Servant Leadership - Teaching for Accountability
Morning friends! I’m thinking this morning of how we can encourage young Christian leaders to take on more responsibility. And how can we teach people the importance of telling the truth, as we hold ourselves accountable to God. I’m all ears. I think it’s one of the greatest challenges in the church today, but it’s got great consequences in the judiciary and in every stripe of leader (corporate, government, etc.).
God says that “My advice is wholesome. There is nothing devious or crooked in it. My words are plain to anyone with understanding, clear to those with knowledge” (Proverbs 8:8-9). God speaks plain English. And He expects us to get His message and to take it to heart.
God does not want anyone to miss the good life, the wholesome, rich, satisfying life walked with Him. Yet we see so much fibbing and twisting of the truth. Many claim to be busy and working hard when the truth is that Elon Musk was able to reduce the workforce at Twitter by over half and increase productivity and utility of the application by a monstrous magnitude. The same principle applies in many organizations. It’s more than the 80/20 rule. In the church, unity ought to be our mark - a body ought to function on the everyone does their important part rule. Harmony requires acknowledgement of responsibility and accountability.
You see, God requires us to make a decision, to choose (Proverbs 8:10). Yes, I know that may freak out our Calvinist friends, so be it. It’s God’s way. It is called faith in Christ. God plainly presents the offer of relationship and reconciliation with the Father through the Son. We are to fear and love God and hate evil. Alas, there is another path - it is well trodden. You see it in the selfish, self-centered crew in the office, the fibbers and spin artists. You can't choose two masters - you will love one and hate the other. Likewise, you can't choose two paths. We are free to choose the path of pride, arrogance, corruption, and perversity. Make sure that we are on God’s path, not the other one.
God says, “I love all who love me. Those who search will surely find me” (Proverbs 8:17). God is so good to us. No matter where you are today, know that God loves you dearly. He sees that you are searching for Him. God’s way is good and just. We can trust Jesus fully. God alone can give us new life and true joy. And that’s exactly what God wants to do!
Choose God’s instructions today. He does not want us to rob ourselves of life or joy by fulfilling the desires of our sinful nature and the devil, who yearns to devour our souls. God’s way requires that we be self-controlled and alert (1 Peter 5:8-9), purposeful and actively planning to do good deeds.
Be prepared. God is for us. As we increase our faith in Christ Jesus, God is planning and preparing to increase our responsibilities - His hand will be on you at every step of the way as you work for His purposes.
God’s men travel light. But they are always well-equipped. He gives us everything we need to build up the body of Christ (Ephesians 4). Every person we point to Jesus who believes in the Risen Christ will have eternal life (John 3:14-15).
I’m so thankful to see my Christian friends (and family) grow in their faith and their maturity as servant leaders. When we serve well, we add value to others’ lives. God forbid we ever use our position to exploit others for power or personal gain.
Recalibrate this morning as necessary. We are God’s children, stewards of the precious Good News. Lord Jesus, thanks for today. Thank You for being patient with us. May we honor You today. Amen.
On top of the Old Cathedral, downtown Santa Ana, El Salvador.
Comments