Tuesday, November 16, 2010

On Leadership...

"Could this be what leadership is often about—not asking people to take a risk for you, but rather taking one for them? That is what leading is."

"BEING A TRUE LEADER isn't always glamorous. There are not always hundreds of people wanting to be like you and do what you do. We can witness this in the book of Nehemiah.

Nehemiah is the account of the rebuilding of Jerusalem. During the restoration, enemies threatened to attack the city as the wall and gates were rebuilt; it wasn't necessarily the safest place. That is one reason the average Joe didn't immediately sign up to live there.

Jerusalem living also meant leaving a previous place of residence, which had one's farm and livelihood. At this point, Jerusalem was not yet finished and business would have been slow. But we read that the leaders lived in Jerusalem, and the rest drew lots. These leaders made a sacrifice. Someone had to live there and start the process of creating a once again bustling city.

Could this be what leadership is often about—not asking people to take a risk for you, but rather taking one for them? That is what leading is. We learn how to do this in its purest of forms through Jesus and his substitutionary death on the cross. He calls us to lay down our lives for others, because He has laid down his for us. Have you been a leader lately?"

This devotion is adapted from shortdailydevotions.com.

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