Remembering what leadership is

As a person that considers himself to be a leader, I think I often forget what being a leader means. Leadership may include making decisions. It may include telling people what to do, or how to do something. It may mean having responsibility to guide people under your care. But the first thing a leader must be is a servant. This means you have to love those you are leading. You have to consider them as more important than yourself.

I feel as if my selfishness and laziness keeps getting pushed in my face as I study the word of God. I am a person that wants what I want when I want it. I am also a person that does not want to work hard at getting what I want. I want to find the least path of resistance. I want to pick the lowest fruit on the tree.

That is not what a servant leader does. A servant leader does whatever is needed to meet the (true) needs of the person they are trying to lead. This means genuinely caring for those people. It means leading by example.

In order to do this, I have to be spiritually connect with God. I cannot love and serve others unless I am focused on Jesus. I have to be willing to go the extra mile. I have to be willing to climb the tree and pick the fruit that is too high for me to reach. Jesus came to this earth to serve. He lived a life of service. He was followed by people all the time. Jesus did not get annoyed with them, he healed them. He had compassion on them.

Am I a servant leader? I pray that I am.

Hmmm life needs to always be evaluated

Take up your cross and follow Jesus is something that I hear repeatedly in Christian circles. The prefix to this is we must deny ourselves. The NLT says give up all your selfish desires. As a parent and a husband I realize everyday how selfish I am. How I feel entitled to my down time, my sleep, and my fun. The question is what am I entitled to? I am not entitled to any of those things. I am entitled to be a servant of God and man. That is what I am entitled to. First of all do I serve God? I do vocationally, but do I do it as a lifestyle. I truly hope so, but I know I have a long way to go. I want to serve God with all that I am. I want to be used by Him. I want to take up my cross and follow Him. This summer I was challenged with the statement big change happens with small decisions. Am I making wise decisions that translate into me taking up my cross and denying myself? That is something I have to constantly be challenging myself with. The second part of this is, am I serving people? The people I like, it is easier to serve them. But God is calling me to serve even the people I do not like. Most times the only reason I do not like someone is because of some selfish reason. Which brings me back to the point, am I serving people by taking up my cross and following Jesus and denying my selfish desires? Hmmmm life needs to always be evaluated.

The Heart is what God wants

A couple months ago I listened to a sermon by Andy Stanley. It was on how God wants our hearts more than anything else. When God has our hearts, He truly will have our obedience. This sermon has stuck with me. It has changed how I read scriptures. I have started noticing how much God talks about the heart. I was reading in Matthew today. Jesus talked about how from our heart comes our sin. This is so true in my life. I know when I am tempted it comes from in my heart. It always starts as a thought that comes from my heart and then moves to actions. I hate sin. I hate that my heart is so wicked. I think a lot of this has to do with the fact that I have not sold all that I own to follow Jesus. I was reading earlier this week about the guy who found treasure in a field. After he found it, he sold all that he had and bought the field that had the treasure. Have I really sold all of my old ways. Have I truly given all that I am to Jesus. Do I live a life of surrender. I think this is going to be a constant question I face in my life. I want to surrender to God. I want to give God all that I am. I wanted to be used by God. My biggest hindrance to that is me and my heart, me and my selfish desires. Oh God, that I might walk in your ways. That is my desire.

God is still in control

It is not easy to believe God is in control when the fallen state of the world is so evident. Earlier this week I was in Denver talking about how God’s mission is restoring things back to way they were before sin entered the world. Well fast-forward. Thursday I watch paramedics trying to restore life. I am not sure if they were successful. Please pray for Jan. Now I just found out that someone in our church succumbed to depression. Life is short. How are we investing it? Through these experiences God is showing me how I passively lead both in my family and in ministry. Do I really care about anyone else, or just when I need something from them? This is the real question of commission. Do I love God or do I use God. Do I love people or do I use people.

I have to trust that God is in control of these situations. I have to believe he has a plan. I now have to wait to see how He is going to get glory through these tough times. I may never see it on this earth, but I have to trust that it will happen.

Frailty of life

Yesterday will be a day I remember for the rest of my life. I am not sure of the outcome of this experience, but regardless of the outcome, God is using it to shape me. The past two weeks God has been teaching me compassion.

Starting with last week, I was in Littleton CO to do some training. While there I went with 7 other guys to the Littleton Memorial for the students who died in the Columbine shooting in 1999. While there, I read what the parents wanted us to remember about their students. It was a very surreal experience. When the shooting happened I was not marked by it. Remember I am learning compassion. I remember it happening, but it was too far from me to have lasting affect. Going through this memorial really stirred up some serious emotion in me. One of the guys I went through the memorial with was a youth pastor at a local church. He was around during the shootings. Hearing him tell stories moved me.

This brings me to yesterday. I was at church and a sweet elderly woman lost consciousness in her car (before she was able to leave the parking lot). I had to call 911 and this is where the frailty of life comes in. I watched the paramedics try and revive her. This is someone I know. I watched them try to help her breathe. I was moved to tears. My wife said she wishes she could have seen that (the tears). Remember I am learning compassion. My heart hurts for this woman. She is a sweet women that loves God. Keep praying for her. I am not sure how this is going to end, but God is using this experience to shape me and how I love others.