Christian Leadership Foundations 1 - GraceSample

GRASPING GRACE

Leadership Devotion

John the Baptist was a powerful preacher. His chilling message about the imminent intervention and judgment of God struck a chord with the disillusioned Jews. You can imagine the exhilaration and anticipation as this wild prophet dressed in camel hair made challenging declarations about the impending rule of God. People flocked to him out in the desert. He was called “the Baptist” because he baptized so many converts into this new spiritual movement. Crowds were constantly coming to be baptized (3:23).

Of course, John’s new movement had its detractors. The Jewish traditionalists were concerned he was not strong enough on the law. The Roman collaborators were worried he would upset the status quo. So it was not surprising that his followers copped criticism. In this passage, the criticism turns personal. It goes something like, “It doesn’t matter what you say. No one is listening to you guys anymore. They’re all chasing Jesus now.” This “certain Jew” knew how to rub it in.

John’s response (3:27-30) is incredible. He has such a deep grasp of grace. He knows he has been called and gifted by God. He knows he is not the Messiah. He knows he is preparing the way for Jesus. He knows his job is basically done because Jesus is getting the attention. This all fills him with tremendous joy and leads to this powerful, grace-based statement: “He must become greater; I must become less” (3:30).

Wow. What a response. John’s ministry and movement are collapsing, and he is celebrating. This is where grace takes us. Leaders often ask questions like: “Am I successful?” “Is my ministry/impact growing?” “Am I achieving what I think I should?” ‘Am I doing as well as others?” When we truly grasp grace, the questions become: “Am I following Jesus?” “Am I doing what he called and gifted me to do?” “Am I becoming less, and is Jesus becoming greater?” John’s positive answers to the grace questions meant that he responded with joy.

To Contemplate

Which set of questions am I asking about my ministry and leadership?

Leadership Reflection

I hope you are convinced that living in grace is fundamental to serving God and leading others. But how can you tell whether you really have grasped grace so that it has become a true passion in your life? This is, of course, a lifelong process, but here are some of the results that real appreciation of and dependence on God’s grace bring us.

1. We have a deep sense of peace. Despite our circumstances, we know God is in control, building his kingdom. We know he is working everything for our good in his grace. We know we are not ultimately responsible for God’s work. We trust God, and this results in peace.

2. We have a thankful attitude. We deeply appreciate all God has done and is doing in his grace in and through our lives. We know it is undeserved, so we are very thankful.

3. We are honest about our weaknesses. We do not have to make others think we have got it all together because we don’t. God, in His grace, still loves and accepts us just the way we are. This gives us the freedom to make mistakes. We do not always have to be right or get everything right. We do not have to pretend to be in control.

4. We keep asking for God’s forgiveness and run to Him when we fail. Because we need God so much, we do not want to be distant from him. We realize we are still very broken, and in some ways, our sin seems to grow bigger as we dwell on his grace. But God forgives us, and we start again, clean and right.

5. We are humble about our gifts and achievements. We appreciate the things God does through us, and we take pleasure in seeing God at work. But we do not get carried away with our success. We know seasons will come and go under God’s gracious hand. Because we know God is the power behind it all, we are careful not to draw too much attention to ourselves. We remain humble.

6. We cope okay with disappointment. In the same way, we do not take too much credit for what God does; we also do not take God’s responsibility for what he doesn’t do. Oh, we give it our best shot, but in the end, this is God’s work, not ours. He is the boss; we are included through his grace. So when things don’t turn out, we are disappointed but not disillusioned. We agree with Job when he said in a very disappointing season, “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised” (Job 1:21).

7. We enjoy working with a team. We recognize God has gifted other people differently and have grace abilities from God we do not have. Their strengths are not a threat to us because we know we can’t do everything and get everything right. We actually need others, and we know together we can do far more than we could ever achieve by ourselves.

8. We look for God’s direction. Because God is the leader, it makes sense to get on board with what he is doing rather than doing our own thing. He is in charge, and we are following, so we look for his directions and instructions.

9. We regularly pray for God to work. We know we cannot achieve what God wants us to do by ourselves. His plans are way beyond our abilities or gifting. We know the power comes from him. We find ourselves praying lots because we need him. We cannot do it alone.

10. We keep talking about God and what he is doing. As we see God at work around us, we get excited about his grace and power, and we want to tell others. We have lots of stories. We want those we influence to see how incredible Jesus is because he is!

Grace is so good and so true. But in our human brokenness, we easily move away from resting in and relying on God’s grace. We start focusing on our ability, effort, and achievements. Growth in Christian leadership requires a constant returning to grace as our leadership foundation.