Amos 7:15
“And the LORD took me as I followed the flock, and the LORD said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel.”
My favorite president of the United States is President George Washington. By far, I believe he is the greatest president of all time. There is not a president who sacrificed more that George Washington. One of the things that caught my mind about him is that he did not want to be president. He was a general who led America to victory, and when they were deciding who should be the president, they thought that only George Washington could run this country. Their reasoning in choosing him was because he was already doing what it took to be president. Their choice did not disappoint them, and the reason he didn’t disappoint was because he was already doing what a president needed to do.
You will find that the reason America chose George Washington to be president is the same reason God chooses people to lead. It says in the verse above, “And the LORD took me as I followed the flock,…” God didn’t choose Amos because he wanted position, but God chose Amos because he was already doing what needed to be done. Amos wasn’t looking to be the next prophet of God, but God saw a young man who would fit that position because he was already doing something for God.
Oftentimes God allows us to discover leaders who are already doing what a leader is supposed to do. God chose Saul when he was looking for his father’s oxen. God chose David when he was caring for his father’s sheep. God chose Elisha when he was plowing in the field. The reason these choices worked so well was because these men did not feel they were entitled to their position. They were honored that God would call them, and when they took the position, they continued working like they worked before. God’s prerequisite for leadership is to do what you’re supposed to do before you acquire position.
Churches who are looking for a pastor would be wise to find a man who is already doing what it takes to be a pastor. Those men who lobby for the position of pastorate should be discarded. The greatest pastors are found, not in the résumé, but in the field of work.
Pastors would be wise to hire people who are already doing what it takes to fill a position. Many pastors make the mistake of hiring talent, when they need to look at those who are already doing what it takes to fill the leadership role. The greatest church leaders are not people who want the leadership role, but those who are a natural pick to fill that role, for they are already doing that role without the title.
When business owners are looking for someone to fill a leadership role, they would be wise to look for someone who is already doing what it takes to fulfill that position. I truly believe that business owners would be wise to fill leadership positions from within instead of trying to find someone on the outside. Just because someone doesn’t have the formal training that others may have, if they are already doing what it takes, their work habits will far outweigh the head knowledge of someone who won’t work.
If you are looking for a position, then let me challenge you to get busy doing what you are supposed to do. You may be surprised how you will be discovered if you will get busy. Stop sitting and waiting for position, and get busy doing what it takes to fill a position. Stop lobbying for a leadership position, and get busy doing what you’re supposed to do.
The greatest leaders are one’s who simply step over from the workforce into the leadership role. The only thing that will change is the title associate with their name. If you want God to use you then get busy!