I can say that with confidence because I know your eternal destiny as a Christian is to rule and reign with Jesus. The truth is, our life on this earth is simply a preparatory stage for how we will spend eternity.
I hate to be the one to burst your bubble if you have seen yourself in heaven, lying in your hammock sipping a glass of iced tea. The Lord has plans for you. According to the Word of God, you are going to be ruling, reigning and governing with Him, not just for a thousand years during the Millennium, but for eternity. And right now you are being prepared for the leadership position you will hold in the Kingdom of God. The little-known fact is that we must learn leadership principles for our eternal destiny and to achieve God's best in this life.
At this point you may be saying, "But, Mac, I don't have the traditional leader's personality." That doesn't matter. You can influence others with any personality style, and as we're about to learn, influence is synonymous with leadership.
An Overlooked Principle
One of the basic principles of Christianity, often overlooked in our busyness, is that we shouldn't be satisfied with the status quo in any area of our lives. We are never to be satisfied with the state of our health. (You can always be fitter.) We are never to be satisfied with the state of our finances. (We must always reach for more in order to spread the Gospel.)
The saying "I'm just satisfied with my lot in life" is a bunch of baloney. You shouldn't be. You should always be reaching higher. We should be pressing. We should never be satisfied. We should press toward those values we see in the life of Jesus. He was a man of love, and He walked in love; therefore, we must press toward improving our love walk.
When we see His compassion, we must desire to be compassionate after the same fashion. We see His strength, so we must press toward being strong-or patient, or full of faith and power-as Jesus was. But, we should not press toward only one or two of His characteristics. We should press toward all of them.
Among Jesus' attributes, His leadership abilities have never been emphasized enough. Yet in the space of three short years, His ministry changed the face of this earth like nothing else ever has. We must study His example of leadership, begin to emulate it and press toward developing those same leadership characteristics in our lives.
In so doing, we press toward the mark in an area the body of Christ has long neglected. Why have we neglected this area for centuries? I believe the major cause is rooted in an ancient and widespread "religious" deception.
The Old Worm Complex
One of the greatest deceptions Satan ever perpetrated on the body of Christ is the "old worm complex." This is the mindset which says, I'm just an old sinner saved by grace. It is a lie which keeps more people from stepping out into the leadership role God has prepared for them. It causes them to sit back and just wait for the Lord to return and to accept whatever fate the devil brings them.
This is one of the reasons for which we have not had a greater impact on this world; it is why Christianity has not already changed the face of this globe to an extent sufficient to bring the Lord back.
This self-image problem has developed as a result of the devil's lie. To be a conqueror, you must be a leader. If you aren't, you will be a follower, never changing anything.
Different Levels, Different Types
In the body of Christ, the different levels of authority are continually changing. People are graduating to new levels, retiring from active duty or dying and going home to be with the Lord. Things happen which open new slots that God must move someone into if the leadership of the ranks is to continue smoothly. He is looking for you. He does not want you to be a career private.
One of our problems is that nobody really understands the different types of leadership positions there are. We hear somebody talk about leadership and we instantly think of someone directing a large group of people, such as a business or a corporation or perhaps a ministry.
But leadership begins at a much more basic and generally unacknowledged level. God requires you to be faithful in the fundamentals in order for you to be promoted. And the most fundamental level of leadership begins at your own doorstep. I'm talking about the family.
Family Leadership
Family is probably one of the most critical areas of influence in which any of us will exercise our leadership responsibilities-whether it is as the husband God has designated as the head of the home or the wife God has called to manage the home and raise the children. The family unit is an important place of leadership in the body of Christ.
In the context of a family, the Lord gives us a hint about promotion in His kingdom and in His army. He says that if a man does not rule his house well, he has no business seeking to become a bishop in the church or looking for a position somewhere else (1 Tim. 3:1-5).
In other words, you must start out being faithful at home in order to lead effectively at the level of responsibility God has given you-and then He will promote you.
In every relationship you have, there is an opportunity for you to be a leader. Every back-fence conversation in which you give direction to someone's life is an example of leadership and of your participation in it.
As you are faithful to respond in these little opportunities, God will present you with more and more opportunities for leadership.
All rights reserved. Used by permission.