The Lord God Omnipotent Reigneth!

Dear Believer in Christ, 

Even when everything wrong, evil, and unfortunate seem to be driving the course of what use to be your life completely out of control, do not believe it. I am not asking you to disregard the natural evidence appealing so strongly to your rational faculties. Looking at the situation logically will convince you of the reality of your chaos—real faith has a strong perception of natural reality. It is not wise to stick our heads in the proverbial hole in the ground merely pretending everything is alright. What I am asking you to realize is that your mental faculties only give you part of the information you need to function. As a child of God, you have a capability called faith, and confidence in God enables you to realize the “substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1). Many times we have to believe God’s Word instead of our minds, eyes, ears, and experiences.

If you have lost your grip on reality and your situation has deteriorated far beyond your most frightening imaginations, there remains a steady and sovereign governing Hand (Rom. 8:18-39). If you can no longer hold it all together, hope is not lost because of this development. Triumph never really depended on your ability to hold on to God, but His ability to hold on to you (1 Pet. 1:4-9). God even affords His people strength to endure under tremendous pressure with a steadfast confidence in His wise, loving, and strengthening orchestrations. Ask God to reinforce your grip on spiritual reality—perceiving His Presence and Providence in the midst of whatever frightens you most (Matt. 6:24-34).

When you are afraid to let go of your fears because it appears your fears are all you have left, place your hands in His nail-scarred Hands. Remember the spirit of fear, intimidation, and panic did not come from God. No, He gives His people power, love, and a sound mind instead (2 Tim. 1:7).  With the promise of Jesus’ own special brand of peace, He charges His followers to “Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27).  He also requires His disciples to “let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in Me [Jesus]” (John 14:1). Clearly, the Lord Jesus prescribes faith as the antidote for fear, and faith is developed through listening to God’s Word (Rom. 10:17) and standing on God's statements. The Lord's promise to your and my heart of hearts is that He will never leave us or forsake us (Heb. 13:5); "THE LORD IS MY HELPER, AND I WILL NOT FEAR WHAT MAN SHALL DO UNTO ME" (Heb. 13:6). Recall His encouragement to Joshua immediately after Moses' death, "Be strong and of a good courage" (Josh. 1:6, 7, 9, 18). So, accept the fact that fear is not an option, but God’s peace certainly is! 
Peace in this sense is not the absence of war, conflict, challenges, noise, or difficulties.Peace is calmness and quietness deep within our heart and mind. Peace is again a gift of Christ. He said, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27). The Lord Jesus gives to trusting Believers this inner repose and spiritual quietness of soul, even in the face of adverse circumstances.  Through the Holy Spirit the human spirit it placed at ease to such a degree that His work defies human understanding or explanation (Phil. 4:7).  This is often described as the “peace of God” in several well-known passages (Phil. 4:7; Col. 3:15). Peace can also be described as the absence of anxiety and the presence of trusting assurance in the promises of God. The Spirit of God resists our natural tendency to worry and become anxious. God does not always change the situation around us, but He is always seeking to change the situation deep within us. The climate of the soul is just as important as the conditions of the saint. The environment within is the priority concern. Christians can know peace even when something we were counting on does not come through or work out in the anticipated timing. After all, God is still very much on His throne.

  It is important to further clarify how we can know and experience the "Peace of God." Peace is communicated into our experience when we believe the promise of God and rest in His wisdom, power, grace, and love. It is through our faith that God's special peace is realize. The stronger our trust in God and His promises, the more potent the peace residing in the soul. To have stronger faith requires greater concentration on the Scriptures. We simply must believe something God actually said to us in the Word of God. Peace is not realize as we choose to believe what we want! It is faith in God and His Word only! Genuine faith will usher in genuine peace in the soul--an extraordinary freedom from anxiety, worry, and concern! There is only One LORD who wields the scepter of the universe and He does not share authority with the evil tyrants you are presently facing! You are right to believe Him regardless of whatever else is happening. 

The LORD God reigns supremely and He is absolutely worthy of your and my confidence.  He is Jesus Christ who fed the hungry, gave sight to the blind, ran demons out of town, calmed stormy seas, and lifted the dead to life again. He is eloquent and completely fluent when it comes to navigating and handling challenges, difficulties, and hardness.  The same God, who created the universe, purchased redemption, sustains everything by His providence, and cares for you personally is immediately at work on your behalf. That mighty Lord Jesus who single-handedly defeated death, hell, and the grave through His death for our sins, and resurrection for our justification must remain in focus. Handling BIG problems is not new for our Lord; His resume is jam packed with impossible situations that evaporated in His very Presence and at His authoritative command. Understand that He wields full omnipotence well within the circumference of His prerogatives. What I am asking you to do is believe that The LORD God still reigns, and He is not taking resumes in anticipation of His retirement. The Lord Jesus rules!

