Scripture makes some interesting declaratives in application to living the Christian life. One of those statements is found in Paul’s letter to the church at Ephesus.

Slaves are to render obedience to their masters with sincerity, as though they were serving Christ, not by way of eye service, simply to please an earthly master.

We live in a society that thrives on image; there is great concern for the appearance of things, how others see us.

Sadly, many people render service only to an earthly master. The concern is limited to doing the least amount of work possible rather than excelling beyond what is required.

The beauty of godly leaders is demonstrated when they constantly strive to please the Lord. In writing to the church at Corinth, Paul expressed that pleasing the Lord should be our ambition.

People are watching: our children and spouse, people at work and our neighborhood, as well as fellow Christians. When we consider our conduct before others, is it because we want to please those who are watching or is our motive to please God?

Only God and you know the answer.

One of, if not, the greatest challenge facing biblical leaders involves the uncompromising conviction of truth.

Not during the times of comfort does this moment become critical, but when difficulties of a physical, social, or financial nature press in on the well-being of leaders.

The moment of truth is not measured by what a leader hopes, desires, or thinks might be needed.

The moment of truth is measured by what a leader does, the stand that is taken, and the demonstration of character when it is not popular with the majority.

The time comes in the life of every person when they must decide how they are going to act or react to the environment or circumstances before them.

In that moment, the decision that is made determines the effectiveness of each leader.

No pleasure, monetary prize, popularity, or status of prestige is worth compromising the truth and the principles of character that stand behind it.

Leaders are needed who hold to and lead by the truth delivered by God to the world.

Allow the moment of truth to be a definition of true leadership.

A study of leaders and leadership reveals a plethora of information that presents a daunting task of determining what is right and who is the right leader to follow.

Solomon was certainly right when he said, “The writing of many books is endless, and excessive devotion to books is wearying to the body” (Ec. 12:12).

However, God provided us with a book that reveals information sufficient for both what is right and who is the right leader to follow.

No greater qualities for leadership are identified today than those addressed throughout the pages of the Bible.

No greater example of leadership can be found than the example left by Jesus.

Dedicating ourselves to learning the truths provided by God and studying the example of Jesus will result in a godly leader.

There is no better way to honor and glorify God than by leading with our eyes focused on Jesus and our hearts devoted to the following the depths of His word.

When followers have this example in earthly leaders, they will follow the right leader.

Studies in the area of culture reveal numerous facts important to the direction of leading. While culture is a relative term, we do know that culture is connected to cultivating, gardening.

However, culture is defined as the beliefs, customs, arts, etc. of a particular society, group of people, time and place. Culture is characterized by a way of thinking, belief, or behavior.

We can say that culture is an environment cultivated by the people who participate in that environment.

Our world is a multi-cultural place. Also, we find numerous cultures within cultures. There are work cultures, educational cultures, religious cultures, age and gender specific cultures, and the list is unending.

Leaders work to understand the culture, but changing the culture is far from easy, if not impossible. The idea has been presented that leaders must create new cultures to draw people into a new way of thinking, believing, or behaving.

There is validity to the idea and Jesus followed this approach to the first century culture, leaving us to consider how we will lead in the twenty-first century culture.

Potential is often a word tossed around concerning the possibility of something occurring if the right conditions or circumstances are in place.

It is also used regarding the capacity of someone to become or develop into something in the future.

The challenge for leaders is to determine exactly an individual’s potential and the potential of the congregation where they serve.

Three basic areas exist when considering ways to determine potential.

The first area is actions. One of the best ways to determine potential is to examine the actions of the past. What has been done by the individual or congregation over the past five or ten years that lays a foundation for the future?

Another area is abilities. An individual or congregation cannot grow beyond their abilities. These abilities can change with training and practice, but considering the abilities that exist is a second key to determining potential.

The third is attitude. With the right attitude, nothing is impossible. When a positive attitude exists and the determination to achieve the goal, the potential is unlimited.

Potentially speaking, leaders can examine these three areas and set goals for the future.

Few people accept and welcome the idea of change, yet change is inevitable. The question to consider is what will we do to bring about the kind of change that enables our leadership to thrive?

Zig Ziglar refers to the 3 C’s of life: “Choices, Chances, Changes. You must make a choice to take a chance or your life will never change.”

Leadership factors into every area of life. The choice we face is how will we use our leadership influence to help others reach their potential?

When the bottom line simply consists of financial numbers on a page, the traditional path is protective. We are only concerned with protecting ourselves. Leading others to reach their potential ceases to exist and whatever it takes to protect ourselves is all that matters.

However, there is an alternative. We can make a choice to take a chance. When this paradigm shift occurs the focus is a values-based leadership that invests in what is best for others, developing them to their potential.

The result positively affects the bottom line. This mental shift in thinking, however, is not a quick or easy journey, but the long-term results far outweigh the traditional approach.