Are You Destined to Lead?

How many of you realize that every Christian has a God given responsibility to demonstrate active Christian Leadership not only in their chosen profession, whatever God has ordained that might be, but also in the world in which they live? Please take note that I referred to their profession. I, for one, do not feel that I have dedicated nearly 40 years of my life to something I could simply refer to as either a job or an occupation. So if that's all you consider whatever you do every day to be, just a job, then maybe you should review your current career pursuit. There are three words people typically use to tell others just what it is they do to earn their keep in this world. First there is the term "Job," which is often defined simply as a task. Next there is the term "Occupation", which most people think of as their livelihood or how they earn their pay. Then there is the more stylish term "Profession", which usually indicates a chosen field of endeavor that requires a substantial amount of formal training and the subscription of its members to a written code of ethics and often to a lifetime of dedication and sacrifice. Professionals are generally considered to operate at higher performance levels simply because their vocational requirements are being motivated by their avocational desires. I consider myself to have been pursuing a "Profession of arms" in one uniform or another ever since I walked out of high school in Southern California in June of 1963. I feel that, just like the ministry, the legal, medical, technical and many other service-oriented professions are in fact very demanding on their members and require a definite calling. There are many good men and women who are just not cut out for the hardships and strain that being a dedicated professional can and will put on your life and family. Nor are they ready to accept the fact that this means willingly serving every single person they encounter along the way. You must understand that when you are a true professional you are not in business to merely make a living, but to provide the very best service of your particular kind that you can to all those who are in need your efforts. I would like to reinforce that premise, right here. In order to do so I must and will direct you to the Law Enforcement Code of Ethics, a professional document that I was required to memorize and recite along with my oath of office as a Law Enforcement Officer when I first entered that profession in the late 1960's. I was required to swear to uphold the spirit of that code as well as its written codified principles when I first began that phase of my adult life, also in Southern California. That Code of Ethics has never changed over the many decades I have spent in law enforcement and still, begins with the phrase "As a law enforcement officer, my fundamental duty is to serve mankind..." I would also like to point out to you that God has directed each and every one of us that responds to a call to lead others, in any way, to do so with the goal of service as our focal point. (Law Enforcement officers may want to look at: Romans 13:4). It is essential that all leaders understand a key point regarding their having the right attitude before they ever undertake their leadership journey, so please take a moment to consider this next statement carefully. Christ Himself, though God, thought it not beneath Him to empty Himself of His divine power and take on the person of mortal man in order to accomplish all that provides for our salvation. Can you imagine the distance He spanned in leaving His deity behind and taking on the form of a mortal man in order to secure our salvation (See: Philippians 2:6-8)? If that is not showing a desire to lead from the front, then I guess I never learned a single thing about leading others, during my careers in law enforcement or as a Marine Corps Officer. Now, are you really ready to respond to God's calling for you to lead others in your life? I mean lead with a true heartfelt desire to provide not only direction and service, but also to exercise a kind of leadership that is balanced with compassion and discipleship toward those you serve and those with whom you also serve? Before you answer, let me ask you another question. How many of you feel you are already fully qualified to accomplish those leadership tasks right now? Be careful and first think about how you will answer, Because, even after 40 years in one type of uniform or another, 39 years behind a badge, 42 years of military service and more than 45 years as a Christian, I still don't always feel absolutely, positively and completely qualified. However, somewhere on my journey along the leadership trail, I came to understand that God didn't want me to wait till I felt totally qualified to accept His commission to lead others and neither can you! If we were fully qualified to do anything on our own, we would not need God and then He would not be able to use us, for it is through our weaknesses that His strength shows through. God has called all Christians to lead, especially to help lead others to Christ. That alone requires, and should inspire, you to learn just what it takes to truly be a Christian leader and step to the front. I know some of you can't seem to believe that God really wants to use you, but take my word for it, God loves to use all kinds of people to perform His work through and He frequently depends on reluctant, unqualified and FAT (that's Faithful - Available - Teachable) people like you or me to accomplish His work and He always has. You will learn that if you wait until you feel fully qualified, you will more than likely feel you are capable of handling God's mission without His help, an act that not only steals His glory but sooner or later results in disastrous consequences. Have you ever taken a close look at Biblical leaders like Moses, Jonah, Jeremiah, David or many others? Those of you, who have, realize there are countless biblical leaders who had feet of clay and obviously felt unqualified to lead when they were called to leadership. Yet God chose, trained and directed many of these folks to accomplish some of His most important missions. If you already feel like you are the perfect leader or "Jewel Encrusted Golden Chalice" as I like to call that type of person, then you are likely to be viewed in awe and maybe even revered. You will possibly be placed on a proverbial mantle or pedestal and seldom used. You might even become so heavenly focused, that you will turn out, as the saying goes, to be of no earthly good. It is also quite probable that you will be a chalice that will never leak. You will never have to be refilled with the Holy Spirit and when you are filled with blessings to the rim and then there is no room for any more, you'll wonder why God has stopped giving you blessings. It will most likely be because you have never passed any of those Godly blessings you have received along to anyone else. Who is going to benefit from all your accumulation? Anyone? No! That's why I really believe God loves to use the common man or "Cracked and Earthen Chalice" to serve His purposes. I believe the common Christian makes the best leader because he has already learned how to follow, follow Christ that is, with a broken boldness, boldness that keeps pride and self-sufficiency from distorting truth and reality. I tell you truly, it is a wise man that remembers that the praise and flattery the world offers is, like perfume, something that should be sniffed and not swallowed. Sometimes when I take time to look at the world around me, I feel like I am living in a twenty-first century Book of Kings, where, though good leadership and bad leadership both abound, the ugly fact remains that bad leadership seems to be prevailing.