“If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.” (Romans 12:8 NLT)
Leadership is a gift that is given to some and not to others, and for good reason. Some people do not deserve to be followed. Unfortunately, that’s not always how it works. Some very bad people have gained a very large following resulting in the detriment, not only of many people’s lives, but even of the course of our world.
With all his faults, Satan can be very persuasive. It occurs to me that Satan may well have the “gift” of leadership, but when he chose to use his gifts, talents, and abilities for his own exaltation and seek to work against the Lord, the fruit of his gifts have been channeled into evil rather than good. That can happen to us as well.
The gifts of God aren’t given to us fully developed. The “seeds” of those gifts are planted in our heart with the intention that we would rely on the Lord to grow them to full development. There is a sense in which every believer in Jesus is given the “seeds” of every gift. Because I may not have the gift of kindness, generosity, love, etc. doesn’t exempt me from bearing the fruit of those seeds in and through my life as a believer in Jesus.
Leadership, like any other gift, is a work in progress. Often, at least initially, our gift may not be recognized in our own life but pointed out by someone close to us. It may not occur to us that our ability to influence others is something extraordinary until we’ve had time to demonstrate our gift over time. Ed Stetzer was onto something important when he noted: “Leadership is something you learn, not something you step into.”
Yes, of course, learning is a lifelong process and leadership is no exception, but to assume a leadership role without having some foundational understanding of what that means can be disastrous. I think of Paul’s concern, as the Gospel was spreading so rapidly, that competent Pastors/leaders be assigned to give guidance to the fledgling congregations.
Yet, to me, an even graver concern is the leadership we allow to govern our own lives. To what or whom do we give the most credence in our day-to-day lives. The morning news? Our favorite internet outlets? Our friends? What about God’s Word? Should we not allow the Spirit to inform, instruct, and lead us in every effort to walk in submission to the Lord’s directives?
Yes, of course, we can pick up practical tips and guidance in many things from books and articles, but they must always be weighed in light of the clear instruction of Scripture. Books on leadership can be helpful, but only to the extent they concur with the truth of Scripture. We can only lead to the extent we’re willing to be led.
If the Holy Spirit is not our moment-by-moment governor and guide, we’re in no way prepared to lead anyone, anywhere. Dietrich Bonhoeffer said it well when he wrote: “If you board the wrong train, it is no use running along the corridor in the other direction.” We must make certain those to whom we give our willingness to follow are on the right train.
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 