It Is a Good Thing to Give Thanks

Our early and wise American leaders recognized the far reaching significance of observing a special day each year to recount our blessings and express gratitude to God for all the goodness He graciously showers upon us. Accordingly, that very first thanksgiving observance was directed by Governor Bradford in 1621 to commemorate the Pilgrims’ harvest. Later George Washington declared November 26, 1789, as a national day of thanksgiving; however, the holiday was not repeated on a national basis until Abraham Lincoln named it a national Harvest Festival on November 26, 1861. After that time, the holiday was proclaimed annually by the President and the governors of each state. Finally, in 1941, Congress passed a bill naming the fourth Thursday of each November as Thanksgiving Day.

Psalm 92, is a song of unmistakable praise and thanksgiving unto the Lord God (Ps. 113). It wonderfully celebrates the Person and work of God in a most energetic fashion. In verses 1-4 it encourages our spirits to respond to God in praise and worship. As a result, we are challenged to: 1) Cultivate a persistent outlook of thankfulness; 2) Celebrate the wisdom of Jehovah God in worship enlivened with exuberant thanks; 3) Reflect often on the awe inspiring achievements of God in order for us to sustain a spirit of gratitude. As such, this Psalm can greatly advance our efforts to develop a thankful character.  

Psalm 92 is necessary because it seems we are naturally inclined to solicit, expect, require, and even demand the good we feel we are entitled to or deserve. We are also prone to take the numerous blessings we enjoy for granted.  One trip to an under developed country can do wonders for our arrogant materialistic ingratitude. In fact, often we do not even think about how privileged we truly are until we lose them or see someone without the common gifts we take for granted.  While living in Germany, I saw an article in the Stars and Stripes newspaper over two years ago with a picture of a young Marine and his wife.  He was a triple amputee in a wheel chair and his wife was carrying both of his prosthetic legs as they left the hospital. When I saw the picture I was moved, and immediately felt my shame. God latter whispered to me, “Look at all the blessings I give you and you take them for granted as if you actually deserve them.”  In that moment, I realized that giving thanks once a year is far too inadequate; I must develop an attitude of gratitude that marks me every day of life.

Make no mistake about it; an attitude of gratitude can be cultivated through reflecting on the natural goodness of Jehovah God and His kind generosity towards us all. Taking God’s goodness for granted while demanding more of His bounty is the demarcation of gross ingratitude. Such a natural and prideful attitude requires no work at all, but genuine thankfulness must be learned.  I am convinced the focus of our thankful reflections should be upon God and His goodness. Who else could inspire greater gratitude in the human heart than the Lord? This is the God who “so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son [Jesus], that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Indeed, “it is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD” (Ps. 92:1). Happy Thanksgiving!

Live by Faith

Though we are accustomed to living by sight, we are instructed by our Lord to live by faith instead (James 2:14-26). The fact is more can be grasped, experienced, and accomplished by faith than by any other means. You see, when we live by faith in the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, we embrace a Reality and Relationship that is absolutely without parallel in the entire universe. This opens the way to wonderful realizations for the child of God immersed in fellowship with God through faith in Jesus Christ. Truly, what is more exciting than being hooked up with the Creator Himself! Since this relationship is with God, we need not fear living by faith. He is totally trustworthy (Heb. 6:16-20)! Faith encompasses the means of entering a relationship with God, how we grow to genuine maturity in Christ, and how we deal with the challenges of living out the plan of God for our lives.

Before going any further, it is helpful to focus briefly on what faith is. Faith is trusting God and His Word. This excludes any notions of a certain feeling things will work out well or mere optimism. Faith always has a biblical basis; it is never whimsical or merely imagined. God has spoken in His Word and we can believe Him. Faith must have God and His Word as its object in order to be biblical. Faith is only as good as the object it is trusting in. If we are trusting in the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, then we are focused on the only truly deserving Object of faith. While people may believe in anything or anyone they choose, faith in any other object besides God in Christ is essentially a waste.

Faith is placing confidence in an honest God who revealed Himself in history, the Scriptures, through Jesus Christ, and creation (Heb. 1:1, 2). He is the correct Object of faith because of His faithful character. He can be trusted in every scenario. All that He has communicated to us can be taken to heart and believed with every fiber of our being. Faith also involves acting on what God said; it is characterized by obedience. The test of genuine faith is activities and efforts that evidence that faith. Faith without works is actually dead, illegitimate, and disingenuous (James 2:14-26). Real faith manifests itself in a lifestyle of cooperating and obeying God’s commands.

