“Be strong
and bold; have no fear or dread of them, because it is the Lord your God who
goes with you; he will not fail you or forsake you.”-Deut 31:6
Psalm 103, Verse 11
11 For as the
heavens tower over the earth, so his mercy towers over those who fear
him.
The
earth is indeed blessed among all the planets in our solar system because of
our heaven. As the heavens have made the earth a garden rich with life like so
is God grace over those who are faithful and love Him.
Never
forget our Lord asked Peter if he loves Him three times. One time for each of the times Peter denied
our Lord on the eve of His crucifixion thus nullifying Peter’s denials and
restoring him. Christ asks Peter with each affirmation to 1) feed His lambs 2)
tend His sheep and 3) feed His sheep.
First
Christ asked Peter if he loves Him more than the others thus establishing
Peters leadership on love. Next Christ tells Peter to feed His lambs to give
them a core of strength. If we wish to develop strength in ourselves and others
it is imperative that we give hope, confidence, a work ethic, confidence, resilience,
self-control and courage to the lambs in our charge.
Secondly
Christ asks Peter to “tend His sheep” or that is to give a firm purpose to
direct their efforts to create the Kingdom of God.
Lastly
Christ asks Peter to “Feed His sheep” by having an understanding heart and
to be compassionate, faithful, merciful, tolerant, forgiving and generous.
How God Raises a Leader[1] (Psalm 103: 1-5)
1.
God pardons (v.3) leaders must push past shame or blame.
2.
God heals (v.3) they must become healthy and be liberated from old wounds.
3.
God redeems (v.4) they see their abilities and
personality redeemed.
4.
God crowns (v.4) they are given gifts and a
place to serve.
5.
God satisfies (v.5) they feel satisfied and
fulfilled as they live out their role.
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Natural Leadership vs. Spiritual Leadership
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Natural Leader
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Spiritual Leader
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1. Self-Confident
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1. Confident in God
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2. Knows Men
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2. Knows God
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3. Makes own decisions
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3. Seeks to find God’s will
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4. Ambitious
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4. Self-Sacrificing
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5. Originates own methods
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5. Finds and follows God’s methods
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6. Enjoys commanding others
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6. Servant of all
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7. Motivated by self-interest
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7. Motivated by love of God and Man
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8. Independent
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8. God-dependent
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9. Gets power through personality
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9. Empowered by the Holy Spirit
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10. Cowboy driving the herd
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10. Shepard leading the flock
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Jesus led his disciples
from being natural leaders to being spiritual leaders who were not afraid of asking questions and or the
answer they may get. As a result they transformed the earth through good works
and humility:
Jesus
said to his disciples, "Pay attention to what I am telling you. The Son of
Man is to be handed over to men." But they did not understand this saying;
its meaning was hidden from them so that they should not understand it, and
they were afraid to ask him about
this saying.
Daily Devotions/Prayers
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Total Consecration Day 20
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