Transforming Tuesdays: Are You a Leader or a Follower?

Do you consider yourself a leader? Most people are natural born leaders where leadership characteristics are innate. Others learn how to be leaders especially when they grow through difficult times.  Neither is greater than the other because we all know the greatest leaders are those who know how to follow. Which one are you? And more importantly, who do you follow? Think about your influence and impact, because it's more important than you think.

Matthew focuses on the coming of Christ and as previously stated none of us knows when our Lord and Savior is coming back.  If it were predictable, well then everyone would do what they want to do and straighten up just in time.  Life doesn’t work that way.  In Chapter 25 it states that when Jesus comes back that he will separate the people from one another like a shepherd separates sheep from goat.  This reminds me of picking fruit; the ripened fruit is always separated from spoiled fruit…the two should not come into contact with another because it causes contamination.  This is not to say that Christians cannot associate with others who are not Christians, because we are to love everyone.  A big part of this distinction involves being IN this world but not being OF this world.  Earth isn’t our home, it’s our temporary stopping grounds until God calls us home.

The scripture continues to read that the righteous will be called to the right and the others to the left.  Those on the right will find Heaven as their home and the others will burn in hell.  Verse 34-36 reads, “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ (NIV).  What does this even mean? To satisfy this requirement it means that you have had to lend a hand to someone else in need. Have you witnessed, fed the homeless, clothed other people, prayed for others, and nursed the sick? The list can go on.  Life is not all about helping yourself, it’s about helping others and once you become a leader you can understand how important it is to step outside of yourself and do something for others.

The burning part is what makes me think deeper about my connection with God. Personally I don’t even like to get burned on the stove or even when I’m flat ironing my hair. For me, it’s not worth the pain so I talk necessary precautions when I’m dealing with fire.  The same should be true when I’m addressing my relationship with God right? I think we can all agree to that.  Ironically, www.thelistcafe.com named burning alive among the top 3 horrible ways to die.  In their study they noted that evening pain in one area stops because nerves end but then the pain goes to another end of the body.  The Bible doesn’t even mention that the pain will stop so the idea of the pain ending isn’t even a possibility.  With that being said we should all desire to be on the right hand of God where our reward eternal life in Heaven.  We have to make use of our leadership roles that God has given us in the world because the truth of the matter is that we are chosen.

An amazing person who displays respectable leadership qualities is Job.  He was tempted, stripped of everything he had, and ill but he never yielded in his faith in Job 2.  He went from perfect health to terminally ill and it could have been easy to curse God and die to alleviate his pain but he chose not to. Job was a leader in the sense that he put others before himself, he knew what mattered, and he stood his ground when it came to his faith.  I think we can all take a lesson from Job in becoming more refined leaders in Christ.  Living for Christ often means losing friends and giving up things that we thought we could not live without.  In the end, God supplies all our needs and keeps us because we are chosen. Lastly, leaders don’t fold under pressure, because when things are not going right leaders know who to lean on –God. We are nothing without him and EVERYTHING with him.

And Job said, Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” Job 2:10 (NIV).

All that I have is because of you, if you were to leave me what would I do? We need you right now...

It’s never too late to Transform your Tuesdays!!!

Transforming Tuesday: Jamera