Sterling Leadership - Time and Priorities
At the peak of Jesus’ earthly ministry, as thousands flocked to hear Him and as He was welcomed into the homes of even the Pharisees for teaching, Jesus delivers a powerful message for His disciples that is the dynamite power for church growth - then and now (Luke 11:37, 12:48).
It's a message on setting godly priorities; a message of a Kingdom readiness mindset. At the end of the message, Peter asks Jesus if His message is just for the Apostles or for everyone. Jesus responds that the message is indeed for everyone, but it is especially important for leaders (Luke 12:42-48). As husbands, dads, businessmen, teachers, or whatever our roles and responsibilities, may Kingdom Readiness be our mindset.
According to Jesus, life is not measured by how much we own (Luke 12:14). Okay, so what is it measured by? Well, as Revelation 22:12 instructs, we’ll find out upon Jesus' return! Our lives are measured by our relationship with God. Does it only look good on the outside? Do we talk a good game like the Pharisees in Luke 11, who were so offended by Jesus ignoring their little legalist rules? Those Pharisees earned the wrath of Jesus. They were given much. They had the leadership responsibilities. Yet they disregarded what matters to God (justice, mercy, love of God, and good deeds).
I pray that will not be said about us. Instead, let's heed Jesus' warning and listen closely to God and set priorities based on God's will and way. We seek the Kingdom first! Kingdom and readiness mindset.
You see, it’s not just Christian mumbo jumbo to say God is Good. He really is. He wants what’s best for us. He loves us. It makes Almighty God happy to give us the keys of knowledge to the Kingdom. It makes God happy to give His children the Kingdom. That’s how much God loves us.
God does not begrudgingly give us gifts. It does not pain God to care for every single sparrow, to know the number of hairs on our heads, and to orchestrate good work for us, despite failures. God forgives us because He truly loves us. God wants us to know the truth and to have the Good Life. God not only designed and created the beautiful, wonderful flowers that are here today and gone tomorrow, but He cares and provides for all creation.
God’s will, His heart, and His plan are for us. He calls us His children because that is how He sees us. We are His prized possession, His precious children. Yes, we have a crazy long list of concerns. The US debt is at some insane number of trillions, lunatics run the asylum, and nuclear war looms, yet again. Sure, we could go on and on about challenges. But the Kingdom of God is growing, and today is another day for good, godly growth. Sure, we are just a little flock. But we are Jesus' little flock, and with Him we can accomplish anything. Jesus says, “So don’t be afraid, little flock. For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom” (Luke 12:32).
Jesus calls His disciples to wisdom and authenticity, not foolishness and hypocrisy. He says, “But I’ll tell you whom to fear. Fear God, who has the power to kill you and then throw you into hell. Yes, he’s the one to fear” (Luke 12:5). We set our time and priorities based on mindset and motivation. Jesus taught that if a leader’s true motives are greed and wickedness, the leader will fail to enter the Kingdom. And, you can’t show others the way if you don’t know it yourself (Luke 11:52).
Jesus’ warnings are meaningful. When He tells us how to set our priorities (whom to fear and what to guard against), it is for His disciples' benefit. Our benefit!
The world says, get as much as you can, store up a big bank account, for there is security in that. Jesus’ message is different. God's priorities are different from the devil's. Jesus teaches that we are to guard ourselves from every kind of greed. Greed and the love of money are insidious. It is not hard to see what an organization’s priorities are - look at how it spends its money.
Human nature seeks to look at others (like the young man who looked at his brother as a challenger to their family’s estate) as those we can take from, push down, isolate, bully, etc. (Luke 12:13-21). That's a self-centered focus. Instead, we are to look out for the interests of others. See a need and give. Be generous, be an instrument of justice, and love God. Jesus had a clear message for those bullies. We take the same approach to bullies.
The purses of heaven never get old (Luke 12:33). Encourage others today by reminding them that God loves them. No, we are not perfect. But we are loved by God. He wants our marriages to succeed. And they will. Trust Him together! He wants our children to do well, but not by the world's standards, well in His definition of a life well-lived.
God wants our fellowship with our friends to be deep and rich. Let’s be wise in how we plan, what we prioritize, who and what we invest in with this precious time and energy God gives us. Reject the ways of the world and the nonsense plans of the wicked. For the Kingdom of Heaven is God’s to happily give.
Lord Jesus, thank you for this day to work and build for You. Amen.
Kari and her boys.
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