Doing Things that Matter: Lead Courageously - Monday Morning Devotions (Week 5)
(c) http://doingthingsthatmatter.com/
Readings:
Joshua 1:9
John 13:1-17
Acts 4:7-20
Matthew 14:26-29
(additional verses at the bottom)
I remember a leader confidently telling me years ago, “If you want to know if you’re a leader, turn around and see if anyone is following.” At first take, that makes some sense. Leaders should have followers, but as I thought about it more something smelled funky about that philosophy. In my mind’s eye, I imagined who was behind me as I glanced over my shoulder, but I quickly realized that sometimes that mattered and sometimes it didn’t matter. I wrestled with this because most believe that the best leaders have the most followers, but what I’m discovering is that often the people who have the biggest “position” have the most followers.
Meaning, whoever holds the more powerful position can easily maintain the larger following regardless of their actual leadership. As a result, people seek greater power and position so they can claim greater leadership, but few are actually stirred about something that matters—because sometimes when we do the things that really matter in this world we find ourselves standing on that limb all by ourselves. At times, great leadership comes at the price of being in a lonely place but trusting that God has you.
Many chase leadership in the form of greater esteem, larger titles, and bigger paychecks. But we need leaders who are looking to be gripped by what stirs the heart of God and to faithfully and courageously give themselves to that cause, no matter what it costs. On one occasion the disciples argued about which one of them would be the greatest and Jesus used that moment to revolutionize the idea of greatness and leadership by grabbing the servant towel and washing their feet.
Leadership is not about people following you.
Leadership is about you following God.
It’s not about who is behind you when you turn around, but it’s about who’s ahead of you. Is Jesus the one leading you? Our world needs leaders who understand it’s about following first! We must follow him as we dream wildly, live differently, love recklessly, and lead courageously! Don’t be deceived by the world’s standards of greatness or leadership. Jesus set the example of humility and courage every step of his life all the way to the cross. Thank you, Jesus!
The Courage to Speak
It may sound like Captain Obvious to say that our words matter, but I’m not convinced that we really believe that. I say that because we spend a lot of time talking about things that don’t matter. Some of us love to talk about sports, in fact, some of us have passionate conversations about sports every day. Others constantly complain about people or how busy they are. Then there’s that parent that will never shut up about their perfect kids!
In Luke 6, Jesus says that the mouth says what the heart feels. In other words…we talk about the things that matter to us. Think about it this way; if someone were to meticulously track your words and chart the subject matter that you like to talk about…what would be revealed that matters to you? Would it be gossip? Small talk about the weather or sports? Conversations that revolve around yourself? Where would Jesus, faith, and God’s mission rank in the subjects that matter to you?
Perhaps, that is an unfair way to think about it. Perhaps, just because many of us don’t talk about Jesus or our faith as much as we should; well, that doesn't mean those things don’t matter to us. Fair enough! If we love Jesus but struggle to talk about him then I must conclude that we simply lack the courage to talk about what matters most to us!
For many of us, I believe it’s fair to say that Jesus needs a little more volume in your life. He shouldn’t be a rare sighting in your public life! There’s a story in Acts where Peter and John are told to quit talking about Jesus and they respond by proclaiming that they can’t quit talking about what they’ve seen and heard! There are many times in life where courage is required to speak! Some of our greatest potential as leaders lie within the power of our words – they have the power of life and death.
Will you have the courage to speak about the things that truly matter?
The Courage to Jump
When I was a kid, my friends and I often went to the community pool during hot summer days. At the deep end of the pool, three diving boards stood ominously challenging every little kid that dared climb their steps. The middle board towered sixteen terror-filled feet above the water. I can still remember the fear of climbing that high dive for the first time, uncertain if I would actually survive the ordeal.
As I inched out towards the edge all sorts of alarms were blaring within me saying, “Stop, you idiot!” This particular diving board wasn’t a solid platform. No, it was a springboard that made each step towards the edge a wobbly nightmare. The edge is a dangerous, scary place. It’s much easier to simply dip our toe into the pool than to look down the barrel of the high dive, but for my friends and me, it was a right of passage—one where not jumping was more detrimental than jumping. It was a bad day for the poor kid that chose to turn around and climb back down the ladder and shamefully slip back into the shallow end of the pool.
We’ve all stood at the edges of things in life, such as a life-changing decision, an investment risk, or even the courage to ask someone out on a date. Similar to the feelings I had on that high dive, fear, concern, and impending danger are all in front of us, but nonetheless we have the conviction to jump. We all want to be courageous!
The scriptures are full of stories about people who lived and led courageously. One of the most striking things about the story of Peter walking on water is that there were twelve disciples on that boat, but only one had the courage to step out of the boat. Isn’t this true of so many of us? We are like the eleven disciples, we love Jesus, but when it comes to the truly courageous and faithful things, we’d rather stay in the safety of the boat.
Peter was willing to do the thing that no one else was willing to do. He was willing to lead courageously!
What or where do you need courage so you can lead?
Additional Reading:
Luke 22:24-27
Philippians 2:1-11
Luke 6:45
Proverbs 18:21
James 3:3-12
Read Week 6: What’s Your Story?
We would like to thank Tim Mannin and OKC Community Church for providing this plan.