Who or what do you think of when you think of a great leader? Maybe this person has most of the characteristics listed in
the above picture. Leaders, both good and bad, have a HUGE impact on our lives whether we realize it or not. They are all around us everyday and many of us are leaders in our realm of influence. This image shows many of the dynamics of interaction that comes together to make a great leader. Leadership is also one of the spiritual gifts that God chooses to give to some believers at the time of their salvation. (Remember though, this is only ONE of the spiritual gifts, and ALL of the spiritual gifts are important and critical to the Body of Christ!!!) So, do you see some words in this diagram that describe some of the things that you see in strong, Godly leadership in your realm of experience? Josiah is one of the best examples of this kind of leadership in the entire Bible! He exhibited humility, great organizational skills, compassion, ability to restore, and adaptability. The blueprint that God made for Godly leadership is a template for the type of leaders He wants to use and then the individual's personality fits into that template and when the two come together in a Christian, it is a BEAUTIFUL thing!
Of course the PERFECT example of strong, Godly leadership is our Lord and Sav
ior, Jesus Christ. The most AMAZING thing about Jesus' leadership? The fact that He was a SERVANT!!! And of course, Jesus is the perfect example of a leader that any of us with this spiritual gift can follow. So for those of us who are given the spiritual gift of leadership, are we using it for the glory of God and to serve Him and to serve the Body of Christ? Leadership is HARD and without God, we could end up like all of these horrible kings that led the kingdom of Israel. Leadership can also be easily abused and pride can ruin a great leader so VERY quickly!
One of the KEY things that ALL of us can do for our leaders is to pray for God's protection. Godly leaders are under CONSTANT attack from the enemy! So please, please pray for our Pastors and especially Pastor Chris, as he has come to our church to lead us in a VERY Godly way and will inevitably be under strong attack. And for those of us that are leaders, are we doing it with a servant attitude? Do you want to be the most effective leader you can be for the Lord? Then do it as a humble, servant leader and you will be amazed!!!
Loved the post Mindy! When thinking of a genuine leader the characteristics of humility and compassion come to mind. A true leader must put self to the side and have a sense of passion for the tasks at hand. I really look up to leaders who put God first and work towards a goal which is not self-seeking or motivated by pride. Phrases such as "look what I accomplished" or "I am hoping for" do not set well with me. Leaders lead by using the tools and spiritual gifts given to us by our Creator-God. Lord, please help me lead through following Your will.
ReplyDeleteThank you for a thought provoking post Mindy! We are all leaders in some realm of life. Those who are more in the public eye need constant prayer- as well as the people close to them. Thank you for the reminder to pray for our leaders, especially our church leaders. God has given them a special burden.
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