There never seems to be an end to the number of books and stories written on Leadership. There are books that advocate any leadership style imaginable, from the Autocratic brutal leadership of ancient warriors, to the softer consensus building leadership styles more common in some modern firms.

Jesus gives his disciples a lesson in leadership in Matthew 10:25-28 saying, “.. whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Leadership is difficult. It is taking on the responsibility for something you cannot do on your own, requiring others’ efforts to complete the objective. Some leaders become demanding and controlling, treating people as just tools to accomplish the leader’s objectives. The servant leader, that Jesus describes, serves people and helps carry their burdens, while they all contribute to success.

Few take on the responsibility to lead; It opens us up to criticism and risk, but it also offers the joy of accomplishing more than we can on our own, and the opportunity to share, with others, the love God shares with us.

Dear Lord, there is no better leadership example that Jesus Christ, and no more important mission than the one you gave us in Matthew 28:19, to “go and make disciples.” Help us be leaders for you. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

I am a pilot, and one of the things pilots learn in training, and practice routinely, is handling emergencies. For instance, what do you do if the engine fails, what if there is a fire, what if the landing gear do not extend or retract, and so on. In training, we all learn that the first thing to do in an emergency is, “Fly the Airplane.” You might think, that no pilot has to be taught this because it is so obvious. What happens, however, is pilots can get so wrapped up in solving the problem that they forget the most important thing, flying the airplane. When they put too much attention on problem solving, and not enough on flying the plane they can create an even bigger problem while trying to solve what might be a simple problem.

Our Christian life can be somewhat similar. How so? The first thing we must remember is to love God above all else. When we love God, we strive to do his will, which results in us making good decisions in our lives, and prevents us from making a small issue a much bigger problem.

When asked “What is the greatest commandment?” Jesus says in Matthew 22:37, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.”

Dear Lord, you are the solution we need in our day to day activities, or in our emergencies. Help us remember the first and most important thing to love you. When we do you will help us through all our challenges. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

If you have read many self-improvement books, you have probably come across a concept that is instrumental in helping achieve earthly success, that being the belief in a world of abundance. The concept is that there is abundance for all who believe it is possible, and that believing in limits to abundance is a self-fulfilling limit on our success.

In a similar way Jesus says in John 10:10, “I have come that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” The Living Bible translation writes it like this, “My purpose is to give life in all its fullness.” Clearly Jesus is talking about more than just our life on earth. We know our entire faith is based on the eternal life we have in Jesus Christ. I think, however, He also intends to bring an abundant life of peace, joy and hope here on earth to those who believe and put their trust in Him.

We can put limits on this abundant life, if we choose to, or we can have the abundant life God promises if we believe.

Dear Lord, thank you for the promise of an abundant life. Help us to truly believe your promise and live our lives expecting and grateful for this abundance. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

James writes in James 2:20 that, “Faith without works is dead.” This passage is often discussed as an argument to protestant perspectives that Grace alone through faith is all we need for Salvation. Fortunately, my message today is not to discuss this issue, but to look at this passage a little differently.

Tony Robbins, the popular personal development author, speaker, and coach says in his book. “Never leave the scene of a decision without taking a specific action toward it’s accomplishment.”

You might ask what these two things have in common.

Jesus says in Matthew 17:20, “if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Similar to the Tony Robbins perspective on decisions, having faith that God will take care of us, and answer our prayers, is great, but he expects us to take action that shows we expect he will do so. We could kind of think of it like a modified version of the Tony Robbins quote, “Never have Faith without taking action that demonstrates it.”

In every Christian’s success we see him/her putting his/her faith in God, then taking the step forward in that faith. Success happens when each takes that first step demonstrating their faith.

Proverbs 16:3 says, “Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed.” Key word, “actions.”

Dear Lord, we believe in our hearts that you care and are there for us. Help us to show our belief by taking actions that rely on your involvement in our lives. in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Happy New Year!

As we begin the new year, let us remember the blessing God had Aaron give, “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” Numbers 6:24-26

May this blessing of Gods grace, favor and peace be with you this new year.

Dear Lord, thank you for your blessings of grace, favor, peace and salvation. Help us renew our faith in your blessing, and reflect your love to those we encounter in the new year. In Jesus name. Amen.