Even among the sheep, some are needier than others. It is these sheep to whom the shepherd is literally a servant.

Jesus described the necessary attitude toward the neediest sheep when He told this parable as an analogy with our straying from God and being brought back to Him:

What man among you, who has 100 sheep and loses one of them, does not leave the 99 in the open field and go after the lost one until he finds it? When he has found it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders, and coming home, he calls his friends and neighbors together, saying to them, “Rejoice with me, because I have found my lost sheep!” (Luke 15:4-6)

In this parable, we have the reminder that the shepherd must give the most attention to the sheep with the greatest needs.

Furthermore, in the instruction we are looking at, God tells us that David took the same attitude in caring for the people he was charged with:

He shepherded them with a pure heart and guided them with his skillful hands (Psalm 78:72).

God is making clear that He caused David to have the same concern for, and to give the same care to, the people within his nation that he earlier had provided to the sheep under his care. That this was indeed David’s attitude while governing is seen in his prayer for his son Solomon years later, 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).

This heart attitude we may conclude reflects the attitude that was learned as a shepherd dependent upon God.

When we reflect further, we recognize that the sheep can never re-pay the shepherd for the sacrificial help that the shepherd has made on their behalf. Therefore, the shepherd cannot make it a priority to care for those most able to reward him, but rather is called to care for those least able to reward him. Similarly, the Statesman must look to the reward that Jesus described we must aspire to hear from the Ultimate King of the universe at the close of our lives:

Well done, good and faithful servant! (Matthew 25:23)

Another essential part of David’s preparation is that he learned to depend upon God. David, during his later teen years, described that as he faced the predators of the sheep, he learned to depend upon God:

Whenever a lion or a bear came and carried off a lamb from the flock, I went after it, struck it down, and rescued the lamb from its mouth. If it reared up against me, I would grab it by its fur, strike it down, and kill it. … Your servant has killed lions and bears… The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear … (1 Samuel 17:34-37).

This shows that David was so serious about caring for the sheep placed within his care that he was willing to put his life at risk to the extent that he was forced to depend upon God.

We must conclude that the lessons David learned as a shepherd then include: humility; the need to care for the most vulnerable; focusing on the least able to pay back or reward the shepherd; and learn dependence upon God for challenges beyond our ability.

CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE STATESMAN:

Even if I may not have been fortunate to learn the lessons King David did as a shepherd boy, can I recognize that God has taught me to learn humility through experiences in my life to prepare me to serve the people?

Will anyone be able to say about me, as God said about King David: “He shepherded them with a pure heart and guided them with his skillful hands”?

Am I willing to humble myself before God as King David learned to do and to allow God to be the King over my life as He desires? And am I willing to continually learn from Him about shepherding my people?

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The Statesman is first and foremost a leader drawn out of the community to serve the people in achieving the well-being our Creator designed for the people. The Statesman, remembering who he or she is, then identifies with those he or she is called to serve. Hence, what pains the people will pain the Statesman. God’s instruction manual reminds us what we are to do when we face challenges beyond our human ability, as we inevitably will:

So we called out to Yahweh, the God of our fathers, and the LORD heard our cry and saw our misery, hardship, and oppression (Deuteronomy 26:7).

With full confidence expressed to God:

If disaster comes on us—sword or judgment, pestilence or famine—we will stand before this temple and before You, for Your name is in this temple. We will cry out to You because of our distress, and You will hear and deliver (2 Chronicles 20:9).

How does this apply to Statesmen? Our Creator often employs the metaphor of the shepherd regarding the sheep to describe the governing process:

Wail, you shepherds, and cry out. Roll in the dust, you leaders of the flock (Jeremiah 25:34).

King David, at a time when his very survival was at stake:

The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears, and delivers them from all their troubles (Psalm 34:17).

David could testify that our Lord does hear “and deliver” when we cry out to Him.

One of God’s spokesmen promised:

At that time, when you call, the LORD will answer; when you cry out, He will say, ‘Here I am’ (Isaiah 58:9).

‘Here I am’ — as if He is just waiting to respond when we acknowledge our need, humble ourselves, say we cannot overcome the challenge by ourselves, and ask Him to rescue us.

Once the Statesman learns to be forthright with our Creator, he or she will certainly show tenderness and compassion toward those of the people crying out in turn to him or her. King Solomon, speaking in the third person, describes this corresponding tenderness when he said:

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

King Solomon, elsewhere described the necessity for the Statesman to display the same compassion toward the hurting people as he expects his Creator to show toward him:

The one who shuts his ears to the cry of the poor will himself also call out and not be answered (Proverbs 21:13).