Dr. Wiersbe brilliantly summarizes faith saying,

Faith is a key doctrine in the Christian life. The sinner is saved by faith (Eph 2:8 9), and the believer must walk by faith (2 Cor 5:7). Without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb 11:6); and whatever we do apart from faith is sin (Rom 14:23). Someone has said that faith is not "believing in spite of evidence, but obeying in spite of consequence." When you read Hebrews 11, you meet men and women who acted on God's Word, no matter what price they had to pay. Faith is not some kind of nebulous feeling that we work up; faith is confidence that God's Word is true, and conviction that acting on that Word will bring His blessing.

We are challenged repeatedly in the Scriptures to live by faith as Believers in Christ Jesus, our Lord (Rom. 1:17; Gal. 3:11; Heb. 10:38). God expects every Believer to function in relationship with Him, the World, and the unseen realities on a basis of full confidence in Him and His Word (Heb. 11 & 12). Always remember, faith is at the very foundation of a genuine relationship with God (John 3:16; 1 John 5:1-5). We must believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sin.  Christ died in our place taking responsibility for our sins, was buried and rose again the third day (1 Cor. 15: 1-5; 2 Cor. 5:17-21). Our trust in His work initiates a faith-relationship with the Most High God. Trusting Jesus Christ is paramount (John 1:10-14).

Since our Christian journey begins with believing God, we can only grow and flourish on the same principle of faith in God (Heb. 6). Thus, faith is mandatory for authentic Christian maturation and development in the energy of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 3). So, we are converted through faith and we must continue in faith. Living for the Lord in the power of our old fallen nature is utterly impossible, though many Believers attempt this form of hypocrisy (Rom. 7). Authentic spiritual formation transpires under the influence of the Holy Spirit producing Christ-likeness in the yielded Believer. It is imperative that we conscientiously trust the Spirit of grace to produce Christ in us and project Christ through us. It is the Spirit who makes Believers spiritual (Gal. 5:22-26).
Finally, faith is the strategy we employ to handle all the challenges we will encounter while living for the glory of God (Heb. 11 &12). So far we have observed that we are saved, and sanctified as we believe God. Now, we note that we can be strengthened through faith as well. To endure the challenges, persecutions, and hardness that often accompany discipleship will require a steadfast confidence in God. If we are to appropriate the grace, power, wisdom, and divine provisions into our personal experience, we must exercise faith in God's promises (2 Pet. 1:3, 4). Too often fears, past failures, frustrations, and doubts interrupt our confidence in the Lord. We must resist the tendency to focus on these matters though they must be addressed in some manner. Faith allows us to face and handle the impossibles while keeping them in proper perspective. All of our challenges are limited, temporal, and impotent in the shadow of our sovereign, eternal, and omnipotent God. This is true with zero exceptions. Therefore, no matter what the scenario, God can handle it without even braking a sweat.
There you have it; by faith we are saved, sanctified, and strengthened. Again, faith is foundational to our relationship with God, and it is required for living and growing as a genuine believer. We also observed how faith is our strategy for handling all the challenges that accompany living for God in a wicked world. So, how shall we live now that we are saved? Let us live by faith. Really, "life" begins when we do so.

The Just Shall Live by Faith

How does faith relate to Christian living? In four different locations, the Bible says, “the just shall live by faith” (Hab. 2:4; Rom. 1:17; Gal. 3:11; Heb. 10:38). God calls upon His people to live with complete confidence in Him regardless of circumstances and consequences. Accordingly, the faith life is foundational to a right relationship with God, mandatory for all believers to realize genuine Christian expression, and strategic for handling well all the challenges related to trusting God. 

Christians are to progressively realize what it means to actually be in a relationship with God—that is, trusting His Word and responding to it in daily interaction with Him. Obviously, this excludes behaving as if God is not involved in our lives. When we are living in fear, doubt, worry, and apprehension, we are simultaneously expressing that God is not actually real to us or He is too impotent to impact our situation. If we resort to inactive service, manipulations, frustration, discouragement, and self-confidence, it is clear we are not walking with God by faith. In such instances, we are unwittingly displaying that God’s love has no tangible meaning in our daily experience. These developments are grossly incompatible with a life of utter dependence upon God and His Word.

Clearly, Christians are to live out each day with a biblically informed awareness of God’s Presence and plans by faith (Heb. 10:38). God unreservedly requires us to navigate our opportunities, aspirations, and actions with total faith in Him (Heb. 11:6). This is not like some egotistical tyrant greedily demanding absolute loyalty, but as the Creator God who knows better than any other what is best for us. Thus, He generously and graciously offers Himself to us! He desires that we know Him and thereby life at its best and fullest. This can only be realized with Him at the center of our very existence. He created us ultimately for Himself; therefore, it is impossible to be complete without Him. So, it is excellent counsel to live by faith in Him.

