Leaders practice the Law of Sacrifice. They must give up to go up. Taking on a leadership role is not a vacation trip, but a journey full of responsibility and sacrifice. Looking at the example of Jeremiah, we can draw valuable insights:
- He was called into a ministry of opposition. (Jeremiah 1:18-19) He never became famous, and people did not flock to him to hear how wicked they were.
- He was not allowed to marry. (Jeremiah 16:1-2) He lived a lonely life without the joys of a family.
- He was beaten and put in stocks. (Jeremiah 20:1-3) People responded to his message by inflicting physical pain on him.
- He voluntarily placed himself under a yoke to show how God's judgment on Israel would proceed. (Jeremiah 27:1-3) God told Jeremiah to wear this yoke in order to show the people of Israel publicly what would happen next.
- He was thrown into a cistern. (Jeremiah 38:1-6) He was treated worse than murderers and thieves and nearly sank into the mud.
If a leader reads this today, their own troubles suddenly don't seem so bad anymore, do they? Jeremiah had to endure terrible things and never turned away from God's message. A powerful example of the Law of Sacrifice.
Jeremiah 1:19 And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the LORD, to deliver thee.
Jeremiah 16:1 The word of the LORD came also unto me, saying,
2 Thou shalt not take thee a wife, neither shalt thou have sons or daughters in this place.
Jeremiah 20:2 Then Pashur smote Jeremiah the prophet, and put him in the stocks that were in the high gate of Benjamin, which was by the house of the LORD.
Jeremiah 27:1 In the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah the son of Josiah king of Judah came this word unto Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,
2 Thus saith the LORD to me; Make thee bonds and yokes, and put them upon thy neck,
3 And send them to the king of Edom, and to the king of Moab, and to the king of the Ammonites, and to the king of Tyrus, and to the king of Zidon, by the hand of the messengers which come to Jerusalem unto Zedekiah king of Judah.
Jeremiah 38:6 Then took they Jeremiah, and cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah the son of Hammelech, that was in the court of the prison: and they let down Jeremiah with cords. And in the dungeon there was no water, but mire: so Jeremiah sunk in the mire.
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