3 Scriptures on Leadership
No person has ever made a mark on history that even comes close to the impact Jesus has made. Born of humble origins his leadership started a movement that turned the world upside down and moved millions. As Christians we are followers of Christ and strive to model our lives after him. Any leader, of any faith would be wise to learn from the unique leadership style of Christ.
These verses on Christian leadership will hopefully give you encouragement to follow Christ more closely and to live your life in a way that impacts others with God’s love as Jesus did.
In this passage John the Baptist, a great leader in his own right, is approached by his disciples who ask John about the rising work of Jesus. His response is clear. John’s leadership is not about himself. He is not leading to lift up his own name, reputation, or situation. John is following the example of Jesus who himself modeled the principal of selfless, servant leadership.
In a world that constantly tells you to follow your desire and to look out for number one this type of leadership is a breath of fresh air. We can follow Christ joyfully because we know that he came to serve and his greatest act of leadership was willingly laying down his life for us.
What would it look like if you led by becoming less so that Christ became more?
This chapter in Proverbs offers timeless advice on seeking wisdom. It finds the core of leadership and your life as a whole: your heart. It is from your heart that everything else flows so prioritize your heart above all else.
We see with all of the great leaders found in scripture not perfection, nor achievement but a heart for God. You see this in the teachings of Jesus. When asked the greatest commandment he said to love the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength. We see this in Jesus life. His actions of love and kindness were not an act but flowed from a heart that was committed to his Father and full of love for the world.
As a leader don’t focus just on results, rather focus above all else on your heart.
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"Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him"
Commit, trust, wait. How comfortable are these words? Are these what you expect a leader to look like? In the next part of this passage David advises “do not fret when people succeed in their ways.” Committing to God, trusting in him, and waiting patiently is not the rode to immediate success. It may in fact look like failure for the moment. But rest assured that it is the path to TRUE success.
Christ exemplified this and calls us to join him in trusting in God the Father.
Following & Leading
How can you follow Christ leadership more? What actions can you take to become less? To guard and nurture your heart? How can you commit more fully, trust more deeply, and wait patiently on God?
To dive deeper into Jesus leadership we invite you view Pastor Ernie’s sermon “A Different Kind of Leader.”