Read Mark 14:61-63 Read Luke 4:16-21
In Week One we looked at God’s faithfulness and power in the midst of our weakness. This is the core of true, biblically based leadership. This week, we will study biblical profiles of leadership from the Old and New Testaments. In doing so, we will extract principles of leadership from the behaviors and heart attitudes of these biblical figures.
But if that is all we do, we will have missed a major point about biblical leadership. Leadership success is not formulaic; it’s not about identifying actions and behaviors and then merely performing accordingly. As discussed last week, leadership first starts with the heart—a broken heart that is willing to admit that it needs the saving power of Christ.
This then brings us to Christ Himself. Numerous books have been written about Christ as a leadership example. His words and actions have been examined, dissected, and applied to any number of leadership contexts and strategies. Probably the most prominent theme of all this Christ-study is the notion of Christ as a servant. But sadly, it is rare in the study of leadership to see Christ discussed for who He is and what He called Himself: Savior.
It’s quite presumptuous to reduce Jesus Christ to a mere specimen to be studied under the microscope; the Son of Man will not accept such treatment. He will not subvert Himself to the level of mere leadership example. Rather, He will have us accept Him as the Living Word of God who empowers us to do good and live for God just as surely as He holds the universe together by the word of His power. In studying leadership themes in the Scripture, this is the most important truth: that Christ is not a leadership idea; He is the Savior of humankind, the King of all kings, and we must worship Him and cling to Him accordingly.
Consider these questions as you prepare to engage in the devotional.
- To what extent do you view your Christian walk more as things you must do to earn God’s favor as opposed to seeing it as surrendering to the Lord and learning to rest in His power?
- What are some of the differences in these two perspectives, first in terms of heart attitudes and secondly in terms of living out your life?
- What does it really mean to rest in Christ and how might it make you a more effective leader?
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