Tag: Sunset

Scheduled Events

We have various ways to remind us of events we don’t want to miss, from sticky notes to Google calendar.

Spiritually, there are events we should not miss.

Where does our gathering with Christians rank in our priorities?
Where does time in prayer and study rank?
Where do family devotionals fit?

These events are matters of choice, and we either make them a priority or not.

There is an event scheduled we will all attend, a Lord appointed a day.

We should make preparing for it a priority. As Christians, we should eagerly anticipate it. This is a day we do not want to miss!

Elite

Elite means something special because it is defined as the best in a particular area or field. Generally, elite-ness is associated with power, wealth, or ability.

Spiritual leadership, however, also carries an elite characteristic. The idea is not about a self-centered power, wealth, or ability. It is about Who makes us elite.

Through the sacrifice of Christ, God’s grace was abundantly provided to us. The result grants us “elite access” to the throne of God.

Christians are elite. Knowing the outcome of Christ’s work on the cross, we have a responsibility to lead others to share in the access we have with God.

Legacy

How we live, not how long, determines the nature of our legacy. Whatever we want to leave behind, we must live now.

Abraham Lincoln said, “And in the end it is not the years in your life that count, it’s the life in your years.”

How do we want to be remembered when we are gone?

Will we leave behind a physical footprint of life, or spiritual?

Legacy is about living today what we want left behind tomorrow.

Our leadership is about how we live as leaders during our years on earth. It is a thought worth considering.

Mountains and Valleys

Mountain tops represent the best of life. Our faith is strong and confident. We are positive and easily make decisions.

Valleys bring shadows of darkness. We question our faith, doubt creeps in, attitudes are altered, and we struggle with decisions.

Reaching the top and staying there is the path leaders desire to walk.

We are not alone.

The wisdom gained by others is an invaluable gift.

Tomorrow presents new opportunities.

Strength comes from knowing, not emotions.

God still sits on His throne.

We need to focus on the positive, give the negative to God, work on what can be changed, find balance in family, and seek good counsel.

Mistakes

We all make them. We say and do things we wish we had not, and there are no “easy” or “do-over” buttons. The opportunity to receive another chance depends on how we handle the mistake.

Acknowledge it.
Take responsibility.
Evaluate every possible solution.
Take appropriate action.
Act quickly!

When we approach our mistakes with humility and a decisiveness toward appropriate actions, there is opportunity for one more chance.

Is this not what God has done for us?

Finishing Well

Challenges are often overwhelming. The various challenges leaders face often distract and/or discourage. During these times, it is important to ask, “Will we finish well?”

Finishing well requires a few steps.

Determine the priorities. Discouragement leads to quitting. Leaders cannot allow this to happen. Know what is worth dying for and give yourself to it.

Work hard. The secret to success for anyone in leadership is a simple, but powerful truth. They work hard.

Keep your eye on the goal.
Challenges bring distractions. Peter encouraged Christians facing persecution to keep their focus.

How well we finish is just as important as how we begin.

The Right Questions

How often do we need an answer, yet do not know how to get it?

John Maxwell says, “You can’t find the right answer if you are asking the wrong question.”

What will help?

1) Think before speaking.
2) Be clear and direct with questions.
3) Be genuine.
4) Do not assume anything.
5) Learn what “not” to ask.

There are answers, but we must learn to ask the right questions to get the answers needed.

The Beginning

Is the beginning better than the end?

The reputation of a successful leader is often measured by goals achieved. However, a leader has an important task before achieving success.

What must be done to create buy-in? How can excitement be created for the goal? Will people work the plan?

The answers unfold in the beginning. To earn great victories, there needs to be a great beginning.

Believe in the plan.
Paint the picture and set it before others.
Examine every possible detail.
Pursue the course with enthusiasm.

Is the beginning better than the end? If we start correctly, yes!

The Right Foundation

Jesus spoke of a wise and a foolish man. The difference between the two was the foundation upon which they were building.

When the bedrock of our leadership is based on spiritual qualities and characteristics, then people have a solid foundation to follow.

We must know who we are following. When we follow the leadership of Christ, we move in the right direction.

We must develop consistency between our words and actions. More than one leader has lost credibility because their actions contradicted their words.

The eternal success of our leadership is determined by the foundation upon which we build and help others stand upon.

A Wing and a Prayer

This phrase originated with the WWII patriotic song Coming in on a Wing and a Prayer, by Harold Adamson and Jimmie McHugh (1942). The song tells of a damaged warplane barely able to limp back to base.

Prayer is a vital part of our spiritual leadership, but our approach to leadership cannot succeed by barely limping along.

Our leadership is about the hope Christ provided at the cross. We have prepared ourselves through trust and obedience to a gracious God who provided a plan to save us from sin.

When we understand our leadership is focused on this kind of hope, we are not leading by a wing and a prayer. We are leading by faith!