Leaders have a responsibility to do the right thing and to live by the truth, even if doing the truly right thing by others, seemingly (from the leaders perspective) is not directly beneficial to attaining the goal, receiving recognition, or increasing gains and profit.
"it is for God to conceal a matter and for kings to seek it out"......when we do the right thing, according to the law of love, we are forced to press in to God for understanding.........he always meets us there. It's how we protect those we lead.......learning to follow the Truth that quietly speaks or nudges our hearts instead of listing to our heads, following and bellowing out one great idea after another to get ourselves ahead and closer to the goal........
But if we behold the Lord, focus on who we are based on who He is, and not just one or two aspects of who He is.....yes He is strength and authority and courage and boldness, but He is also love, gentleness, peace, rest, light, comfort, and restoration.........(there is no harshness or pressure (pressing) or selfish ambition.....Matthew 11:28), we will be like Him.
In fact, and this one took me so long to see, Jesus didn't try to change or influence people........He simply spoke the Truth and let it take root where it was received, and let it drop to the ground where it was rejected......it was simply that. So, if Jesus didn't scrutinize and exult himself and impose Himself on others, how can we?
What if there is another way to lead?
What if all our efforts go towards being who God says we are, our intimacy with Him, and our focus on love and humility........using only words spoken in love and gentleness meant solely for building up and empowering, encouraging and restoring......releasing people to operate in their gifts and strengths and honoring all............restoring and conferring honor and significance so that those we lead can see clearly enough to fulfill the call of God on their lives, rather than forcing them to respond to our call on their lives.
Can we really say of every person we know in the body that each is valuable just as they are ( without changing). That each one is truly significant no matter their work ethic, position, finances, or status? If we cannot be honest with ourselves here and admit that we do look down on those we feel do not measure up according to standards we establish, then we are operating under a spirit of pride and deception and we fool only ourselves. You see, when we are willing to admit this, pride is broken and true humility begins. And it is only at that point that we can begin to see our true selves, through Gods eyes, and then others accordingly.
You see, in the Kingdom of God, all are significant; there are ONLY sons and daughters, princes and princesses.........and so we must be honorable in our hearts, words, and actions to all.
Fooling ourselves isn't based in what we do though it manifests that way it seems.........fooling ourselves is rooted in who we are, or who we think we are, because our focus is on our performance and the performance of others, not on our being, or their being. YET, it is our being that God is most concerned with!
And our being begins with our view of God, focusing on who He is, what He is doing, rather than what we are or are not doing........we have it backwards and that is why it gets so clogged up and frustrating.........
Leadership is influence, true, but we are not to seek leadership. We are instructed to seek 1st the kingdom of God (HIS ways of doing and being right) then all these things shall be added unto you! So, if we seek wisdom as for gold, silver and treasure (proverbs 2-3) Gods wisdom, not man's........He'll surely reveal it to us and He will confer on us all the promises that He has declared over that in His Word, including leadership and influence.....
However, when we do it this way, on Gods time and in His way rather than grabbing for it and striving for it on our own, it is richer and long lasting (proverbs 28), because we have to endure Gods training and timing in the process as He builds into us, prepares us, and develops within us all we need to fulfill our calling His way. Not only that, but leadership or influence will be conferred without the path of wasted life, relationships and destruction along the way....... This is truly faith.......faith not only "works" as we so often hear ( faith without works is dead).....faith also rests.
"it is for God to conceal a matter and for kings to seek it out"......when we do the right thing, according to the law of love, we are forced to press in to God for understanding.........he always meets us there. It's how we protect those we lead.......learning to follow the Truth that quietly speaks or nudges our hearts instead of listing to our heads, following and bellowing out one great idea after another to get ourselves ahead and closer to the goal........
But if we behold the Lord, focus on who we are based on who He is, and not just one or two aspects of who He is.....yes He is strength and authority and courage and boldness, but He is also love, gentleness, peace, rest, light, comfort, and restoration.........(there is no harshness or pressure (pressing) or selfish ambition.....Matthew 11:28), we will be like Him.
In fact, and this one took me so long to see, Jesus didn't try to change or influence people........He simply spoke the Truth and let it take root where it was received, and let it drop to the ground where it was rejected......it was simply that. So, if Jesus didn't scrutinize and exult himself and impose Himself on others, how can we?
What if there is another way to lead?
What if all our efforts go towards being who God says we are, our intimacy with Him, and our focus on love and humility........using only words spoken in love and gentleness meant solely for building up and empowering, encouraging and restoring......releasing people to operate in their gifts and strengths and honoring all............restoring and conferring honor and significance so that those we lead can see clearly enough to fulfill the call of God on their lives, rather than forcing them to respond to our call on their lives.
Can we really say of every person we know in the body that each is valuable just as they are ( without changing). That each one is truly significant no matter their work ethic, position, finances, or status? If we cannot be honest with ourselves here and admit that we do look down on those we feel do not measure up according to standards we establish, then we are operating under a spirit of pride and deception and we fool only ourselves. You see, when we are willing to admit this, pride is broken and true humility begins. And it is only at that point that we can begin to see our true selves, through Gods eyes, and then others accordingly.
You see, in the Kingdom of God, all are significant; there are ONLY sons and daughters, princes and princesses.........and so we must be honorable in our hearts, words, and actions to all.
Fooling ourselves isn't based in what we do though it manifests that way it seems.........fooling ourselves is rooted in who we are, or who we think we are, because our focus is on our performance and the performance of others, not on our being, or their being. YET, it is our being that God is most concerned with!
And our being begins with our view of God, focusing on who He is, what He is doing, rather than what we are or are not doing........we have it backwards and that is why it gets so clogged up and frustrating.........
Leadership is influence, true, but we are not to seek leadership. We are instructed to seek 1st the kingdom of God (HIS ways of doing and being right) then all these things shall be added unto you! So, if we seek wisdom as for gold, silver and treasure (proverbs 2-3) Gods wisdom, not man's........He'll surely reveal it to us and He will confer on us all the promises that He has declared over that in His Word, including leadership and influence.....
However, when we do it this way, on Gods time and in His way rather than grabbing for it and striving for it on our own, it is richer and long lasting (proverbs 28), because we have to endure Gods training and timing in the process as He builds into us, prepares us, and develops within us all we need to fulfill our calling His way. Not only that, but leadership or influence will be conferred without the path of wasted life, relationships and destruction along the way....... This is truly faith.......faith not only "works" as we so often hear ( faith without works is dead).....faith also rests.
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