leadership | Daily Encouragement

Tag Archives: leadership

Leave a comment

Uncategorized

“The path of the righteous is level; you, the Upright One, make the way of the righteous smooth.” (Isaiah 26:7, NIV)

While it is true that — externally — the path of the righteous is full of “ups and downs”; internally, at the seat of our heart and spirit, the path is bubble-center level for the person who faithfully follows the leading of the Spirit.

If we allow it, the external, visible, tangible, temporal, physical pressures of living will dictate our internal, invisible, intangible, eternal, spiritual perspective. Don’t allow it. In fact, turn it around so that your view of things visible is always informed, guided, and determined by things invisible.

It is the serenity that the “Upright One” alone provides that allows you to, as poet Rudyard Kipling wrote, “keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you.” – Luther

Tagged art, discipline, health, leadership, peace of mind, photography, Rudyard Kipling, serenity, sleep, the book of Isaiah

Leave a comment

Uncategorized

“Who is more important, the one who sits at the table or the one who serves? The one who sits at the table, of course. But not here! For I am among you as one who serves.” (Luke 22:27, New Living Translation)

The disciple of Jesus is a servant.

He or she is not a “servant-leader.” He or she is not an “apprentice-leader.” He or she is not “doing time” as a servant until something opens up at the top of the hierarchy. The pinnacle of a disciple’s aspiration is to be like his or her Lord; and the Lord Jesus is “among you as one who serves.”

This is so not like us. We desire the perquisites that come with leadership; or we see leadership as a reward for being a “good foot soldier.” But even leadership, in the estimation of our Lord, is nothing more than a greater opportunity for servitude; and “servitude” is to “service” as “being” is to “doing.”

Make servitude for the sake of being like Jesus your sole ambition as a disciple. Even in the kingdom of God, good help is hard to find! – Luther

Tagged discipleship, leadership, servitude, the book of Luke

Leave a comment

Uncategorized

“Jesus called them together and said,‘You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.’” (Matthew 20: 25-28, NIV)

I like the adage: “Unless you’re the lead dog, the view never really changes.”

The problem is that my ambition for leadership almost always conflicts with what Jesus says His disciples’ ambitions ought to be vis-a-vis leadership. While the common ideas of leadership usually involves the exercise of power, the acquisition of perquisites, and the maintenance of prestige; as a disciple of Jesus, I need always be on guard that I not use religious language to hide these secular objectives.

We cannot argue with the common concepts of leadership and their place in this world. However, regarding their applicability, we must never forget Jesus’ words: “Not so with you.” – Luther

Tagged art, books, food, leadership, servanthood, servitude, technology, the book of Matthew, travel