By Cornelius Bella
You cannot serve God in a position of leadership with a carefree attitude. You cannot carry an unconcerned “heartitude” towards the things of God, the people of God, the House of God and the work of God.
By heartitude, I mean the attitude of your heart: what you truly think about the responsibility God has entrusted to you, even when your words suggest something different.
It is better not to step into a position of leadership than to accept that responsibility and assume you can do anything anyhow and God will not mind.
Leadership in God’s House is a trust. People, responsibilities and opportunities have been placed in your care. How you handle them matters to God.
My father in the Lord, Reverend Olusola Areogun, has taught that God is a good God, but He is not safe. I am growing in my understanding of that statement.
This does not mean God is unreliable, cruel or unsafe to trust. He is faithful, and we can rest in His love. It means we must never assume that His goodness makes it safe to treat Him carelessly. God is merciful, yet He is very serious. His patience must never become our excuse for an unconcerned heart.
You cannot deal with God and assume you will never be held accountable.
What You Have Received Is a Trust
The Bible says:
“Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.”
1 Corinthians 4:2, KJV
A steward manages what belongs to another. The work is God’s work. The people are God’s people. The House is God’s House.
You may lead a department, coordinate a prayer group, teach a class, oversee an online platform or serve as a pastor. Whatever your assignment, you are handling something that belongs to God.
Faithfulness must therefore reach beyond accepting a title. It must be seen in your preparation, your follow-through, your response to instructions and your care for people.
If an assignment is entrusted to you, can you be depended upon? When something goes wrong, do you take responsibility? When someone needs attention, do you notice, or do you assume somebody else will deal with it?
These questions reveal the condition of our stewardship.
Jesus said:
“But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.”
Luke 12:48, KJV
Greater responsibility brings greater accountability. We cannot receive the privilege of leadership while refusing its demands.
The People of God Must Matter to You
A leader must never become so occupied with a programme that the people cease to matter.
Someone is absent, and nobody follows up. Someone is struggling, and nobody pays attention. Someone asks for guidance, and their message is repeatedly ignored. A responsibility falls through, and the person entrusted with it shows no concern.
There will be occasions when a leader is stretched, delayed or unable to respond immediately. We are human. However, persistent indifference must not be excused as busyness.
Peter instructed those who oversee God’s people:
“Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.”
1 Peter 5:2–4, KJV
Notice the willingness, the ready mind and the example required.
God’s people are His heritage. They must be served with care. They must never become instruments for our importance or inconveniences we resent.
A serious leader also remembers that authority does not permit harshness. We must not use the seriousness of God to frighten people into serving our personal preferences. We are accountable for how we lead as well as for whether the work gets done.
God’s Mercy Does Not Cancel His Holiness
One danger in serving God is becoming familiar with holy things until we stop handling them with reverence.
We know the routine. We know the language. We have carried out the assignment many times. Gradually, preparation becomes optional, instructions become negotiable and correction becomes irritating.
Yet Scripture says:
“Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire.”
Hebrews 12:28–29, KJV
Grace enables us to serve God acceptably. It teaches us to approach Him with reverence.
The account of Nadab and Abihu is sobering:
“And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not. And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD. Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that the LORD spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace.”
Leviticus 10:1–3, KJV
We must not use this passage to announce that every mistake in church service will receive the same judgment. However, we must receive its warning: those who draw near to God must honour His holiness.
A position close to holy things does not give us permission to handle them anyhow.
Correct a Mistake; Confront a Careless Heart
There is a difference between making a mistake and carrying a careless attitude.
A faithful leader may misunderstand an instruction, overlook a detail or make a wrong decision. When corrected, that leader listens, takes responsibility and makes the necessary adjustment.
A careless heart repeatedly makes excuses. It resists correction. It treats consequences lightly. It expects other people to repair what it has neglected.
God knows the difference.
The answer is not to pretend we are incapable of failure. The answer is to remain teachable and responsive.
If you are overwhelmed, communicate early. If you need help, ask for it. If you lack understanding, seek clarification. If you have failed, acknowledge it and put things right.
Where possible, arrange a responsible handover when you can no longer carry an assignment. Do not leave people and responsibilities unattended.
Seriousness in service includes knowing when support is needed.
Serve as Someone Who Will Give Account
Before looking at another leader, we must examine ourselves.
What is the condition of my heart towards God’s work? Have I become casual about instructions? Have I neglected people entrusted to my care? Do I prepare properly, or depend on last-minute improvisation? Do I respond to correction with humility?
The Bible says:
“So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.”
Romans 14:12, KJV
That includes me.
The approval of people cannot replace the approval of God. A title cannot answer for my stewardship. Years of service cannot excuse an unconcerned heart.
God is good. God is merciful. God is also holy.
His mercy gives us room to repent, receive help and make the necessary changes. Let us use that opportunity well.
If God has entrusted you with leadership, let your heart carry the weight of that trust. Love His people. Honour His House. Attend to His work. Receive correction. Be faithful.
Prayer
Father, thank You for the privilege of serving You. Forgive me for every careless attitude and neglected responsibility. Deliver me from familiarity that weakens reverence. Give me a willing heart, a ready mind and genuine care for Your people. Help me to receive correction, seek help when needed and faithfully fulfil what You have entrusted to me. Let my service honour You, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
