Follow The Leader

We all played the game as children.
Usually the one at the head of the line was chosen.
The others lined up behind that person.
The person at the head of the line moved every which way; the others had to mimic him.

Follow The Leader.
A game that is part of most everyone’s childhood.
A game that is as popular as, Mother, May I and Red Light, Green Light.
The rules of Follow The Leader were not terribly difficult.

Anyone who fails to do what the leader does is out of the game.
The last person standing, besides the leader, becomes the new leader.
Inevitably, the leader tries to diminish the size of the followers.
The leader does this by making it difficult to follow.

In a classroom setting, this game could teach the necessity of following directions.
It requires children to hear your voice, follow directions, and obey.
Obey the first time, or you’re out, so to speak.
Obey the first time, or there will be consequences.

The concept behind Follow The Leader is one thing when it pertains to a child’s game.
It is quite another when it comes to government.
Follow the leader at any cost.
Follow the leader or else.

When you think of leadership, you often think of an inverted pyramid.
The base of the pyramid, being larger, represents the majority of the people.
As you go up the pyramid, the area gets smaller and smaller.
At the apex, following this example, you would have one leader.

A top-down structure.
A Follow The Leader mentality.
Except, if you really think about it, the bottom is holding up the top.
The bottom has to be strong in order to support the structure.

So really it is a bottom-up mentality.
A grass roots effort that supports the top.
A strong base that holds up the rest of the structure.
Big Government versus Little Government.

Following the leader at all costs can be a very dangerous thing.
Following a leader who has no accountability is asking for trouble.
Following a leader who is only following himself is foolish.
Following a leader who is not following the Lord is dangerous indeed.

The next day Moses took his seat to serve as judge for the people, and they stood around him from morning till evening. When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, “What is this you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these people come stand around you from morning till evening?” Moses answered him, “Because the people come to me to seek God’s will. Whenever they have a dispute, it is brought to me, and I decide between the parties, and inform them of God’s decrees and laws.” Moses’ father-in-law replied, “What you are doing is not good. You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone. Listen to me now and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. You must be the people’s representative before God and bring their disputes to Him. Teach them the decrees and laws, and show them the way to live and the duties they are to perform. But select capable men from all the people, men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens. Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you. If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain and all these people will go home satisfied. (Exodus 18:13-23)

You must be the people’s representative before God.
That is a true leader.
A leader is one who is following God as the people follow the leader.
That way, in essence, the people are following God as well.

How far we have fallen from the way God intended.
We have leaders now who follow the god of politics, and the god of re-election.
We have leaders who follow the ever-changing culture.
They are afraid to say that the emperor has no clothes.

When our leaders fail to remember the past, they are bound to repeat it.
Unless something intervenes.
Unless Someone is more important than the leader.
The leader was meant to serve God and not himself.

Bottom up.
Grass roots.
God’s people have deep nourishing roots in the One Vine.
Apart from Him, we can do nothing. (John 15:5)

The bottom is strong only if it rests on a good foundation.
The bottom holds up the top, not the other way around.
The top exists simply because the structure has been built piece by piece.
We have forgotten simple geometry.

We have one Leader on whom the structure does rest.
One Leader who is both the Foundation and the Apex.
One Leader who is the bottom and the top, the beginning and the end.
One Leader who holds everything together.

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. (Colossians 1:15-17)

HE is the Leader we follow.
HE is the One we serve.
Everything exists to serve HIM.
Bottom-up: bowing before our True King.