Many people desire to have a leadership role. This might be in your career, on a team, or even in your church. It seems so appealing from the outside. But leadership truly begins with a servants mindset as a true leader put the goals of the team above his/her personal wants and needs.
True leadership is servant leadership! Who takes the blame when things do not work out the way others believe they should? Who has to make the tough decisions that others may not like? Who has to deliver the bad news? No matter what leadership role you have, someone will be looking to shoot you down. Leadership always comes with some level of stress and anxiety over the responsibilities that come with the position. These days, even the president is doing well if he has greater than a 50% approval rating. Amazing! While leadership can be very rewarding, it is unlikely because of glory, popularity, or riches. The rewards come from serving those you lead and rejoicing in their successes. Words of wisdom for leaders: 1. Stay Humble 2. Have a servant mindset 3. Have a growth mindset rather than a fixed mindset 4. Seek wise counsel 5. Prayer 6. Don't take things personally 7. Expect challenges and solve problems 8. Control what you can control 9. Own up to mistakes 10. Be honest with yourself and your team 11. Give credit for success to you team 12. Be aware of your weaknesses and your strengths 13. Be you! You are unique. 14. Remember success is not final and failure is not fatal Matthew 20:28 ...just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” Memorial Day is a time to reflect on Sacrifice and Gratitude. These virtues are both civic and religious...
This Memorial Day we remember the sacrifice of many soldiers who gave their life for our country and something bigger than themselves. Was it worth it? This is the question we must ask ourselves. How are we living? Are we thankful for our freedom and prosperity? Do we recognize the sacrifice that is required for freedom? Was their sacrifice worth it? Even more so, we remember Christ and His sacrifice for our freedom from sin. Again, the question is, was it worth it? Are we living for Him? Are we thankful for our freedom from sin? Do we take up our cross and follow Him? Was His sacrifice worth it? We ought to reflect on these questions this Memorial Day. John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. In an effort to prove ourselves right, we sometimes prove ourselves to be less effective. The goal is not to show that we are superior to others but to get both parties to an end goal. This is true in relationships, jobs, teams, and any other group endeavor. Here are some things to consider to be more effective rather that proving to others that you are right... even if you are! Be Respectful - Have love for other people. Treat them and their ideas with respect in a dignified manner, Avoid condescending tones and always avoid sarcasm. Listen to Other's Thoughts - Even if we disagree, we should listen carefully to what others have to say. This should be an active listening process. Validate them when appropriate and be reflective by restating main points back to them to clarify your understanding. Avoid Over Talking - Do not interrupt their explanation. Allow time before interjecting. Ask Questions - Ask open ended questions that allow them to clarify their views. Show a genuine interest in understanding their point of view. In the end, if we focus on being effective rather than being right, we all win! Goggin and Strobel wrote a book titled, "The Way of the Dragon or The Way of the Lamb." While it is focused toward the leaders in the church, we all can look within ourselves and evaluate our heart.
The question they ask is, "Do we seek worldly power and success or do we seek to glorify Jesus through our weaknesses and trust in Him? " When we serve, do we seek after affirmation or to honor Christ and grow others? The authors focus on seeking power from Christ through our own weaknesses. 2 Corinthians 12 9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 1 Corinthians 3 11 For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood,hay, straw— 13 each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, becauseit will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. 14 Ifthe work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. 15 Ifanyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire. Galatians 6 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. The words of Winston Churchill ring so very true! We often make the mistake of thinking that once we are successful at something that we have arrived and we are worthy of glory. Likewise when we fail, we think that all hope is lost and we should be ashamed. Neither is true! It is important to always move forward and learn from our experiences. We should not think to highly of ourselves or beat our selves up, simply take courage and continue... Never too high, never too low, just steady as she goes!!
Philippians 4 13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me. James 4 6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
"You reap what you sow, later than you sow, greater than you sow." - Dr. Charles Stanley
There is much truth to this statement by Dr. Stanley. Our current actions will determine our future consequences. If you sow what is good then you will reap goodness in life. If you sow dissension and evil then you will yield the product of that seed. To seek after a noble things in life is at the core of finding/reaping meaning and fulfillment. Philippians 4:8. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Galatians 6:7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. Proverbs 1:31 “They will eat the fruit of their ways and be filled with the fruit of their schemes,” In this life, even if we sow what is good, life may still have its trials and tribulations. This is not inconsistent with scripture. We are actually storing up treasures in heaven that will last for all eternity. Experiencing unfavorable consequences does not necessarily mean we have sown evil things. The principle of reaping and sowing is generally true, but not always at work in the way we might expect or in the time we might expect. At some point, in this life or the next, we will surely eat of the fruit that we have planted. “Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life” (Galatians 6:8). “Tolerance is the virtue of the man without convictions.” ― G. K. Chesterton We hear it said often that we are to be tolerant of others who have different viewpoints. I think it would be wiser to be a respecter of persons and lover of neighbors more so than tolerant. The individual always has value and deserves to be loved. The ideas of an individual may not deserve tolerance. Certain things in this life are either true or false, right or wrong, good or evil. Tolerance seems to be a demand from those who want their ideas to be validated, but the tolerance stops when a conflicting viewpoint is expressed. We see this in our American Society in the current days. I believe that many use the term tolerance to actually mean acceptance and demand it from others. Many confuse disapproval as intolerance. Tolerance actually implies a level of suffering or bearing with some idea different than our own, however, there is naturally a limit to the level of tolerance acceptable. We should never tolerate evil! The dilemma is that people have different ideas as to what is evil or not. Perhaps the most tolerant people have less convictions! Those who appose our views need not approve of our beliefs but they should practice greater respect and love of us, the same respect they expect from us. Recently I began to walk in the early morning before the sun comes up. As the sun slowly rises in the East more and more details of my surroundings are revealed. It is such a surreal experience on such a simple level. This experience made me think about the nature of light and darkness. The light will always overcome darkness and reveal truth but darkness can never overcome light. In the famous movie series Star Wars, there is a battle between the "Light Side" and the "Dark Side" of the force. For the christian, there is a battle between love and sin. To choose the light side of the force is to choose life, To choose the dark side is to choose death. Choose LIGHT, Choose LIFE!! John 8 12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” When you walk in the light, the truth is always revealed. Jesus is the WAY, THE TRUTH, and the LIFE. I wanted to share the following from Daniel Macaraeg.
Source: https://medium.com/@danielmacaraeg/what-is-gods-love-language-537d203858a8 Gary Chapman in 1995 wrote the book, 'The Five Love Languages." So, just what are these five love languages?
What is God’s love language? How does He prefer to receive love? Believe it or not, God’s primary love language is none of the above.
God’s love language is OBEDIENCE. Jesus Christ couldn’t be any clearer in John 14:15: If you love me, keep My commandments.” He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me” (John 14:21) For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3). For more visit: https://medium.com/@danielmacaraeg/what-is-gods-love-language-537d203858a8 |