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Jeremiah
In Jeremiah 1:4-10, God commissioned Jeremiah to be a prophet to the nations. In spite of Jeremiah’s reticence, the Lord assured him that he would be adequate for the task. God not only equipped him for this ministry, but he also empowered him to accomplish it. In the same way, God equips each of us with a singular mix of temperament, education, background, aptitudes and abilities. He couples this mix with a distinctive sphere of influence. In this way, each of us is entrusted with the dignity and responsibility of a unique ministry to others.
Proverbs
A servant leader’s major focus is the maximum development of their people. In Proverbs 4:7, a father urges his son, “Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.” The father urges his sons to go beyond doing things because someone else tells them it’s the right thing to do. When we cultivate wisdom and understanding, we have our own wise moral compass to guide us. Our drive to excellence becomes an internal matter, and we are guided by our own personal vision and values. That’s the ultimate goal of Out of This World Leaders!
Paul
In 1 Thessalonians 2:6-12, Paul defined his relationships to the people of Thessalonica both as a “mother” and “father.” He made decisions concerning particular followers in Thessalonica by asking himself, “If this were my daughter or son, what would I do?” Not a bad starting point for leaders.
In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul shows how Jesus leads people.
Paul points out that Jesus understood the importance of managing and developing people. In this passage, the risen Christ himself called those who would serve as the foundation of his church: “the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers.” Jesus gave each believer unique spiritual gifts and the church special individuals whom He had particularly gifted for spiritual leadership.
Furthermore, Jesus planned the “works of service” performed by His own people, who would build up the body of Christ “until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Song of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”
In what capacity are you gifted by God to help in the development of others? How do you exercise that gift?
For me, I am “a leader wherever I am, improving leadership wherever I go.” I’m passionate about helping others reach their full potential. Yesterday & today, I had an opportunity to share leadership lessons with the McMurry University Baseball team and coaches in Abilene, Texas. It’s encouraging to see a group of men, who are passionate about following Jesus Christ and want to honor him with their lives and through baseball.
How are you interacting with others? Are you developing them, caring for them, protecting them? Some of the loudest proclamations of our values are made in how we manage and develop human resources—the people we are ultimately responsible for.