Leading Like Jesus Part 1 of 3

NEWSONG: Knees to the Earth by WaterMark off the CD The Purest Place
*I know its not a brand new song, but its beautiful and maybe would go well with worship

VERSE: 1 Timothy 3:1
Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task. Now the overseer must be above reproach . . .

THOUGHTS: I know that this is a short verse and I know that you may just think okay so what next? Well here it is. I have been reading from a book called Lead Like Jesus (it’s a great book). At the very beginning of the book the author tells us that there are three questions we have to ask ourselves about being a leader like Jesus: (1) Am I a leader? (2) Am I willing to follow Jesus as my leadership role model? (3) How do I lead like Jesus?

Through the next few weeks I want to talk about being a leader. Becoming a leader. So as we do these devotionals together and as you are reading this on my blog also, I would like to challenge you to either grow into a leader, or grow your leadership into a whole new level.

This week I want to take a look at the first question: Am I a leader? Ken Blanchard says, “Leadership is a process of influence.” Being a leader doesn’t always mean that you have to have a name, that you have a position, but that you are in a place of influence. Anytime you seek to influence the thinking, behavior, or development of people in their personal, professional, or spiritual lives, you are taking on the role of a leader. Where are you influencing other people? Blanchard then goes on to tell us that there are two things evident in those who lead: (1) a leader doesn’t always have to influence someone in a positive way, it just has to do with the influence they have over someone, and (2) leaders are involved in making personal choices about how and why to use their influence. The ultimate question comes in here. Do we seek to lead through serving the needs of others or do we seek to lead through the service of others to us? I don’t want to tell you how to live your life or how to go about being a leader, but I want to leave you with this, Christ came down to this earth, he is the greatest leader in the history of the world, and he was a leader who came to lead through the serving of others. . . .

Next week: Am I willing to follow Jesus as m leadership role model?