Destined To Lead

Prophesied messiah, or prejudged leader?

“John. Peter. Paul. Come, follow me.” I imagine Jesus’s smile as he reached out his hand to each man. But, did they drop everything and run to Him? What about when he said, “I am the way, the truth, and the light. No one comes to the Father except through me?” Did they worry about the consequences of leaving family and friends to follow a man who claimed to be the Son of God, the Messiah they had waited for all their lives? Maybe. Or did they know Jesus as the one and only, destined to lead?

Destined to lead, serve, and follow?

Jesus. The Good Shepherd. Servant leader. Follower of the unseen Creator. Son of the Maker of heaven and earth, light, and darkness. A humble man who became King of Kings, gifted by the Holy of Holies, and destined to lead.

Send me your light and your faithful care, let them lead me, let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell.

Psalm 43:3 NIV

Shepherding

Shepherds are patient and diligent. They guide, protect, and nurture their flock, even on long, excruciating journeys. So, the Lord is the shepherd of His people in sickness or health, in valleys and darkest hours. That means He will lead us to the end—and then on to the never-ending.

Gifts of the Spirit

A recent Bible study led me to dig deeper into the intriguing subject of spiritual gifts and how these gifts of the Holy Spirit can affect our abilities in unique ways—if we believe in the power of such capabilities and if we use them. The thought moved me to learn more. So, I journaled, wrote lists, and read many scriptures. Here are a few you can study further: 1Corinthians 12:4-11 ESV and Romans 12:6-8 ESV.

Spiritual Gifts

• Encouragement
• Discernment
• Faith
• Giving / Generosity
• Intercession / Prayer
• Healing / Miracles
• Knowledge
• Mercy
• Prophecy
• Distinguishing Spirits (Good or Evil)
• Leadership / Shepherding
• Teaching / Speaking
• Wisdom

Wisdom and fruit

After I prayed for wisdom and pondered such spiritual gifts, I remembered what Jesus said in the scriptures about the Holy Spirit before he went to the cross. Read John 15:26 ESV.

I studied more scriptures and made several lists—including one for the fruits of the spirit.   

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Galatians 5:22-23 ESV

The gift of leadership

I asked myself a few questions: If leadership or shepherding is a spiritual gift, why do we have so many mediocre leaders? How do we know if we’re destined to lead? And how do we become good leaders?

Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed. You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led.

1 Corinthians 12:1-2 ESV

“A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.”

John C. Maxwell

Following in all seasons

I’m often reminded of God’s faithfulness. Random instances when he used trials, storms, and testimonies for our good or the edification of others. Today, as I anticipate the onset of autumn in all her glory, I imagine how God might mold us in every season of our lives to become the leaders he calls us to be.

We’re all like uncut gems. He melds our stories with mire, muck, and tears until something new and beautiful forms. All those times we were betrayed, led astray, or fell to our knees, cried together, and prayed together.

He hears, guides, and delivers us from evil

He heard our hearts cry—sometimes in the form of jumbled prayers or complete brokenness—and today as always, he offers to light our path and become our humble guide. Again, and again. He opens eyes and leads us to his Son Jesus who gave his life so we could have forevermore.

This, then, is how you should pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be thy name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one.

Matthew 6:9-13 NIV

Dear friends,

Have you ever wondered if God was calling you to lead or be led? When things we hoped for or futures we longed for don’t happen, perhaps it’s God’s way of leading us to something better, something we don’t see or haven’t even imagined yet.

Furthermore, what if we look to him for answers? He knows our fears, concerns, and sorrows. May he help us lead others to the truth of his way and see his Word as more than words.

Don’t forget to join the conversation here in the IAF comments section of this post. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this subject. Want to read more of my stories on IAF or my quirky Dreamdove’s Flights of Fancy blog? See you on FB, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest,  and Goodreads.

Once again, I pray the assurance of his presence be with you, blessing you on all your paths. Wishing you hope and joy for your journey.

~ JC

Special thanks to Pixabay for free use of all images: Feature image: RayMark , Image #1: Guenther Dillingen, Image #2: jplenio, Image #3: StockSnap.