The Five Tests of a Serving Leader
Luke Kuepfer • November 16, 2018
KEY QUESTIONS:
- Do I welcome and want feedback?
- Am I planning for a successor?
- Do I let God lead while I serve?
- How do I respond when treated like a servant?
- Do I lead out of fear or create fear in those I lead?
Since my heart is naturally self-serving, I need a heart transplant (see Ezekiel 36:26-27) that requires submission and surrender. The five tests reveal if my fear and pride have been placed on the altar. As “living sacrifices” (see Romans 12:1) we must die daily to our fear and pride since our tendency is to crawl off the altar.
Self-serving leaders push God out of their lives by:
- Trying to lead everyone including God. Serving leaders are first followers and then leaders (see John 5:19-20).
- Valuing anything more than God. When something is more important than Him, it is an object of worship (see Exodus 20:3). You can often tell a person’s wrong priorities by how they spend their time and money. This can include sports, possessions and the desire for power, recognition, appreciation, etc.
- Choosing something other than God for security and self-worth (see Matthew 23:5-7). Putting our faith and trust in people or things that are always at risk and unreliable, pushes God away as Audience, Authority, and Judge.
[Next week we will look at Satan’s formula for self-worth and the negative effects of leading from pride and fear.]
SEND THESE TO MYINBOX EVERY WEEK!
Send These To My Inbox!
Organizations allow individuals to work together to accomplish things that they could not accomplish by themselves.
God wants each of us and the organizations we lead to always strive to do everything in an excellent and effective manner.
A long-range (strategic) plan serves as a “road map” to help us achieve the mission and vision that God has given us.
Leaders who develop followers grow their organization only one person at a time. But leaders who develop leaders multiply their growth.
A leader that leads, loves, and serves like Jesus must learn to use their power and influence to serve others and accomplish the mission God has given them.
Wisdom can be defined as having experience, knowledge, and good judgment. Wisdom is that character trait that enables one to live an exceptional life.
Decisions reveal the values of a leader and require obedience and dependence on God. They demand wisdom. Making decisions affects just about everything leaders do.
It is one thing for a leader to have a vision; it is quite another thing to be able to effectively communicate that vision to others so that they will embrace and internalize it.
Godly leaders must first have a vision of who God is, the future He holds for them, and a sense of what He has called them to do.