In addition, salvation is the entryway into a relationship with God. The faith life begins when we acknowledge our offensive sinfulness to God in repentance, and trust Christ, who died and rose again, for the forgiveness of our sins. Entrance into a relationship with God is through faith in Jesus Christ (John 3; 14:6). After the new birth, there must be growth and progress as disciples of our Lord (1 Pet. 2:1-3). This growth must be realized in the power the Spirit of God supplies and not in the energy or determination of the old fallen nature (Gal. 5; Rom. 8). Fallen humanity can do nothing to live up to God’s expectations without the empowering presence of the Spirit of grace. As we pursue positive growth, we will certainly face trials, oppositions, battles, persecutions, failures, confusion, chastening, and pain. Still faith enables us to face these challenges triumphantly (Heb. 11 & 12). So, in all 360 degrees of the Christian experience, faith is vitally essential.

So, are you saved through faith in Christ’s cross and resurrection? Are we Spirit-controlled Christians? Are we living like the awesome Almighty God is real in our lives? Are we living by faith or are we practical atheist? These questions highlight the natural implications of any serious attempts to live by faith. There can be no interactivity with the true and invisible God unless there is absolute confidence in His existence. This is clearly what the Scriptures, the source of faith, lay out for us (Rom. 10:8-17). Faith is the key! We must believe in Him as Ultimate Reality, even though He is unseen by natural eyes (Heb. 11:1-6).

Faith affords us a kind of sixth sense, but it is not employed like our five natural senses. Faith allows believers to see, experience, explain, and know realities that others simply do not and cannot comprehend (Heb. 11:1-6). Therefore, we can explore, envision, endure, and execute on a scale no human dexterity, agility, or prowess can even begin to approach. Through faith we lay hold onto the strength, power, ability, and grace of Almighty God! Yes, the life of faith for each believer is potentially extraordinary! With this in mind, live by faith as a believer in Christ Jesus. Always remember, faith is foundational to a relationship with God, mandatory for genuine Christian growth and development, and strategic for handling all facets of Christian living.

Enablement for the Cause

For many Christians, life is a matter of simply doing the best they can. Sadly, they experience no dynamic, no power, and no sense of victory in their souls. The danger with this is that a humdrum Christian experience actually leads to discouragement and quitting. Because realizing the Christian experience has proved elusive and mysterious, some erroneously conclude it does not work for them and quit. Let us all be honest about this; spiritual life without a sense of progress and power can become tedious and wearisome. Such disillusionment with God and Christian living; however, is not God’s desire for us. Actually Christ affords the power of the Holy Spirit and He indwells us to enable, equip, and help us lead an abundant, victorious, and empowered life to the glory of God.

The Spirit of the Living God helps us grasp, develop, and experience God’s will for each of us—He is the living expression of the indwelling Christ through submissive believers. He makes continuous and genuine Christian expression possible; He also enables us for evangelism and effective ministry. We desperately need Him at work in us and through us if we are to become the people our Heavenly Father recreated us to be. The Holy Spirit’s supernatural enablement is vital to the cause of Christian living, loving, and laboring to the glory of God (Eph. 3:16).

There are four questions connected with the Spirit’s power I would like for us to ponder together in this message:

I. What is Enablement?—The Strength for Living

II. Why Do We Need Enablement?—The Struggles of Living

III. Who will Provide Enablement?—The Source for Living

IV. How Can We Receive Enablement?—The Supplications for Living  

Servant Leadership is God’s Idea

Myriads of leadership definitions, styles, and models can be found in the modern world. Some of them are quite situational and specific, while others are far more generic with broader applications. Certainly examples of “good” and “bad” leaders with their predominating style could be appealed to for arguing for the superiority or inferiority of one to another. Often these opinions hail from humanistic, psychological, and/or philosophical perspectives. I personally wonder what God’s view of leadership consists of. Because there is a perennial necessity for leadership in all facets of society and on every level of any organization, God must have addressed, emphasized, and prescribed it. My assumption is that any divine contributions to the subject of leadership will be fundamentally authoritative. Additionally, biblical insight could add a clarifying nuance and dimension to the topic that is plainly missing in many treatments. While it is not my aim to exhaust the subject of leadership from a biblical standpoint, humanity can only be enriched by God’s perspective! The vital functions of leadership are applicable to the individual, family, society, industry, country, and the world. Therefore, I think it prudent to entertain the notions of leadership and servant-leadership from a biblical perspective.

What Is Leadership?

