True Servanthood: Mary not Martha

  I believe servant leadership is living like Christ—obeying only the will of our Father. It is not attempting to fulfill everyone’s expectation, whim or request in an effort to be a slave. We are slaves of Christ alone, not man. I believe the most basic thing a minister can do to cultivate the qualities of servant leadership involves two sides of the same coin: one abide in a life of worship of Christ, resting in His vine and easy yoke (be a Mary sitting at Jesus’ feet & not a Martha running around in one’s own strength to win the world for Christ), and obeying Christ

Communion with Christ

He that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please Him.

John 8:29 (KJV)

  He who holds nearest communion with heaven can best discharge the duties of everyday life. #ThoughtsfortheQuietHour

What is Servant Leadership, I mean Really

 

    I believe servant leadership is living like Christ—obeying only the will of our Father. It is not attempting to fulfill everyone’s expectation, whim or request in an effort to be a slave. We are slaves of Christ alone, not man. I believe the most basic thing a minister can do to cultivate the qualities of servant leadership involves two sides of the same coin: one abide in a life of worship of Christ, resting in His vine and easy yoke (be a Mary sitting at Jesus’ feet & not a Martha running around in one’s own strength to win the world for Christ), and obeying Christ. 

Final Thoughts from JC Ryle

    These following notes from JC Ryle's book Thoughts for Young Men are valuable for all of us to take a look at.

 

Special Rules
1. resolve by God's grace to break off from EVERY small sin
2. Resolve with God's help to shun what will give an occasion to sin 3. Resolve to never forget the eye of God‐‐He sees everything
4. be diligent in living out (the proactive) your faith in Christianity
5. Resolve that wherever you are, that you pray

 

Robert Green's 48 Laws

   Robert Greene’s “48 Laws” are very repulsive to me. He is not seeking to be a good communicator through these laws but to simply play his cards right and gear the noise and environment to get his agenda across. His laws have dangerous implications because they teach how to cleverly put a facade on in one’s communication. The goal of being ethical and moral in interpersonal communication is to be real and sincere with people, to treat them as you would want to be treated. For the sake of space, I will only address two of Greene’s laws: 3 and 32.

     Law 3 says “conceal your intentions.” Greene proposes that by concealing your true intentions you can keep others constantly guessing what you are up to and thus keep them from building any good defenses against you. I disagree with this law because it is immoral and unethical to simply try to keep people beating around the bush so they cannot respond to what you are truly saying. In my life, I have struggled with one individual who was my leader because he always seemed to conceal his true intentions and not really lead the group. He was in an important position that was supposed to involve teaching and mentoring, but he did not even appear to try. He would shift directions so fast that people of all ages got frustrated. He was “the leader” but did not really have any followers because of his mysteriousness.

      Law 32 says “play to people’s fantasies.” Greene continues to explain this law as one that avoids truth because people view it as “ugly and unpleasant.” Instead, he encourages that one should cater to people’s passions and dreams to gain a large following. This one is simply evil. Deny truth to win a following! Truth is essential. Without truth, there will be no freedom, growth, or lasting results. Jesus said that He was “the way, the TRUTH, and the life” (John 14:6, KJV). In addition, Jesus taught that “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31-32, KJV). It may seem foolish, it may seem crazy, but Jesus Christ changes people. When a person truly comes to Him and becomes His disciple, then he will be transformed by Jesus—the Truth—and he will be truly free. Many men and women have been freed from the chains of a past filled with crime, drugs, and abuse because of Jesus Christ. It may seem foolish that people find freedom in someone that lived 2,000 years ago, but it is true. In prison rehabilitation programs, Bible-based programs continue to have the largest success rate. Why? Because there is such a thing as truth and its foundation is Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:20, 1 Corinthians 3:10-14). Jesus did not lie to people. He taught truth and many times was even very blunt. His following was not build by manipulation, but by communicating honestly and sincerely. Any following that is built by deceptive practices is inherently evil. And just because a communicator deals honestly and sincerely with his audience does not mean that his message is true; however, it does mean that he has ethically “built” his following.

“….For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

“….For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Hebrews 13:5 (NKJV)

  Webster’s 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language defines forsake as:

1.     To quit or leave entirely; to desert; to abandon; to depart from.

    Jesus will never leave us or forsake us. He is always there, waiting for us to come to Him and find rest and peace. Whenever a person backslides or completely falls away from the faith it is not the Lord’s fault, God does not forsake us: it is the person who forsakes the Lord. We have a free will, we have to surrender to the Lord to be used by Him; therefore, we can choose to take our will and walk away from Him in our own strength.

    The choice is yours, dear friend, Christ will never leave you or forsake you, but you can. Will you surrender to Him today? Will you consecrate yourself unto Him?

  Lord, O how often I have walked in my own strength; forsaking You and asking why You left me. Lord, You never left me….but I walked in my own strength. Lord, help me today to walk and live following You. I don’t want me, but You. Empower me by Your Spirit to live a life wholly consecrated to You. In Jesus Name, amen.

 

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