Finishing well as a Leader

It is claimed that Bible has around one thousand leaders listed. There is more data than just the name of about one hundred leaders. I heard that someone did a study and found that nearly one-third of these finished well while the rest failed. Most of those who failed encountered failure during the last half of their life.  

It was a little surprising to me as I thought that the chances of failure are reduced as people mature and grow. I was wrong, and the critical issue I found is “mature and grow.” Do we stop growing after a point as we realize that we have figured out the formula to keep things stable while giving the impression to everyone that we are doing good in all areas of life? Are we growing or just going forward based on experience and our wisdom? 

I heard a man of God say that “Strong leaders have strong weaknesses. The key is allowing God to control our weaknesses.” In my view, the life of leaders we find in the Bible and the recent history of leaders validate that statement. We have heard about leaders who were considered giants in faith and service fall. In some cases, it is a severe issue that may take a long to recover, and in other cases, there is little hope of restoration.  

It is humbling to see that God takes people with weaknesses and uses them to advance His kingdom. Our imperfections do not automatically disqualify us from God’s service. God is there to strengthen us, but we have to be careful that we follow His steps consistently if we have to finish well. Inconsistency is dangerous as it may be during one of the weak, inconsistent moments that we may end up doing or saying something which may ruin everything.

We cannot afford to stop growing and maturing in Christ as it is another danger zone from where we can quickly fail. Our relationship cannot become static, and our hearts should not be left cold for a long time. Sin will find its way back into our life, and we will encounter failure, which we may have never anticipated would happen to us.

Starting well is good but finishing well is equally important. We have an enemy who will try to distract and plant traps to make us fail. We must trust God, rely on His grace daily, and move forward. Our years of experience do not guarantee that we will not fail. Daily dependence and being truthful with our actual condition of heart and conduct in the presence of God is critical. Having anything fake or secret is a sure path to failure. Being transparent and truthful can guarantee a good finish.