Foundational to the effectiveness of our purpose, leadership must be defined as God designed it. It is appropriate to frame the concept in His specific terms. This takes us back to the very beginning of time. A journey to the genesis of the universe also affords us a chance to develop a mosaic of leadership strictly according to God’s ideal. One key is to probe deeply into God’s designs for humanity on the earth; leadership is evidently essential to purposeful human experience.

In Genesis 1:26, Moses wrote, “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.” The “image of God” can be comprehended as ‘like God’ and ‘representing’ God. One implication of this statement, among several, is that God is the supreme leader and humanity is to reflect this function in society as His representatives. The word “dominion” means “to rule, have dominion, or to dominate” according to the Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon (Strong, 1890, 2006). The nature of this rule is sovereign. At this stage of history the ideas of evil domination, abuse of authority, or harsh subjugation should not be associated with this passage nor with the divine concept of leadership. Adam was to represent God on earth as his sovereign earthly ruler over all the rest of creation. John MacArthur agrees in The MacArthur Study Bible (1997) noting this word “dominion” defines man’s unique relation to the rest of creation. Adam was God’s representative while ruling over the earth. God’s command to rule distinguished Adam from the other creatures and defined his relationship as above creation (see Ps. 8:6–8). Thus, God installed the role of leadership from the very beginning; it is a crucial facet of His original design. In addition, Adam was to exercise his sovereignty by serving all creation. He was divinely commissioned to lead all under his authority, and develop all to ensure the world realizes its full potential to the glory of God. Though he was leader over all, his function was service to all at the very core.

This definition affords some insight into leadership, responsibility, accountability to God, purpose, proper authority and motivation. Adam was to serve God by leading; he also was to serve all living creation by providing leadership. The God of creation cherishes order, purpose, and design and deemed these good for earthly experience; he installed leadership to sustain these values. He created human leadership to compliment and maintain this order in the earth; Adam’s authority extended as far as necessary to satisfy this requirement. Furthermore in this notion, God provides the following: values, purpose, vision, mission, strategy, human resources, and governance. As the Supreme Leader, He supplies these essential elements. Obviously, God’s design for the universe is good and so is His plan for human experience. Through human agency such values were to be propagated throughout the entire world; they were to be perpetuated down through the ages. Humanity and all living creatures were to be enriched by divinely appointed leadership and wisdom pursuant of the will of God. This is an important function in God’s plan. Leadership affording meaningful and valuable service is a part of that original design. Adam was created and called to this service as God’s representative.

Sin of course defaced and skewed this plan so significantly that redemption of creation was necessary (Rom. 8:18-25). Leadership through human agency has been absolutely corrupted and severely devastated by sin. Universally, humanity is plagued with corruption, selfishness, abuses, negligence, manipulation, lack of accountability, and lording over others out of fear, pride, or flawed ideology. One mere glance at the political climate in our nation’s capital will roundly confirm this analysis. Conflict, aggression, suffering, subjugation, and the need for submission became realities with the advent of sin (Gen. 3). A sense of calling and serving the welfare of others has been monumentally discarded; though these values are clearly articulated by leaders on every level of civilization, we are justifiably skeptical. Scores of politicians make great promises in order to portray themselves as champions of the people’s welfare and interests, but the vast majority of them are skillfully deceptive and selfishly driven. In contrast, leadership in its purest form is available from God alone, and servant leadership was brilliantly modeled by the Lord Jesus during his earthly humiliation (Phil. 2:1-11). Biblical history affords several models of leadership through God’s servants, inept puppets, and godless tyrants down through the centuries, but all of them were gravely impacted by sin. Like humanity and all of creation, leadership requires redemption.

The term leadership has at least four ways it is used in the English language. Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (1996) defines leadership as a certain occupation in an organization, aptitude for directing others, occasions of affording guidance, and the collective body of administrators in an organization. Modern students of leadership theories basically associate leadership with the capacity to lead others and with instances of providing leadership. They strenuously resist the notion of leadership as a mere position, or the function of a few at the top of an organization. Consider the perspective of renowned leadership authority John Maxwell. In Developing the Leader Within You (1993, p. 1, 2), he largely rejects the idea of leadership as a position saying, “…I have come to this conclusion: Leadership is influence. That’s it. Nothing more; nothing less.” James C. Georges, of the ParTraining Corporation, when asked: “What is leadership?” responded saying, “Remove for a moment the moral issues behind it, and there is only one definition: leadership is the ability to obtain followers…” (Maxwell, 1993). Accordingly, leadership is the ability to influence people to follow you, and is rightly tethered to our actual function regardless of our position in an organization.

