Good Leaders Drink--A Lot

Hebrews 6:7-8 Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and produces a crop useful for those whom it is farmed receives the blessings of God. (8) But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned.

There is no doubt that some of you thought today’s title was the prelude to a discussion on Christian liberty. Some of you might even be having a bad day and were hoping you could use this article to justify having a beer right about now. After all, even Paul encouraged Timothy to take a bit of wine for his stomach.


Sorry my friends, not today! Our Scripture has nothing to do with alcohol and everything to do with thirst—drinking and growing as a useful servant of God. While the location of this parable is likely the result of its supporting a larger theological truth, today we will focus specifically on what its content is encouraging us to do.

Do You Absorb the Rain?

Are you thirsty right now? What are you thirsty for? How much of the things of God are you drinking? As a professing Christian, you are indwelled with the Holy Spirit, which can be likened to an internal storm that rains daily within you. It is up to you whether to absorb the rain, the things of God, or to become like an unbeliever, who has no access to the power of its moisture. Both the believer and the unbeliever know that if you stand in the rain, your clothes will get wet. However, only the believer knows that you must tilt your head back, open your mouth, and even stick your tongues out to absorb the things of God. There is no "filling up" within an unbeliever.

Believers must not shield themselves from absorbing the things of God.

Our passage says that God provides this rain "often." And just like farmers can tell when the ground has absorbed the rain by its yield, we can tell when we “stick our tongue out” by examining our crops. After a close inspection, would we say that what we are producing has value to those around us? Is our crop only for our own consumption or is there enough for those with whom God has surrounded us? Those of us who have a kingdom purpose for our activities might find it easier to identify individuals who might greatly benefit from the crop we have produced. Those who don't have a kingdom purpose might look at what we have and sense that it has as much value as a thorn bush—it’s not worthy of passing along to anyone.

Being Wise with Your Crops
 
As a leader, how do you think this verse applies to you? "... From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked” (Luke 12:48 NIV).

Size up the responsibilities and authority you have as a business or ministry leader, and then identify what parts of those responsibilities you have acquired on your own. If you agree that we have received it all from God, then we must ask ourselves if we have been trustworthy with ALL OF IT.


At this stage of my life, there are not many days that go by when I don’t lament the complete waste of portions of my life. If Christ had come during those periods of my life, what I had produced for Him would have been an embarrassment. While I would have been spared, my crops He would have burned.


Friends, the value of what you have grown will be directly proportional to how much of the Word of God that you have tasted. The more you taste of what is good, the more you feast on what you eat. The more you feast on God's word, the thirstier you get. The thirstier you get, the more you drink. The more often you drink, the more the Holy Spirit demonstrates His power through you and what you produce.


So while the law says "Don't drink and drive," I say, “Just drink—a lot.”