LONELY AT THE TOP

BY STEVE NIEMEIER

How meny times have we heard this statement in reference to a person at the highest level of government or a company?  The top position of either a contry or a company or any organization comes with a tremendous amount of responsibility.  It si a position that should be taken very seriously and the person holding a position such as this should understand the responsibilities that go with the position.  Two of these responsibilities are honesty and outstanding character.

Unfortunately we have seen these top positions recently being abused by individuals that display neither honesty nor outstanding character.  While history records incidents of such individuals in times past, the present time in which we live and which our grandchildren will read in the history books has produced munerous amounts of these abuses.  Whether it is from the leaders of a certian religious group molesting young men or educators in our public school system sexually abusing their students or the senoir management team of a major corporatin “cooking the books” or the leader of a great nation misusing his power and position to seduce an intern or cover up a bad business venture to even an evangelist or elder in the Lord's church taking advantage of an emotional situation and turning it into a life altering pleasure venture we see a decline in the honesty and character of our leaders.

Genesis 1:1 states; “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”  This is the Founder of our world, His creation.  As our Creator what kind of example do we find in God?  Let us look at some of His moral attributes,

Holiness (Rev. 4:8), Impartial (1 Peter1:17), Longsuffering (Exodus 34:6), Merciful (Lamentations 3:22-23), Truthful (Psalm 117:2), Incomparable (2 Samuel 7:22), Awesome (Psalm 66:3) and we could go on and on about His righteousness and His example to all of His creation on how to live and work and treat others.

However, to summarize what thpe of Founder and Leader He really is let us look at a well-known passage that even those who violate His law and refuse to follow His example can almost quote verbatim.  That passage is found in John 3:16 and states; “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”  There we have it, our Creator gave us an example of honesty and outstanding character to follow, the giving of His only Son so that we could have everlasting life.  Of course His Son left us an example of honesty and outstanding character beyond any that have ever lived on the face of this earth.  Now let me ask all of us a question, “Why would we put our faith in leaders of a “perverse and crooked generation” when God, the Ultimate Leader has given us His Son so that we can have salvation?”  May we honor our Great Creator by dedicating our lives to His Son and total obedience to His Gospel!  Then surely we can say that our Founder is not “lonely at the top.”