In addition, Paul Chappell (2008) in The Spiritual Leader agrees with this view writing, “Leadership is influence. When God entrusted you with the call to lead, He entrusted you with influence for Him.” Speaking strictly from a spiritual perspective, leadership is influence for God: the ability to obtain followers to accomplish God’s will. Essentially, it is inspiring, impacting, and impressing others to follow God’s lead in their individual and cooperative experiences. The individual is redeemed through faith in Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection (Rom. 10:8-17; 1 Pet. 1:18-25). Leadership is redeemed when it fits God’s design, embraces Christ’s model, and advances God’s will. First, this requires revisiting Genesis to note God’s leadership design, style, priorities, and prescription for humanity. Secondly, it involves directing, developing followers, and achieving God’s purposes with and through them as the Lord Jesus did. 

What Is Servant Leadership?

Servant leadership is a values-based leadership theory and practice that concentrates on serving first and leading as an expression of service. It was Robert K. Greenleaf (1904-1990) who crafted the modern concept of servant leadership in his famous essay The Servant as Leader (1970). In practice servant leaders achieve results for their organizations by giving priority attention to the needs of their colleagues and those they serve. Contemporary proponents of servant leadership define it as a management philosophy. This implies an all-inclusive perspective of the quality of people, work, and community spirit. Note the words of Greenleaf (1970),

The servant-leader is servant first… It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. That person is sharply different from one who is leader first, perhaps because of the need to assuage an unusual power drive or to acquire material possessions…. The leader-first and the servant-first are two extreme types. Between them there are shadings and blends that are part of the infinite variety of human nature.

Commonly leadership strategies are generally categorized as autocratic, bureaucratic, participative, and laissez-faire theories and philosophies (http://www.mindtools.com). Servant leadership is best linked to the participative management genre. In Christian applications, it is a sound organizational leadership strategy, excellent discipleship/mentoring approach and it disseminates wholesome ideals and values throughout an organization. In a world where values and ethics carry greater significance, servant leadership is a more attractive strategy (http://www.mindtools.com). The authoritarian leadership style, which thrives on wielding and concentrating power in an individual, is not particularly compatible with the fundamental guiding principle of service first. The most important goal of a servant leader is to inspire, reassure and facilitate the growth and development of subordinates to their fullest potential (https://greenleaf.org), and the laissez-faire leadership style is incompatible with this worthy objective. Servant leadership automatically engenders a strategic obligation to delegate responsibility, and involves others in participative decision-making. Growing and developing people to their full potential are God’s original designs for human leadership (Gen. 1:26-28). Servant leaders seek to develop and disciple as a priority.

There are scores of reasons why the servant leadership model commends itself to both individuals and institutions. Greenleaf (1970) expressed this saying,

The difference manifests itself in the care taken by the servant-first to make sure that other people’s highest priority needs are being served. The best test, and difficult to administer, is: Do those served grow as persons? Do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants? And, what is the effect on the least privileged in society? Will they benefit or at least not be further deprived?

Clearly, servant leadership requires spiritual understanding of identity, mission, vision and environment. Acting first as a responsible servant in the world, he or she contributes to the welfare of both individual and community. A servant leader selflessly and faithfully provides meaningful assistance resulting in the growth of those they lead. They really believe contented and properly motivated people have greater capacities for reaching their potential and fulfilling the requirements of the mission (Greenleaf, 1970).

While Greenleaf’s concept of servant leadership is quite beneficial, there is an ancient concept of servant leadership that predates his. It is articulated in the Scriptures by none other than the Lord Jesus Christ two thousand years ago. Consider what He said to His own disciples in Matthew 20:25-28,

…Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. [26] But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; [27] And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: [28] Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

In this passage, the Lord Jesus framed servant leadership in terms of service, selflessness, and sacrifice. Though the term ‘servant leader’ does not appear in this passage, the words “servant” and “minister” as a leadership strategy do. They refer to voluntary and sacrificial service. This is Christ’s counsel to His first followers and precisely what He modeled for our instruction and application. Such leaders possess a servant’s heart and exemplify sacrifice. The evils of pride, self-promotion, manipulation, and controlling dominance portrayed by the leaders of the nations are absolutely foreign to the idea the Lord Jesus advocates. Likewise, servant leadership is equally unfamiliar to the modern world at large. Though there is a growing interest in this worldview of leadership, it remains in sharp contrast to the familiar models of selfishness, distrust, pride, and looking out for number one. Again the motivations for servant leadership are more internal than external. What Jesus Christ calls his followers to become is servant leaders—people who serve first, who are selfless in their motives, and who are willing to sacrifice when necessary in order to serve. 

Perks or a Sense of Calling?

Should a servant of Jesus Christ be primarily motivated from within? What are some healthy external incentives for God’s servants? Commonly enough, external appeals aimed at stimulating higher performance abound in the workplace. In fact, certain entitlements are a normal part of the vocational landscape in Europe and the United States. Even junior executives and mid-level managers enjoy attractive bonuses and awards to encourage efficiency in their various departments. This is fairly normal in the Western world.

