A recent acquaintance / friend was explaining some unexplained events in their life and they said, “It’s just a God thing.”

My first thought was, and continues to be, how refreshing to see others crediting God for working in their lives, beyond their own ability. You and I might express it differently, but the result is the same, “It’s just a God thing.”

Last week I was scheduled to fly from Denver to Dallas for a meeting. After a two hour delay to deice the plane, we were finally in the air. Then the pilot informed us of tornados in Dallas and we were rerouted to Lubbock. After landing in Lubbock, we were told we would fly into Houston. I did not make the meeting.

Looking back, if the plane had been on time, I could possibly have been right in the middle of this weather.

I did not understand it at first, but maybe it’s a God thing.

How about our leadership? Is God doing His thing? Are we frustrated when things do not go the way we want or when?

Sometimes we need to trust its just a God thing.

“The only difference between a rut and a grave is the length.” Bill Thrall

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, OR don’t upset the apple cart, are both sayings I grew up hearing. The list goes on for those who enjoy the status quo.

Change challenges us to the core, no matter what our age. Anytime we consider something different from what we are comfortable with, it makes us uncomfortable.

The quote above should move us to realize we need to constantly be learning, growing, and making changes to improve.

We must avoid, at all cost, the mentality of thinking we have arrived and there is nothing else to learn. We get in our rut, doing the same thing in the same way at the same time every day and we do not want to change.

I understand because I am “that” guy. I love a routine and when changes move me out of my comfort zone, it is not good, but it is needed.

We need to adjust our thinking. Remember, if we stop growing and learning, ask, what’s the difference between the rut and the grave?

The time finally arrived. Last week I received my AARP cards. Now that I am officially 50, I guess it means I get all the benefits associated with getting older, at least according to the letter I received.

AARP stands for American Association of Retired Persons. Although I am not quite there, I did find a connection to spiritual leadership. Each letter represents a component needed as leaders.

Accomplish: At the end of the day what was accomplished? Leaders make things happen. If there are goals, leaders need to accomplish something every day.

Attitude: One of the most important components in leadership is our attitude. Leaders set the tone for everyone around them. Invest in the right attitude.

Respect: This is a two way street. Respect is earned and given. If we want to receive respect, then we must be willing to give it.

Presence: Show up! It is hard to lead if we are not there. Our presence provides security and direction for others.

It does not necessarily come with age, but growing in our leadership means we are putting all the components where they should be.

Several men named John are found throughout the New Testament. Each served a specific purpose.

However, one particular John draws our attention regarding leadership; the author of the gospel, three epistles and the Revelation. For the sake of space, we will identify him as the apostle John.

What do we learn from John’s leadership?

Love: John is commonly known as the apostle of love. His writings emphasize love, both a brotherly love and the self-sacrificing love of God. John’s love for the church is clearly noted in his letters.

Bold: John’s writings also demonstrate the true nature of love as he speaks boldly about the honesty needed in view of one’s relationship with God and others. To claim we know God and not keep His commandments makes us a liar (1 Jn. 2:4). To say we love God and hate our brother makes us a liar (1 Jn. 4:20).

John’s approach is not unloving, but rather the opposite. He loved his brethren enough to help them see the need for a right relationship with God and one another.

Our leadership should exemplify the same?

Apart from an academic definition, perspective brings several thoughts to mind when viewed by two different parties.

For example, when unpleasant news is delivered, one party’s perspective may differ from another depending on the background of each.

A Christian perspective will be viewed from a foundation of Biblical significance. What God says and the contrast of physical versus spiritual concerns provides a more eternal perspective.

However, a worldly perspective is left with uncertainty, fear and doubt. The world’s philosophy can only paint a picture that is temporal and hopeless.

The world only seeks after what is pleasant, but the Christian knows there is value to be gained from any situation.

This is why spiritual leadership is so important. We live in this world, but we must not allow the world’s perspective to leave us uncertain, fearful and filled with doubt. We are to be the light that shines forth a message of hope. We have something far greater and lasting.

Regardless of the pleasant or unpleasant possibilities we meet in this life, a Christian perspective will always leave us and others with the courage to face the future with hope!

