And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; 2 Peter 1:5

The leadership ladder that we are called to climb is not a pyramid of positions and titles but it is the ladder of leadership qualities. In the world’s paradigm of leadership, the law that applies is that the higher the climb, the greater the fall. But as we climb the ladder of leadership qualities, God will send His angels to assist us and keep us from falling.  He also has a safety net called confession and cleansing to catch us if and when we fall. A leader’s qualities are not cast in stone but are developed over a lifetime.  They come from study of the Word and constant persistent application of it to our lives.  The Word is our yardstick and measuring rod. We should measure our qualities against it and ask the Lord for grace to fulfill His divine standards.

Once we take the first step of faith it should be followed by diligent study of the Word in order to lead up to the next step which is virtue or character.  The promises of God are given to us primarily not for meeting our physical need but to enable us to “partake in the divine nature” , to develop the character of Jesus, to learn to be humble and gentle like Him, to be virtuous.

The next step is to increase in knowledge of the love of God, to know the unending dimensions of His agape love – its immeasurable length, breadth, height and depth.

The next rung on to which we should climb on Jacob’s blessed ladder is self-control.  We should hold our desires under control. We should hold our temper under control. We should hold our emotions under control. We should hold our tongue or speech under control.   These are signs of maturity and increasing grace and perfection.

The fifth step on the ladder of leadership is patience, the ability to wait with expectation, joy and gratitude for the Lord’s will to be done.  A desire fulfilled is sweet to the soul but it becomes sweeter the longer we can wait to receive it.

The sixth step is godliness or God – like righteousness and integrity.

The seventh step is kindness to one’s fellow beings, whether above us  or below us in  the social pecking order.

The eighth step is the final step, the highest in God’s hierarchy of values – love.
Our attainment of these qualities is not achieved overnight but it is a steady progression.  We don’t climb the ladder of leadership by pushing others down or by holding on to the feet of those above us.  We help others also up the ladder as we climb. The leader himself often becomes a ladder for others to climb.  Though the ladder looks narrow, there is room for everyone who is willing to lead and climb.  The Lord never wants us to rest on any rung of the ladder but wants us to keep climbing to the next level.

Author : Prateep V Philip