The most impressive perks packages include lucrative financial compensation bundles for high powered Fortune 500 CEOs and corporate executives. These handsome benefit packages can hardly be referred to as a mere “carrot on a stick” anymore.  Some executives have intricate expense accounts, luxurious company cars, a company jet, and other multi-million dollar benefits. In some instances these packages add up to tens of millions of dollars (Strauss, 2013, http://work.chron.com/).To top it all off, they also receive lucrative seven figure annual salaries with additional rewards from exercising vested stock options (Strauss, 2013, http://work.chron.com/). In the event they are terminated, they still have their golden parachute option—a deluxe multi-million dollar severance package (Edwards, 2013, http://www.businessinsider.com/). Honestly, five average corporate workers could retire very contentedly on what a select of these CEOs receive upon being fired! Assuming such individuals are largely incentivized by external benefits is no stretch of the imagination. Fortune, power, recognition, rewards, and other tangible privileges are given to encourage the highest and most profitable professional performance. 

Whether considering the corporate world, small businesses, professional athletes, or trained professionals, the things that attract and motivate people vocationally appear to be external rewards. Generally, the average person has an insatiable appetite for more money—a lot more money. Others want more power, prestige, or a generous package of benefits and privileges. Financial security with a blend of high self-esteem and a measure of personal success in meaningful pursuits address some internal desires. Nevertheless, desirable packages include medical/dental insurances, retirement accounts, shares in company stock, and a business expense account. The ironic development is eventually these benefits are taken for granted and cease to stimulate higher performance. Transactional leaders, who rely heavily on external motivations, inevitably encounter this persistent paradox. The same external rewards cease to motivate over the course of time.

Of course these behavior patterns for the average individual are to be anticipated. These folks have little else to live for besides this existence and more things as they plunder through life searching for real meaning. As a result, many try to make the best of it for their families and themselves hoping to discover the real meaning of life along the way. When God is not the core of a person’s life, a gaping vacancy persists. That is, a Grand Canyon size soul-emptiness persists deep within. This vacuum drives the diluted to indulge almost anything for a sense of fulfillment. In order to find satisfaction and purpose, they lunge for yet another more attractive “carrot on a stick.” Unfortunately, history repeatedly demonstrates that people will grab for just about anything. That is, anything except God; resultantly, the hunger in their souls continues.

However, this disturbing reality is not only a part of society and the professional culture at large. The fact is many Christians seem more inspired to serve for identical reasons. If they are promised exciting incentives, given plenty of public recognition, some tangible rewards, and a guarantee that their rights and privileges are secure, they will invest themselves with greater intensity (Stanley, 1996). Many have not even considered how their spiritual values should inform their personal and professional ethics. A sense of divine calling seldom enters their minds. Movement stemming from the core of their being—their true identity in Christ—does not seem to influence the average believer. Internal and holy motivations have been significantly silenced or largely deprioritized. As a result, we are left to incentivize exactly like those without Christ. Either externally with money and prestige or internally by stirring legitimate desires with sugar-coated ‘blessings’ laced with selfishness and double dipped in pride. These can only lead to disillusionment with God’s service, and depression because of preoccupation with self.

The nagging inescapable question lodged at the back of the honest mind is, “Should not Christians be primarily motivated from within instead of from without?” Should not biblical values and a clearer grasp of reality govern our philosophy of life and service? What about a sense that we are called to a certain vocation and the fulfillment of God’s plan for us? My ultimate aim is to demonstrate that there are holy motivations for believers desiring to serve Christ in a pleasing manner. Servanthood is the believer’s calling (John 12:26; Gal. 5:13). Servant leadership is the correct motivation and strategy for accomplishing God’s design for us as individuals and Christian organizations.

Servanthood is the proper inner motivation for Christians transfixed on following our Lord Jesus Christ (Mark 10:35-45). God desires for us to be thoroughly committed to His service from the heart, whatever the occupation or professional vocation (John 12:24-26). To be sure, it is not wrong for God’s servants to be properly compensated for their time, energy, and expertise. This is in good order and fully consistent with other biblical teachings. Nevertheless, servanthood/servant leadership is the strategy God’s people must embrace to advance his cause his way (Luke 22:24-30). While many external incentives are not wrong in and of themselves (God repeatedly used them), they do not persistently provide stimulation, nor do they sustain momentum. This leaves the servant of Christ with a need for something deeper that will—Christ through servanthood/servant leadership is the only legitimate paradigm (Phil. 2:5). A heart-devotion to service rising out of Christlike attitudes and motives is our prescribed concentration, not just more external incentives.

