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Lead & Follow Well
Tim Savage17This fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah concerning him:
18“Look at my Servant, whom I have chosen. He is my Beloved, who pleases me. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations.
19He will not fight or shout or raise his voice in public.
20He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle. Finally he will cause justice to be victorious.
21And his name will be the hope of all the world.” Matthew 12
I love this description of Jesus – so powerful He will bring justice and hope, but so gentle He will not raise His voice or crush the weakest reed. He doesn’t just have the power, but He wields it wisely and mercifully. We’ve all experienced good leaders and bad; those that let the power go to their head and those that handle it gracefully. We will all be leaders and we will all be followers, so the lesson here is two-fold: we should lead like Jesus and we must all submit to leadership, as God’s word says, praying that God would guide and direct those that lead us.
Can God trust me with power and leadership? Do I let it go to my head, have pride issues or become selfish? Am I gracious and merciful or angry and vindictive? Jesus must always be my example. The world provides many examples of leading poorly. I remember many years ago, as a new TV director, I watched other directors around me and those that came before me. I learned that to get your way and to have the crew respect you, you needed to yell and swear. Everyone proved their power and position by having a big mouth, anger issues and belittling others. It took me a few years to unlearn those destructive lessons. It’s so sad that those were the examples available for me to follow.
As I got older and better at my craft I learned that people responded much better to kindness and respect. I had to be good at my job, I had to be among the best, but with that established, I found that people were as good or better when treated as if they were valuable, rather than responding out of fear. As followers, we can all agree we’d rather work for or serve with those that encourage, build up and edify us. I must steward power wisely and lead as I would like to be led.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Please forgive me when I have led Your children poorly. Help me to lead as Jesus would stewarding power and leadership well. May I also be a loyal and dependable follower, who submits to leadership and represents You well.
In Jesus name,
Amen