God instructs us that in especially challenging times, we must cry out to God as a nation:

Announce a sacred fast; proclaim an assembly! Gather the elders and all the residents of the land at the house of the LORD your God, and cry out to the LORD (Joel 1:14).

‘Elders’ refers to the societal leaders. There are times when the challenges become so great that the whole nation must stop what it is doing, come together, and cry out to our Lord for help together. When our human efforts are not achieving a solution, and when changing our approach to the problem is not gaining a solution, we reach a point where doubling our effort is nothing short of insanity and we must recognize our need for divine help.

All of this argues for Statesmen working as closely as possible with the One who ultimately reigns over our nations, operating as His human representative on behalf of the people.

We must talk with Him so closely and intimately that when crisis comes, we can immediately approach Him as close Friend, not stranger. Let us deepen our relationship each day, adding our ability to cry out to Him quickly and in expectation whenever challenge should come.

As we do cry out to God, let us be prepared for Him to respond in greater measure than we ask, for He also said:

Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know (Jeremiah 33:3).

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The analogy of the shepherd caring for the sheep seems appropriate when considering the process of Government decision-makers operating on behalf of the governed.

Ted Sorensen, special counsel to President John Kennedy, described that the “ideal” White House decision-making process should encompass:

…first: agreement on the facts; second: agreement on the overall policy objective; third: a precise definition of the problem; fourth: a canvassing of all possible solutions, with all their shades and variation; fifth: a list of all the possible consequences that would flow from each solution; sixth: a recommendation and final choice of one alternative; seventh: the communication of that selection; and eighth: provision for its execution.

This is clearly a cautious approach in order to ensure that decisions are made correctly. This reminds us of the need for a cautious and thorough response to the needs of the sheep. And it represents compassion for the sheep. This makes sense when we remember that six times in His instruction manual, God refers to the people as “sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:36). Responding to this, Jesus taught:

I am the good shepherd. I know My own sheep, and they know Me, as the Father knows Me, and I know the Father. I lay down My life for the sheep. (John 10:14-15)

Jesus’ compassion for the sheep He saw as “without a shepherd” provides an interesting analogy to the challenges facing those who make decisions on behalf of others. The goal is to make decisions truly in the best interest of the sheep. Jesus said: “I know My own sheep”. Jesus is speaking of knowing who the sheep truly are and what they need as attempts are made to make decisions to best meet those needs.

Why should we consider the analogy of “sheep without a shepherd”? Sheep are extremely insecure, easily frightened animals. They are unable to defend themselves against the challenges that lurk around them. Here, the analogy is clear as the challenges facing humans are often beyond their capacity to overcome by employing their own limited resources. They are extremely vulnerable and need the protection of good-hearted shepherds making decisions to protect them.

Humans, as sheep, live with a multitude of fears. Human shepherds present us with a picture for the Statesman. What we can learn from the analogy of the shepherd in becoming Statesmen?

1. Listening to the sheep. The lives of most Government decision-makers are far removed from the lives of those on behalf of whom they make life-impacting decisions. President Abraham Lincoln provided an amazing example of listening to the needs of his flock. He had an “open door policy” to his office that allowed individuals to address needs directly to the President without an appointment during several blocks of time each week. He made it a priority to listen to the people from all levels of society to gauge their thinking and their needs on a variety of subjects. Rather than rushing to action, he took the time to hear their hearts before acting. Hence, it seems ironic that the Government decision-maker would ever consider that the needs of the people should ever get in the way of the “more important” work of Government.
2. Compassion. After hearing hearts, the shepherd applies compassion for the sheep in determining the course of action. Remember that Jesus gave us the model when he said “I lay down My life for the sheep.” This level of compassion gives the sheep confidence in the shepherd and gives the best hope for decisions being made in their interest.
3. Knowing what the governed really need, not just what they say they need. This is where it is essential to know what our Maker wants for His creation, not necessarily what we imagine for His creation or even what His creatures ask for. In Isaiah 55:8-9, God warns us to be careful about thinking we are adequate in our own understanding:
   

   “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not My ways.” This is the LORD’s declaration. “For as heaven is higher than earth, so My ways are higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.”

   We are warned against thinking that discern the appropriate decision in our own wisdom. Our thoughts are not automatically the same as His thoughts. And the sheep’s thoughts are not His thoughts. Both the thoughts of the sheep and the shepherds can be dangerously misled by our human blind-spots.

We must remember that there is one Over-Shepherd with a plan for great blessing and that Government decision-makers are under-shepherds responsible to carry out those plans.

