Leadership

So, today I woke up thinking about leadership. I don't really know why other than the fact that ever since I was 12 there has been a cry in my heart to be a great leader. I told the Lord that I wanted to be a man that HE would write about. It wasn't a prideful thing in my heart but it was my desire to live a life that so pleased Him that He would want to write about me. I wanted to be someone that people could and would want to follow. But this begs the question...what makes a great leader?

Well, here are two things that I was pondering this morning that I believe help make a great leader.

1. We must always be more concerned about the condition of our own heart over the condition of other peoples hearts.
Now, here is kind of a tricky one because obviously as leaders we must be concerned about confronting and dealing with issues in peoples lives but unfortunately sometimes we get so focused on dealing with other peoples problems that we lose sight of our own. Jesus speaks clearly in Matthew 7 that we are to first get the plank out of our own eye then we can see clearly to remove the speck in our brothers eye. It isn't that Jesus doesn't want us to speak to each other about our issues but He wants us to do it in the right order and with the right heart. It is also interesting that Jesus says there is a plank in your eye and you are trying to remove a speck, which indicates that sometimes we actually have a bigger hindrance in our own eye that hinders us from being able to see what are the real issues even in others. A lot of times we think others have BIG issues when in reality it is us with the BIG issue. I have found that if I am more focused on dealing with my issues than not only do I see better to deal with the issues of others but the people under me respond better because they see my willingness to deal with my issues.

2. If you want to lead great you must serve great!
Now, this is one that we usually all agree on because Jesus is SO clear in the gospel as He spoke to His disciples about being a great leader. He who wants to be the greatest among you must serve and be humble. True humility is the key because sometimes we can even serve with a selfish heart that wants to get noticed or is trying to work the "system" of if I serve than I will get exalted. It's not just about our actions of service but more about our heart of service. We must serve with out expectation of return. If we serve only if it benefits us or because someone important is going to see it then it's not true service and it's not true leadership. We always think of leadership as being over people but it is really way more about coming underneath people and pushing them up and forward. We need to have more of a desire to come along side and underneath people than to be over them. The word says do not lord "over" them as the Gentiles do but serve. Now I am not saying leaders shouldn't boldly and clearly lead. There are obviously times when we must take a clear lead but it should always be with a heart to see the ones under us succeed, grow, and released into their destiny as the next generation of leaders.

In this day we must see a generation of leaders that walk in true humility to see their own hearts dealt with and to be willing to lay down their lives completely for each other with no expectation of anything in return. I write this not from a place of feeling like I have attained it but I am first challenging myself and pressing towards the goal of continually becoming more like Jesus. So, I also challenge you today to not just hear and know these truths but to be a doer of these truths.

That's the way Jesus led and that's the way we are to lead!
That is true leadership and true greatness!