Wow, this morning I was hit right in the face with the Word of God. I am not complaining, as I am one of those who need the direct hit as I do not recognize the subtleties as some do. This was just what I needed in my walk with Christ and my aspiration of being the spiritual leader He has for me to be. You see, I have been committed to the LORD for quite a while now, but I have not, at least as I see it, been submitted to Him.
As I read and study this morning in the MasterWork materials, Henry and Richard Blackaby point out five characteristics of God-inspired leadership. 1. Organizational fulfilled promises. 2. Leader affirmation and vindication of reputation. 3. Changed lives of those touched. 4. Recognition of God in the life and agenda of the leader. 5. Recognized as Being Christ-like.
These are characteristics that I am able to pick out over the course of my career, well the first three that is. I have specific events or milestones in my career that I can point to for each of them, and it was not hard or even time consuming to do so. With the final two items, I am not sure that I have or do measure up.
Moses may not have been my or anyone’s first choice to be a spiritual leader. He had not exactly been or led a life of Christ in his younger years. He had to flee his childhood home for killing a man and he was not exactly known to be a great speaker. But, He was a man who was recognized as having and great relationship with God as you could see it on his face.
“29When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand as he came down from the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God.” and “35the people of Israel would see the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face was shining. And Moses would put the veil over his face again, until he went in to speak with him.” – Exodus 34:29 & 35 (ESV)
I can see in myself some but maybe not all of the characteristics of God-inspired leadership, but recognized by others as being so, I am not sure.
This is where I was hit in the face this morning. Am I going through the motions of being committed to Christ by doing the work and expecting that is the work I am to be doing. Or, am I submitted to Him and His leadership in my life to be the spiritual leader He would have of me. Where I come from this is that I feel as though with the first three characteristics identified above, I have met the standard, but with the final two, I don’t know. The first three I can find results to count, but the final two are seen by others and I have to ask myself, are they?
The Blackabys as a great question that I am unable to answer; “What evidences of God’s presence in your life are unmistakable?” I am unable to answer this one.
What is your status, committed or submitted? Are you going through the work assigned like a task list? What if you were to take on the five characteristics of God-inspired leadership to ensure that there is evidence of God’s presence in your life and it is unmistakable?
Trevor's Thoughts 