This is where we must remember to appeal to our all-knowing, wise Heavenly Father for wisdom:

Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without criticizing, and it will be given to him (James 1:5).

What must I do to become more like the Good Shepherd (Jesus) in caring for the sheep entrusted to me?

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It is useful to pause and reflect on our responsibilities. The Creator of this whole system, within which we operate, has commanded leaders to shepherd those within their care:

Shepherd God’s flock among you, not overseeing out of compulsion but freely, according to God’s will; not for the money but eagerly; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. (1 Peter 5:2-3)

During times of crisis, there is major stress on the Statesman. However, at the same time, we must also be aware of the needs of the individual sheep within our folds. We are told that Jesus, “When He saw the crowds, He felt compassion for them, because they were weary and worn out, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:36). Jesus was at this point teaching us how to view people – as “sheep without a shepherd”. There could not be a better illustration in understanding our peoples’ needs at this time. Literal sheep are among the most vulnerable of God’s noble creatures. Their capacity to defend themselves against danger is extremely limited. They are often powerless in facing their challenges and that leads to fear. We as shepherds are leading our people as we are forced into uncharted territory – what for the sheep is dangerous and frightening – filled with frightening scenarios. If we are healthy, we have a healthy concern as well. And we must deal with our fears. However, in the midst of this, we must be sensitive to the fears of our sheep.

Man has amazing capacity for hope and we must feed that hope. God has a history for providing for the sheep in each and every nation. As we seek to instill hope, we must remind them of this truth – that our Lord has never let us down. Hope does not come from our ability as human beings and as leaders. Rather, it comes from the proven track record of our Creator and our Lord:

God has given us His rich promises through several of His servants:

King David: Rest in God alone, my soul, for my hope comes from Him. (Psalm 62:5) King David: You answer us in righteousness, with awe-inspiring works, God of our salvation, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the distant seas. (Psalm 65:5) You are my shelter and my shield; I put my hope in Your word (i.e., promises). (Psalm 119:114)

King David reminds us:

Be strong and courageous, all you who put your hope in the Lord. (Psalm 31:24)

We must lead our sheep to that hope rather than expecting them to build their hope on us or our ability. Both shepherd and sheep must have a healthy respect for what we face. We must make sure the sheep know where to go in order to drink and be satisfied. Jesus tells us:

If anyone is thirsty, he should come to Me and drink! (John 7:37)

We, as their shepherds, must be filled up and then we can give out to the sheep – help them come to the springs of life, and be satisfied.

We, as shepherds, must be confident as we lead and as we instill hope. Hence, we must make sure we are coming continually to the springs of life. If we are less than confident, God’s words remind us:

I will lead the blind by a way they did not know; I will guide them on paths they have not known. I will turn darkness to light in front of them and rough places into level ground. This is what I will do for them, and I will not forsake them. (Isaiah 42:16)

King David, based upon his life experience as a shepherd boy, reminds us:

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever. (Psalm 23)

God reminds us through the prophet Daniel:

The people who know their God will be strong and take action. (Daniel 11:32)

After we have gone to our Shepherd, drunk deeply from Him, and been satisfied, then, we must instill that same sense of hope and confidence in the sheep. In the process, we must teach the sheep to appropriate God’s promises.

At the same time that we are seeking to make their grazing lands safe, we must also address their hurts. This is a huge burden for the shepherd who may feel beyond his or her resources at this time.

Jesus illustrates the heart attitude of the true shepherd at the time the sheep are in danger:

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired man, since he is not the shepherd and doesn’t own the sheep, leaves them and runs away when he sees a wolf coming. The wolf then snatches and scatters them. This happens because he is a hired man and doesn’t care about the sheep. (John 10:11-13)

God Himself challenges us:

Call to Me and I will answer you and tell you great and incomprehensible things you do not know. (Jeremiah 33:3)

Jesus challenges to us:

Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. All of you, take up My yoke and learn from Me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for yourselves. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-30)

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a. Compassion toward the people, especially the most disadvantaged

King Solomon provides a good example. Early in his reign when he clearly had the heart of a statesman, he said to His Creator (paraphrasing and transposing from the third person to the first):

I will rescue the poor who cry out and the afflicted who have no helper. I will have pity on the poor and helpless and save the lives of the poor. I will redeem them from oppression and violence, for their lives are precious in my sight. (Psalms 72:12-14)

What is especially captivating is Solomon’s attitude toward the people he was governing ─ for their lives are precious in my sight. What an amazing attitude this is for any governing official ─ to view the lives of the powerless, those without a voice, those taken advantage of by the more powerful in society, those who cannot help him/her politically ─ as precious in his/her sight. Truly, exercising the authority invested in office on behalf of these people is to be an instrument of Almighty God.