Have you seen the news lately? Is morality as bad as it seems? Can the economy really be as poor as we are told? What will we do if gas sores to eight dollars a gallon?

With the increasing negativity portrayed through the media, it would appear there is a need for us to be afraid. Combined with heightened awareness of disease, death, war, natural disasters, and more, we might question why, or what should we do?

Worse still, it would seem there is little or no hope of seeing any improvement, at least not anytime soon.

Perhaps these events are reminders to consider where we place our hope. If our hope is simply based on the material, physical world, we have reason for concern.

However, if our hope is in the Lord and the promises of His word, then no matter what happens now or 20 years from now, there is reason to rejoice.

Christians, let us rejoice in the Lord always. Let us lead with the spirit of hope and promise. The world needs something more and we have what is needed. Think Souls!

Effective leadership is not about making speeches or being liked; leadership is defined by results not attributes. Peter Drucker

While I do not completely agree with everything Mr. Drucker says, there is something to be learned in this thought. Leadership is often associated with leading from the front. It is also fairly common for leaders to desire pleasing everyone.

Decisions are often challenging because of dealing with the fallout from those who may be unfavorable to the decision.

Leaders are too often more concerned with finding favor with man than with God! This is a grave mistake.

Since God gives the increase and defines the growth, we need to make sure our actions are laying the groundwork for the results He provides.

If we spend our time trying to please everyone around us, if we are striving to be liked or receive approval from the majority, our leadership will suffer and so will God’s kingdom.

Use the standard of God’s word, be decisive, and put the gainsayers in God’s hands. Lead as God would desire in leadership. He will take care of the rest.

Does this sound familiar? It should, but how does this connect to leadership?

We need to know our strengths and weaknesses. A fairly common thought in leadership is connected to these two areas. Leaders generally identify the need to spend 80% of our time on our strengths and 20% on our weaknesses.

Wait! Should this not be the opposite? We need to understand that when we spend the majority of our time on our weaknesses, they may get stronger, but our strengths get weaker because we have not kept them sharp.

The basic idea is to spend the majority of our time continually working on our strengths, keeping them strong and growing. Then, find others who are strong in the areas we are weak and use their strengths to fill the gaps.

The challenge we face as leaders is learning to determine our strengths and weaknesses. We can take aptitude tests. We can ask an evaluation from others close to us. We can learn through trial and error.

However we make the determination, know yourself, work on the appropriate areas and build a team to help the rest.

In this series on Paul’s leadership, we have seen several areas of Paul’s life that made him a great Bible leader.

There are three more areas that created this powerful leadership.

Confidence: Paul’s confidence was not based in himself, but Jesus and what Christ had done for Him. It is significant to note Paul’s expressed confidence in others, like the Corinthians and Philemon.

Disciplined: Perhaps the most well known use of discipline is found in 1 Corinthians 9. Paul’s purpose in speaking about discipline was to ensure the message of the gospel aligned perfectly with the example of his life, a testimony of consistency.

Faithful: Christ considered Paul faithful, putting him into the ministry. Even though his past was one of blasphemy, persecution, and violence toward the church, the Lord could see something greater.

Paul exemplifies many qualities needed for leadership. Our confidence should also be in Christ, not ourselves. We should discipline our physical lives to be consistent with our spiritual message. Leaders should always be faithful to the gospel charge.

If we do so, God will use us in powerful ways to make a difference. He can see something greater. Think Souls!

Accountability brings a number of thoughts to mind regarding leadership. We know we are going to give an account, but what exactly does this word involve for spiritual leadership?

There is the implication of what is required. As spiritual leaders, certain requirements could be listed. We are required to be trustworthy, faithful, examples, and people of integrity, just to name a few.

There are certain expectations. An expectation seems to add a new level in spiritual leadership. People tend to arise to what is expected of them. If little is expected, little is received. If more is expected, more is received. When leaders make decisions, there is an expectation of accountability.

There is an understanding of responsibility. If leaders are going to give an account for their decisions and actions, there is a level of responsibility connected to those decisions and actions.

We will all be held accountable for our words and deeds in this life, both good and bad. How much more so will leaders answer to God for the direction of their leadership of God’s people?