Spiritual Leadership..

I like how Esther always writes up the devotionals from ODJ in her blog. =)

Today was on Spiritual Leadership. Not ordinary leadership defined by this world. But what it is to be a leader in the Kingdom of God.

Luke 22:24-27

²⁴ A dispute also arose among them, as to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest.²⁵ And he said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors. ²⁶ But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves. ²⁷For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am among you as the one who serves.

There are a few things I learnt from this passage today.

1) Jesus was a redefiner of His generation (heh! XD). He came not to conform, but to set a standard. To show that human standards and human values can only go so far. In other words, Jesus came and showed us what HOLY is in the eyes of God, not in the eyes of the law. So often, He would outrightly not follow the traditions of men. He showed that while laws and traditions mold us and build us up, we should not stay in a cast or a mold forever.

In other words, KEEP GROWING!

2) Jesus came to revert and reverse the thinking of man. Just as Paul said that God chose the foolish to shame the wise, Jesus came to put down the proud and lift up the humble. What Jesus said in the verses above just explained the world of business today. Today, people step on each other to go up. It's the survival of the fittest they say. Leadership is not for the weak and the ones who serve. Yet Jesus specifically said that our leadership is not one of earthly values, but of Kingdom values. He acknowledged that the one who reclines at the table is greater. Yet He, the greatest One of all, is the one who serves.

J. Oswald Sanders said Leadership is influence. President Trumann said that leadership is getting people to do things that they normally wouldn't want to do, and like doing it. Hah. That is the power of leadership.

Today, I challenge you leaders (even myself.) Have we been reclining at the table too much?Have we let leadership fill our front view and have we neglected to show that Spiritual Leadership is more than a promotion?

Spiritual leadership is not about promotion. It is about maturity.

Regards,

MarcusDS