We gain additional insight by studying his preceding words:

God, give Your justice to me the king and Your righteousness to me. I will judge Your people with righteousness and Your afflicted ones with justice… May I vindicate the afflicted among the people, help the poor, and crush the oppressor. (Psalms 72:1-2,4)

Solomon expressed a concern of his heart for those who are weak and generally taken advantage of and ignored by those in Government. Too often, the powerless have come to view Government as an ‘oppressor’. Not only did Solomon not want to be an oppressor, but he wanted to use his authority to aggressively prevent any other oppression ─ in his words to “crush the oppressor”.

In looking at the lives of statesmen, there is willingness to listen to the hearts of the constituents. I have always been amazed at Abraham Lincoln’s “open door” policy to his office, whereby each morning, he allowed people to meet him without an appointment. Winston Churchill visited people whose homes were destroyed by the German rockets. Both leaders stayed close to the people. They were not afraid to allow people to get in the way of “more important affairs of State”. After all, they understood that “people” are the purpose of the State.

b. The attitude of a shepherd in meeting the needs of the sheep

God paints the picture of the head of the nation as a shepherd. God uses the analogy of the shepherd to describe the tender care that governing officials must have for the people.

For example–

“God…who says to Cyrus: My shepherd, he will fulfill all My pleasure” (Isaiah 44:24,28). Cyrus II was King of Persia 559-530 B.C. As in the case of Cyrus, the determination as shepherd has nothing to do with what the official thinks of God. In the extended passage, God said twice of Cyrus: “though you do not know Me” (Isaiah 45:5).

Hence, ‘shepherd’ is an overview of the job description of the work God expects of the Government official. In the case of King David, God tells us that:

He chose David His servant and took him from the sheepfolds; He brought him from tending ewes to be shepherd over His people…. He shepherded them with a pure heart and guided them with his skillful hands. (Psalms 78:70-72)

The shepherd is responsible for the welfare of the sheep and for anticipating and overcoming the threats to the sheep. There are two implications:

1. Relatively speaking, the sheep are ignorant of the threats to their safety and limited in their ability to meet their own needs. The sheep are dependent upon the shepherd and his/her diligence for their safety. It is the needs of the sheep that drive every action of the shepherd. Realistically, it is the sheep who are the masters and the shepherds who are the servants.
2. Furthermore, the shepherd has responsibility for all of the sheep, not just the ones who may have chosen this individual as shepherd. Once the shepherd is placed in responsibility for the flock, he/she does not have the privilege of distinguishing the level of care provided for different sheep within the flock. The shepherd may not be selective in which sheep he/she cares for. In fact, the responsible shepherd must often give more attention to serve the most difficult and the neediest sheep.

It was against the backdrop of this, that I learned that an incumbent presidential candidate warned voters from a group resisting his leadership during the campaign “If you do not vote for me, do not expect that you will get anything from me.” The incumbent had not learned the lesson of his being a shepherd to his flock. Fortunately, upon victory, he relented from that threat.

Nelson Mandela, in his autobiography Long Walk to Freedom, correctly uses the analogy of shepherding to describe the governing process.

God warns against the evil or irresponsible shepherds:

This is what the Lord GOD says to the shepherds: Woe to the shepherds …, who have been feeding themselves! Shouldn’t the shepherds feed their flock? (Ezekiel 34:2)

God has high standards for those who shepherd on His behalf. He has little tolerance for those mistreat our Master’s sheep.

God’s Admonition to Shepherds through His servant:

I exhort the elders among you: shepherd God’s flock among you, not overseeing out of compulsion but freely, according to God’s will; not for the money but eagerly; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. (1 Peter 5:1-4)

The analogy is with God as the Chief Shepherd and ourselves as His under-shepherds. As such, we certainly need His help in being the shepherds He intends us to be. Returning to an earlier discussion, Psalms 23 begins with the words “The Lord is my shepherd.” I submit to you that we must allow Him to be our shepherd before we can be His shepherd in the lives of the sheep He has entrusted us with.

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I believe it is essential for those serving in Government to continually reflect on what motivates us and what we hope to achieve with our lives. Let me pose these questions: What kind of a leader do you wish to be? And how do you want to be remembered? During a debate in the European Parliament in 2015 focusing on the Greek debt crisis, Guy Verhofstadt, the former Belgian prime minister, bluntly asked the Greek Prime Minister, Alexis Tsipras: “How do you want to be remembered? As an electoral accident who made people poorer or as a revolutionary reformer?” Verhofstadt was asking the question we are asking, “What kind of a leader do you wish to be? And how do you want to be remembered?”

