Bible verse for today: 1 Samuel 2:35 "I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who will do according to what is in my heart and mind. I will firmly establish his priestly house, and they will minister before my anointed one always."(NIV)
The story of Eli in the bible is a perfect example of how successful people fail when it comes to family relationships. Some very successful people who inspire people out there fail to inspire their own children who then become a direct opposite of what they stand for.
Eli was a great leader in Israel but his children failed to adhere to the ordinances of God and they all paid dearly with their lives. Eli never taught his children the importance of serving God in truth and spirit, his leadership skills at home was nil compared to what was expected of him. He never practised what he preached rather gave his sons power to do as they saw fit.
As parents, leaders of various organisations, do you adhere to your own principles so that others can follow or you lay down principles to show power and control?
The Word for Today devotional by United Christian Broadcasters (UCB) says:
Being the high priest in Israel was a prestigious job, and Eli seemed suited to it. Yet he failed badly on the home front. ‘…His sons did not follow his ways. They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice’ (1 Samuel 8:3 NIV). As a result, God told Eli He ‘…would judge his family forever because of the sin he knew about; his sons blasphemed against God, and he failed to restrain them’ (1 Samuel 3:13 NIV). As a parent and leader you need to answer this question: If God applied the same standard to you as He did to Eli, how well would you do? Eli ended up losing his credibility, his children, his career, and eventually his life.
He missed the mark because he made some critical errors. Let’s look at them and see what we can learn: 1) He had the wrong emphasis. He emphasised the Word of God to the people in his congregation, but not to his own children. 2) He had the wrong expectations. He thought his children would ‘get it’ because they lived under his roof and worked in the church. But it doesn’t work that way. 3) He set the wrong example. Eli failed to live at home what he taught at work. He had 20/20 vision when it came to his profession, but where his family was concerned he was blind to his own weakness. Leadership on the homefront isn’t about power and control; it’s about ‘giving yourself’ to the people who should matter most (Ephesians 5:25). So, how are you doing on the home front?