Are You a ‘Stephen’? (3)

‘Choose…men…full of…wisdom.’ Acts 6:3 NIV

Another leadership qualification Stephen possessed was: wisdom. ‘Seek out…men …full of…wisdom.’ (Acts 6:3 NKJV) Charles Spurgeon said, ‘Wisdom is the right use of knowledge.’ You can have a head full of knowledge, but if you don’t have the wisdom to use it properly, you can’t lead people. Just as a stream rises no higher than its source, an organisation can rise no higher than its leadership. Dr John Maxwell refers to this as the ‘Law of the Lid’. In his book The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, he writes: ‘Leadership ability is the lid that determines a person’s level of effectiveness. The lower an individual’s ability to lead, the lower the lid on his potential. The higher their leadership, the greater their effectiveness. To give you an example, if your leadership scores an eight, then your effectiveness can never be greater than a seven. If your leadership is only a four, then your effectiveness will be no higher than a three. Your leadership ability – for better or for worse – always determines your effectiveness and the potential impact of your organisation.’ Paul told Timothy, ‘…Give attendance to reading…’ (1 Timothy 4:13 NKJV) Someone who won’t read is more to be pitied than someone who can’t read. The difference in what you are right now and what you’ll be 25 years from now will always be in direct proportion to your reading habits, the relationships you cultivate and the time you spend with God. Obviously Stephen was the right choice. ‘Then the word of God spread and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.’ (Acts 6:7 NKJV)