More than ever, people all over the world are pleading for their governing officials to be visionary leaders who care about them and use the authority of office to help them reach their God-given potential, as opposed to being politicians that care more about their own personal aspirations while in office. Instinctively, there is the conviction that they are entitled to better leadership than they are experiencing.

I am borrowing terminology used by others in the past and tightening up its definition. Hence, I am defining the kind of leadership the governed are looking for as statesmen, in contrast to politicians. Several analysts have pointed out that there is a major difference between being a political figure absorbed in personal aspirations and being a statesman who will leave our nations better than we found them. We have heard voices defining the issue as follows:

James Freeman Clarke:

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.

Ord L. Morrow:

The difference between a politician and a statesman is that the politician sees which way the people are going and tries to stay ahead of them, whereas the statesman sees what is best and right and does that even if no one follows.

Edmund Burke, the British political figure in the late 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.

Burke brought this issue to our attention in the 18th Century, Clarke in the 19th Century, Morrow in the 20th Century, and it has now been publicly asked of the Greek Prime Minister in the 21st Century. The issue is timeless and it seems destined to remain with us permanently! Five years ago, I addressed this topic at a gathering of 400 political and community leaders. Afterward, one of the organizers of this event commented: “Everyone present was a politician. Not one was a statesman.” There are precious few statesmen. In a recent discussion on the topic with a European official, he commented that he could not identify a single statesman within Europe today. I have since become more optimistic as I have been privileged to know and appreciate a number of leaders who have the hearts of statesmen.

At issue is the motivations/intentions on the part of governors, but, just as importantly, where they obtain their direction for their decisions. As I began to study this topic, focusing on the lives of those generally recognized as especially good leaders, I noticed one common denominator in the lives of many but not clearly all cases: faith. As a scientist, which I am by professional background, I am part of a school of thought influenced by the philosopher of science, Karl Popper, who argued that one should state one’s conclusions and hypotheses so strongly that they invite further investigation, including efforts to refute them, all in an attempt to arrive collectively at the truth. What I am sharing reflects this approach. I challenge you to explore with me the hypothesis that obedience to God is an effective step in becoming a statesman.

There is a Creator who has designed the world, plus every person who lives in it, and several institutions for the healthy running of this system. He has revealed His intents and instructions to us as a human race in the Bible. Even if you disagree with my understanding, I challenge you to explore the implications with me. What do you have to lose? I am convinced there is much to gain, and nothing to lose. My hope is that you will embark on this journey with me and that it will be as revolutionary for you as it has been for me.

Hence, I am convinced that understanding the concept of statesmanship requires first understanding the purpose of our Creator in designing our world. God has made it abundantly clear that He is the One who designed and created our world and superintends it. Furthermore, He has made it clear that He has established three institutions (Family, Religious Institution, Government) for the purpose of bringing well- being to each member of His creation. He has made this truth clear throughout His instruction book for us. Jesus, as God, summarized this when He said: “I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance” (John 10:10). As a consequence, we must understand that He intends for every decision in Government to bring well-being to the people. Hence, we must understand that He intends for every decision in Government to be statesmanlike and, therefore, for every official to be a statesman as we have previously defined.

God has instructed us through His servant, the Apostle Paul:

First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. (1 Timothy 2:1-2).

God is informing us here that it is His intent that governing officials at all levels will produce, as a result of their official decisions, a good quality of life ─ a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This again defines the quality of life that our Creator desires for every man, woman and child on the earth. Further, this defines the nature of every decision to be made within government. We must recognize that the quality of life described by the Apostle Paul is identical with what would be achieved by statesmen. And He intends for every decision on behalf of the people made by every official at every level to support this quality of life.

In summary, there are three important truths that we learn here:

1. God defines the quality of life He intends for every man, woman and child as a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.
2. God defines the quality of life He intends to result from decisions made by officials, which are also those of statesmen.
3. This makes it clear that our Creator intends for every governing official to be a statesman as we are defining here.

This is consistent with Government being a God-ordained institution for the purpose of providing an orderly society within which the individual can reach his/her full, God-given potential, as I argued in an earlier treatise.

Hence, if we have any sense that we must please God, our Master, while serving in Government, we must take every step to serve as a statesman.

How do you want to be remembered as a leader? As a Politician or a Statesman? And how may I help you?

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