Over the years I have taken many pictures; pictures of the kids as they were growing up, pictures of the grandkids as they are growing up now, people and places all over the world. I am constantly amazed at all the details (most of which I know very little about) needed for the perfect picture.

I have looked at many photos by others and think, “How beautiful.” At times I look at a picture and think, “It’s perfect.”

We tend to know something is just right when we see it.

How does our spiritual leadership look? Is it picture perfect?

When others look at our leadership do they see something beautiful?

Perhaps the question we need to ask is how can we know if our leadership is picture perfect?

There is a mirror into which we can look for the answer to our questions. God’s word is the mirror, the perfect law of liberty.

When we take our leadership and examine it within God’s word, we will discover the standard wherein our leadership must be measured.

To be picture perfect, we will need to look deeply and make application.

“No person was ever honored for what he received. Honor has been the reward for what he gave.” Calvin Coolidge

Leadership can be very interesting. There are numerous thoughts that come to mind about the leadership of others and our own.

The Western mindset generally leans more toward what can be received. After all; “what’s in it for me?”

True leadership and honor are connected to what leaders give.

Leadership must be based on the giving of self. When we give ourselves to the task of leading others, then the spiritual outcome saves souls.

We need leaders. We need spiritual leaders to lead. Will we give ourselves to leading others today?

This is where honor is rewarded.

We have discussed on several occasions the various ways we look at and define our leadership. I also realize there are numerous leadership styles and activities that characterize leadership.

When I considered the descriptions identified with the activities of leadership, a thought came to me that seems to flow well with the direction of our purpose as spiritual leaders.

A channel is defined as the conduit or path through which something flows. A channel of blessings, associated with our leadership, indicates the path or conduit through which others are blessed by our leadership.

As spiritual leaders, we need to know others rely upon the leadership we provide to help them enjoy the assurance of their destination.

We need to give hope, not despair.

We should offer possibility, not defeatism.

We build others up through promise, not degradation.

Scripture teaches us to bless our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. If we are to bless our enemies, does it not make sense that those who are striving to serve the Lord, who listen to us speak, deserve even better?

The apostle Paul represents so many qualities of leadership it is hard to know what stands out most. I am sure each person has their favorite qualities relating most to their leadership.

Let me share a few more of mine this week.

Humble: We find Paul making several statements throughout his letters indicating the level of humility in his heart. He considered himself the least of the apostles, not fit to be called an apostle, and the chief of sinners. He certainly understood and exemplified humility.

Dedicated: Paul’s level of dedication would be hard to measure. However, we see his dedication to the Lord, the church, and the lost. He was determined to know nothing except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. He was dedicated to do whatever necessary to preach this message.

Compassionate: Paul’s love for his own people who were lost and his intense concern over the church when led into sin, is an example of great leadership. He wanted nothing more than for people to be saved.

There is more to come, but what a great example to follow in our leadership.

The idea of our word this week involves giving a brief statement of the main points. To summarize is to use fewer words to encompass the whole of the message.

How on earth does this relate to our leadership, especially from a spiritual perspective?

If we were to summarize our leadership in a few words, what would we say? We need to take a few minutes and give some thought to the whole of our leadership. Could we express it in a word or two, or a sentence or two?

Would our leadership be summarized by what is referred to as “others interested” or “self interested?”

Would our leadership be summarized by a spiritual or physical focus?

Would our leadership be summarized by our past, present, or future?

In reality, the fewer words we use the more challenging it can be to summarize our leadership, especially if we are trying to be accurate.

It would certainly be worth our time to give thought to summarizing our leadership. Think Souls!

Working in a number of different countries can be extremely challenging, especially when it comes to communicating. Without a good translator it is difficult to know if the true intent of the message is understood, both ways.

The idea of translating caused me to think about leadership and how our leadership is being translated into the lives of others. Even when we speak the same language, there can be confusion when translating our leadership.

Are there times when it seems like our message is being spoken in a foreign language to those we lead?

Is it possible that the intent of the message is not clearly understood because of the way our leadership is translated?

Do we take the time to ensure our leadership is translating the proper goals in the proper channels to the proper people?

We could go on, but I think you get the idea. As we lead, let us make sure we are translating the message and the intent in ways to help others reach the goal.

“What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal.” Albert Pike

This is one of my favorite quotes. There is some powerful implication behind this thought for leadership.

We live in such a self-centered world. Our efforts and concerns tend to be primarily structured in a “what’s in it for me” mentality.

The selfish mindset is so subtly developed and so difficult to overcome. Reading the first line of this thought should motivate us to at least address the struggles of self. What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us. Wow!

Think about the significance of this thought as it would relate to spiritual leadership. Our leadership will fail miserably and our legacy will be devoid of meaning unless we learn the last half of this thought.

One simple application, yet it summarizes the need for great leadership. All we do should be done for others and the world. This is what truly lasts. Think Souls!

A few months back, a visiting police offer spoke to a group of students about their role as leaders in dealing with Conflict Management and Problem Resolution.

The entire presentation was powerful and practical. The information equipped everyone to examine how to approach the various areas of life that create stress.

As an introduction to the material, he spent time showing the similarities between police officers and preachers. I have to admit, there was much here I never considered before and, yet, the truth could not be denied.

I do not intend to go through the entire list, but suffice it to say there were more than just a few. However, there was one that stood out and made a connection to leadership: “we desire to help others.”

This is not intended to address both police officers and preachers who served with wrong motives, or whose actions spoke of such. It is simply to say, the majority of those involved in either field do so because they want to help others.

Here is my question to all of us as spiritual leaders: are we leading to help others? 

One article will not be enough to share every aspect of why Paul was a great leader. However, I will at least share three of my favorite reasons today.

Passionate: Few can measure the depth of passion found in Paul. Even as a persecutor of the church, he pursued it with passion. However, he raised his level of passion when he became a defender of the faith. Read Philippians 3:4-11 to see Paul’s passion for the Lord and His cause.

Bold: The book of Acts unfolds numerous events in Paul’s journey for Christ. Boldness characterized every step in his approach to the work. He asked the church to pray for his boldness and it was demonstrated throughout his ministry.

Selfless: Paul held no concern for himself or his own comforts. He was willing to give up everything for the gospel. He was willing to become all things to all men to save some. He endured great hardship so others might learn about Jesus.

He was / is a great Bible leader. If we approached our leadership with the passion, boldness, and selflessness of Paul, we could change the world.

Expansion is the action of becoming larger or more extensive. We understand and see the use of this term in several areas.

We talk about the expansion of a program of work. We discuss the expansion of a building project. We even develop plans for the expansion of our financial investments.

Several areas may come to mind, but do we really give thought to the expansion of our leadership?

If we are not careful, we can easily fall into the “comfort zone.” We enjoy the status quo and, before we know it, we create an environment where nothing happens.

Our leadership needs to be expanded. How?

Read more material about leadership and study how to grow our leadership skills.

Spend time with successful leaders whose portfolio goes beyond our own.

Ask God to open doors and grant wisdom to help us see and make the decisions to accommodate expansion.

A few simple steps can get the ball rolling. If we are willing to step out of the rut we are in and ask for a little help, our leadership will expand to greater levels.