The life of Jesus is clearly an example of greatness, an example provided that we might follow in His steps. We have considered His compassion and His ability to discuss matters of importance.

Another area of greatness found in the life of Jesus was His suffering. Jesus suffered on numerous occasions. He suffered verbally and physically.

The religious leaders sought to eliminate the perceived threat to their position and power.

The ultimate suffering, however, did not come at the hands of the religious leaders, even though they instigated the procedure.

At the hands of Rome, Jesus would encounter suffering beyond imagination, as He was beaten, ridiculed, mocked with a crown of thorns, spit upon, scourged, and nailed to a cross.

Suffering is not often seen as greatness, but rather a stumbling block and foolishness. However, to those who are saved, it is the power of God.

The purpose of His suffering makes this act of great leadership.

As leaders today, the higher we go in leadership the greater the sacrifice we must make. What leaders willingly suffer becomes a mark of great leadership today also.

A study in the life of Jesus reveals numerous marks of greatness as they relate to His leadership. As we considered yesterday, Jesus demonstrated compassion regarding the needs of others.

Another area of greatness that characterized the leadership of Jesus was His ability to address matters of greater importance.

The disciples constantly questioned Jesus about matters of the kingdom, especially from the physical realm.

In His response Jesus answered their immediate inquisition, but He directed their attention to deeper matters of a spiritual nature.

One example involved the concern of the disciples over the destruction of the temple, the sign of His coming, and the end of the age.

While Jesus addressed their concerns with information related to the signs prior to this event, He took them further into the events surrounding the event surrounding the judgment day.

He wanted them to know that something greater than the destruction of the temple was coming and the reason for teaching them this truth was to prepare themselves and prepare others for that day.

Our leadership is the same, preparing others for that day.

Whenever we use the word great, we know the idea is subjective. However, there are qualities and characteristics of many historical figures that left a mark of greatness in their leadership.

We do not have the time to cover all of these historical mentors of leadership, but we do have time to examine the mark of greatness Jesus left as a leader.

One of the qualities Jesus demonstrated, instrumental in drawing others to Him, was compassion.

Several times throughout the gospels, the compassion of Jesus is identified. He was compassionate to those who were both physically and spiritually in need.

His compassion was more than a feeling of sympathy aroused by the distress of others, it moved Him to act in ways that met their need.

Leaders who follow the example of Jesus, realize the value of this compassionate approach. An awareness of the pressing needs of others is an important component, but compassionate leaders seek ways to get involved to help meet the need.

Pray God will give us all the compassion to be aware of our environment and help meet the needs.

ALD is a broad subject, and there are more questions to be asked than imaginable. Yet, the formation of an approach to adult leadership development is essential for the future.

One of the great downfalls of the current context within the church is the struggle facing many congregations in the area of leadership.

Congregations are struggling with poorly equipped (at times unqualified) leaders or no leadership at all. Sadly, too many congregations of the Lord’s people have no idea who will fill the needed leadership positions in the days ahead.

A plan needs to developed in each congregation for training, equipping, and developing leaders to prepare for the spiritual warfare currently facing the church.

God’s people need to recognize the challenges before us and the current leadership of today must rise up to prepare leaders for tomorrow.

We should all be aware of the consequences of failing to plan for adult leadership development. What we need is a vision for leadership development in the Lord’s kingdom that will be experienced in the next generation. This will impact our children!

The movie industry is interesting. Take it or leave it, some in the world cannot imagine what it would be like without movies. Personally, it would be interesting to see the world without the movie industry, but this is a post for another time.

A prequel refers to the stories or events preceding an existing work. The idea is fascinating and raises several thoughts connected to leadership.

However, the sequel involves what shows up as part two of an earlier “box office sensation.” The sequel is about what happens next.

Prior to assuming responsibilities in our present work, what events were connected to the story in our lives? The foundational nature of these events has been instrumental in forming who we are today.

The question we may need to consider further is: what are we expecting to happen next? Have we determined the appropriate sequel to where we are now?

Wisdom is built upon remembering the past to understand the present, but vision is cast to prepare for the sequel in our leadership. What do we see?

Strategy is a plan of action to achieve a desired aim or goal. General Norman Schwarzkopf claimed that, “Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be without one, be without the strategy.”

While character is the core and must hold higher value than strategy, at the same time, strategy is needed.

Without strategy, who is going to do what, for whom, and when? Without strategy, there are no plans to reach a goal, regardless of the goal(s) set before us.

We use strategy in several areas of every day life. These strategies may not be written out in details, but they are strategically oriented nonetheless.

We use strategies in traveling, family development, job description, biblical teaching, and much more.

We would be hard pressed to find an area of life where strategy is not involved at some level, so it behooves us to benefit from using strategy in leadership.

Leaders need to establish goals and establish a strategy in how to reach those goals, leading with the future in mind. Time will not be wasted in strategic development.

This thought must be considered in light of a few questions.

What are we doing about the present condition of leadership? What are we doing about the future of leadership? What are we doing to implement the development of biblical leaders?

We need to give consideration to all possibilities. We must, however, take the answers seriously.

Challenges face every move to improve the situation. Efforts to make a difference are viewed with skepticism toward liberal tendencies.

Doing the right thing in leadership has been squashed under the guise of liberalism for so long, growth has been limited, if not completely eliminated.

Enthusiasm to learn and implement something new or different is sequestered off in the halls of youth and familiarity; “they will eventually learn how things are done around here.”

What are we doing to change eternity, if the only thing we are doing is exactly what we have done for the past 50 years?

This is not implying change for the sake of change. At some point, however, we need to recognize where we are, where we are going, and what we must do to get there.

Few people are fans of adversity. More factually, no one enjoys adversity. The exposure to health, family, financial, and hundreds of other challenges cause us to reflect on who we are, why we are here, and how we will endure.

Walt Disney once said, “All the adversity I’ve had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me… You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.”

On the one hand, reflection can lead to doubt and negativity, but on the other hand, reflection can remind us of the nature of God’s working through adversity to strengthen us and make us into the servants He desires of us.

The words of Walt Disney may seem a little more blunt, but the point is the same. There are times when the adversity, troubles, and obstacles in life are the best thing for us.

Leaders who understand this are better equipped to help others when they face adversity and ask strong reflecting questions.

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 what is right and 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 the God we serve 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.

“Practice makes perfect” is a common expression to most. Recently, someone added that “perfect practice makes perfect.” Regardless, the idea expresses the need to do something over and over again, until the art is right.

The level of perfection may be subjective to each individual. However, the need for practice must be a part of our growth and development as leaders.

Olympic athletes are groomed from a young age. The drills, routines, or exercises are perfected through hours of daily practice. Their life is dedicated to one purpose, performing for those few minutes without giving way to pressure.

Doing, action, application, and preparation are all terms associated with practice. No longer is about theory, but method. Here is where the rubber meets the road and details are worked out for implementation.

Several qualities of a leader may actually be inherent, but one thing is certain, developing the ability to lead must be worked on continually.

We need to be focused, dedicated, diligent, and steadfast to the one purpose that God has called us for, and lead others for His cause.