009: Heart of A True Leader

Jesus modeled the role of a true servant leader by investing most of His time in training and equipping the disciples for leadership when His earthly ministry was over. 

He said in John 14:12 

"I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith

in me will do what I have been doing.

He will do even greater things than

these, because I am going to the Father." 

What does this mean?

Lets look in details!

"I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me..." 

- This mentioned his miracles as proofs of his deity, he assures his disciples, in order to comfort them under the loss of his bodily presence, that they should do the same, and greater works; for we are not to understand these words of everyone that believes in Christ, of every private believer in him, but only of the apostles, and each of them, that were true believers in him:

"...will do what I have been doing."

- Jesus refers to His statement where 'he shall raise the dead, heal all manner of diseases, and cast out devils'; things which Christ gave his apostles power to do, when he first gave them a commission to preach the Gospel, and when he renewed and enlarged it: and which they did perform, not in their own name, and by their own power, but in the name, and by the power of Christ:

"...He will do even greater things than these,..."

- Meaning, not greater in nature and kind, but more in number; for the apostles, in a long series of time, and course of years, went about preaching the Gospel, not in Judea only, but in all the world; "God also bearing them witness with signs and wonders, and divers miracles and gifts of the Holy Ghost", (Hebrews 2:4) , wherever they went: though perhaps by these greater works may be meant the many instances of conversion, which the apostles were instrumental in, and which were more in number than those which were under our Lord's personal ministry: besides, the conversion of a sinner is a greater work than any of the miracles of raising the dead for this includes in it all miracles: here we may see a sinner, dead in trespasses and sins, quickened; one born blind made to see; one who was deaf to the threatenings of the law, and to the charming voice of the Gospel, made to hear, so as to live; and one that had the spreading leprosy of sin all over him, cleansed from it by the blood of the Lamb yea, though a miracle in nature is an instance and proof of divine power, yet the conversion of a sinner, which is a miracle in grace, is not only an instance of the power of God, and of the greatness of it, but of the exceeding greatness of it: and the rather one may be induced to give in to this sense of the passage, since it is added, as a reason,

"...because I am going to the Father."

- and upon my ascension the Spirit will be given, to you, which shall not only enable you to perform miracles, as proofs of your apostleship, and the doctrine you preach, but which shall powerfully spread the Gospel to the multitudes of souls.

Being a leader is not an easy task. However in your life, be a leader whom God Himself have put you to be. He have given you the power and authority to spread the word to all nations and let them know that He is our true Living God. 

Keep in mind that we should be thankful for what God has done in our lives. Thank God for modeling the life of a servant so that we would know what is required of us. Even though we are far from being perfect, guide our hearts so that as leaders in this world, we want and can accomplish those things that God have set before us so that God may be glorified now and forever!

Amen!

008: Leader is friends to everyone

In the use of His time and efforts on earth, Jesus modeled sacrificial passion for ensuring that His followers were equipped to carry on the movement. Jesus lived His legacy in intimate relationship with those He empowered with His work experience.

"I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you." 

John 15:15

Simple prayer: Best friend, You have loved me into relationship with You and have called me Your friend.   May all of those I lead find me as faithful as You have been to me. In Jesus' name, amen. 

007: As A Leader, Servant Is The Act of Service

Servant leaders look at leadership as an act of service. Self-serving leaders are addicted to power and recognition and are afraid to loss of position. 

Most leaders act as 'self-serving' leaders where their position and recognition is far more important for them than anything else.

A servant leader? “oh..come on. Be real!” This might be our first reaction when we hear the word servant-hood. Being a leader is a tough job. It doesn’t just requires a lot of discipline but it demands an everyday check-up in our actions, words, thoughts, and decisions made. It is a question of are we leading or are we just walking alone? Self-serving or Servant?

As you consider the heart issues of leadership, a primary question you will continue to have to ask yourself is: “Am I a servant leader or a self-serving leader?” It is a question that, when answered with brutal honesty, will go to the core of your intention or motivation as a leader.

One of the quickest ways you can tell the difference between a servant leader and a self-serving leader is how they handle feedback, because one of the biggest fears that self-serving leaders is to lose their position.

Self-serving leaders spend most of their time protecting their status. If you give them feedback, how do they usually respond? Negatively. They think that your feedback means they don’t want their leadership anymore.

Servant leaders, however look at leadership as an act of service. They embrace and welcome feedback as a source of useful information on how they can provide better service.

Another way to tell a self-serving from a servant leader is how they approach successful planning.

Self-serving leaders who are addicted to power, recognition and who are afraid of loss of position are not likely to spend any time or effort in training their replacements.

For Matthew 20:26-28 says:

 "²⁶ Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, ²⁷ and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— ²⁸ just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

So, my question is: Are you a Servant Leader or a Self-serving Leader?

006: Guarding Your Heart

As you consider the heart issues of leadership, a primary question you will continue to have to ask yourself is: "Am I a servant leader or a self-serving leader?" It is a question that, when answered with brutal honesty, will reveal your true motivation as a leader.

"Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." Proverbs 4:23

Simple prayer "Lord, I want to be a servant leader and to lead by Your example. Bring my heart, my thoughts, my words, and my actions into alignment so that I demonstrate Your character to those I love and lead. Amen!

005: "Love Others like You have love me"

Whenever we have an opportunity or a responsibility to influence the thinking and the behavior of others, we must first choose to benefit those we are leading, rather than to act out of self-ineterest.

"But now that you have been set free from sin

and have become slaves to God, the benefit you

reap leads to holiness and the result is eternal life. 

-Romans 6:22-

Remember that God has made you and He loves you. Help us God to remember that You love other in the same way You love me. May God helps us to love and cherish each person I encounter today in the way You would. 

004: The Heart of Leadership

Leadership is first and foremost a matter of the heart!

"The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and

the good stored up his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil

stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks."

-Luke 6:45-

We should ask God to restore our heart today so that the good that is often hidden will be released and the evil that is so often prevalent will removed.  

003: Lean on God

The truly exciting part of following Jesus is that He never sends you into any situation with a faulty plan or a plan to fail. 

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." -Matthew 11:28-30

As followers of Christ, we need to ask God to teach us how to lean on Him and to trust the Lord to provide all that we need for this day. Often times we struggle ourselves with the problems we face. We pray to Him, but still do not fully trust the Lord. 

Proverbs 3:5 says to

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart; and lean not unto your own understanding."

Most of us want to be 'self-sufficient, and not have to rely on anyone for anything. That is a natural reaction from an adult. The child always leans on the parents for security, but, adults either feel secure without 'leaning', or, they try to make others feel they are secure. But, most of us need someone to lean on, especially in hard times. We aren't the strong people we make others think we are, at times. And, there's nothing wrong with being insufficient at times, that we need others to help. That is why leaning on God is very important; trusting Him with all your heart is necessary.