Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your
lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example. 18 For I have told you often before,
and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct
shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 They are headed for destruction. Their god is their
appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life
here on earth. 20 But we
are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly
waiting for him to return as our Savior. 21 He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into
glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring
everything under his control.
I am continuing on a journey to
think about and investigate leadership.
The point is to refine my own goals and ways so that I can be a better
leader for the cause that God has put in front of me.
There are several passages in the
Bible that stand out to me as keys to leadership, growth and some sort of
pattern to follow. The verses above are
one of those for sure. I have thought
about the first verse for years, and several of the other verses stick out as
well.
Paul said, “follow my example” or
“pattern your life after mine”. Both
translations seem a bit arrogant to me.
Who is this guy that that thinks his life is above others or has more
meaning than the people he is speaking to? Paul was an incredible man who a huge
testimony of what God can and will do in our lives.
Yet any person that suggests that
others should pattern their life after his has several things happening in
them. First of all, this person has huge
self-confidence. Don’t get me wrong, but
this is a tough balancing act. Some
people go too far, think to high of themselves and even miss God. Others don’t think high enough of themselves.
God gave us value. He has placed potential in each of our
lives. It is ours to discover what He
has placed in our lives. Paul knew that
he was seeking God with all that he had in his life. Therefore, Paul could with a clear conscious
ask others to join him on the journey of faith that was in front of him.
Second, Paul points to the important
thing that changed his life. That was
and continues to be the cross of Christ.
That was a fixed point in history that changed Paul’s life and changes
others as they experience it. Some
people miss the cross and are headed to destruction. Others focus on the cross and allow their
lives to count for Christ in big ways.
Paul did that.
And finally, Paul shows us that we
can make sure our lives are fixed on heaven, seeking Christ while on earth all
the while allowing our weakness to be replaced or overlaid with the grace of
God. God’s power through our lives
changes us and changes others.
Great leaders make much of Christ
and pursue Him with all they have all the while asking others to join
them. That is just what I am doing
today. I am not perfect, but I am
pursing Christ. Join me. Join others who are on this journey, and may
we see God do more in and through us than we can do on our own!
Comments