Day 44 - Leaders Wanted! Do You Qualify?

^“33 Now then, please let your servant remain here as my lord’s slave in place of the boy, and let the boy return with his brothers.” ~ Genesis 44:33.

Probably one of the greatest needs in our world today is good leaders. The Bible says about Jesus, “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:36).

Believe me, the need for quality leaders cannot be overemphasized; because everything rises and falls with leadership. Among the sons of Jacob, one gentleman seems to stand out almost as a natural leader. His name is Judah.

In Genesis 37, when the other brothers decided to put Joseph in the cistern and probably kill him, it was Judah who intervened and advised that he be sold to the Ishmaelites (Genesis 37:26 -27):

^“26 Judah said to his brothers, “What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? ²⁷ Come, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him; after all, he is our brother, our own flesh and blood.” His brothers agreed.”

Again, you see his leadership skill in action when he vouches to take personal responsibility of Benjamin and ensure his safe return when they were going back to Egypt for food (Genesis 43:9):

^“9 I myself will guarantee his safety; you can hold me personally responsible for him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him here before you, I will bear the blame before you all my life.”

Finally, we see him opt to be a slave in the place of Benjamin when Joseph threatened to incarcerate Benjamin (Genesis 44:33).

From the above, we see a demonstration of great leadership attributes in Judah, although he was not the firstborn of his brothers. Here are three (3) important leadership traits that was found in Judah:

1. He had the ability to persuade his brethren to follow his direction.
2. ⁠He took personal responsibility on behalf of his brothers.
3. ⁠He was willing to sacrifice himself or go an extra mile for the sake of his brother.

No wonder the Bible says, “The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he to whom it belongs shall come and the obedience of the nations shall be his” ~ Genesis 49:10.

This is a prophetic verse that points to the greatest leader of all time, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

The good news is that, like Judah, you too can train yourself to become a good leader by developing these solid and quality leadership traits. Go ahead, your world is waiting for you!

– By Rev. Simon Ampofo