A Creator Explains A Lot

“IN the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Gen. 1:1). The Bible opens with this brilliant and authoritative declaration of how the universe came into existence. Boldly asserting the Ultimate Reality—there is a God, the universe is not eternal, and God created everything from nothing (Heb. 11:3). And how did He do this miraculous thing? The Bible offers an astounding answer—He spoke and galaxies, solar systems, planets, and our earth appeared. “By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth” (Ps. 33:6). In fact, he still sustains the universe by His infinite power and common grace (Col. 1:15-18). Who is this Creator God? He is known as the Word of God, but more familiarly as Jesus Christ (John 1:1-4). As God, He deserves respect because He owns the entire enterprise of the universe and He is uniquely responsible for our very existence. The myriads of heavenly creatures know how to treat their Creator. Listen to them energetically exclaim, “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created” (Rev. 4:11).Certainly the Creator is worthy of our most profound worship, and we exist finally for His pleasure.

Now that we understand who the Creator is and what He created, it would be helpful to ponder why He even bothered. Why did God create? As already indicated, all of creation was originally intended to bring glory and pleasure to God (Isa. 43:7; Ps. 19:1-2; Col. 1:16; Rev. 4:11). This is healthy to recognize because it is welded to our own purpose and significance in this world. Furthermore, as creation demonstrates God’s supremacy, great power, wisdom (Jer. 10:12, 16), and goodness (Gen.1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31), we also realize an additional design: our spiritual enrichment by these realities. Do not make the mistake of concluding that these observations are limited to ‘spiritual’ discussions or considerations. No, this singular reality gives shape to a worldview that embraces every facet of life, government, society, science, personal deportment/behavior, humanitarianism, medicine, faith, family, and our occupations. In all honesty, this list could run on indefinitely entirely free of any elements of exaggeration!

The appropriate response to such an incredible gift is thanksgiving, praise, and unharnessed worship towards God, the superb Designer. Then we should follow this with more heart-felt conviction-filled adoration for His majestic exploits and creative wonders. His creative genius is evident all around us and predictably deep within each of us as well. When we have calculated these biblical facts correctly, we will gladly acknowledge His ownership of all, and our comprehensive stewardship obligations to Him. We will intensely appreciate the explanation of our own existence residing exclusively in Him. We will rejoice in this clarification that affords us a dignified origin, identity, purpose, meaning, and destiny. You see, the reality of a Creator explains a great deal that does not make any sense without Him. In contrast, we have no trans-mundane purpose or significance if we are merely the results of a few chancy cosmic burps billions of years ago.

Most importantly, the Scriptures roundly and consistently testify to the fact that God exists and that He created. Any cursory reading of the Bible can produce this conclusion. Though many have criticized the credibility of the Bible and especially its account of origins, it remains the most attested Writing on the planet. Nothing else even comes close to the reliability of the Scriptures! I, personally, am absolutely comfortable taking a biblical account over any professor who diminishes this holy Book.

God in the equation of the universe fills life with truth, hope, and peace. We are not alone in the universe, and it is safe to live each day on earth free of despair. There is Someone who can bring beauty out of ashes, purpose out of pain, healing out of heartache, blessing out of brokenness, triumph out of tragedy, and salvation from sinfulness. Truth has a bedrock anchor that will not change with new research discoveries, the fickleness of society, or the inventions of religionists. A divine Creator really does explain a great deal.

In a highly scientific age, I still believe in a Creator and gladly consider myself one of His creatures. In spite of the many supposed enlightened objections, a Creator is a far more plausible explanation for existence than anything else I have ever read or studied. Yes, I have looked honestly at both sides of this debate. I am far more pleased with my position than the alternative of macro-evolution. It simply requires too much ‘blind faith’ to believe in evolution, when there is zero supporting evidence. This is not an exaggeration; the solid observable empirical evidence does not exist anywhere on the planet. All evolutionary scientists can offer are theories and models front-loaded with tons of presuppositions, and assumptions. Yes, it is true that the Christian worldview holds its own set of assumption, but they do seem to align with the evidence more readily than evolution. In addition, Christianity does not claim to be science; it is a faith based on the Scriptures and anchored in the Person Jesus Christ.

Finally, belief without evidence is more of a religion than a science. Honestly this is precisely where science unwittingly finds itself today. Modern science worships at the altar of ‘beliefs’ and ‘myths.’ Research the history of this supposed modern science apparatus and you will discover many re-definitions, theories that failed to deliver, blatant frauds/forgeries, and even embarrassingly desperate lies. Read the writings of early evolutionists and they will admit their uncertainties and unqualified ‘convictions.’ The modern movement does not fare any better. Evolution simply cannot be reproduced in a laboratory, and it cannot be examined or observed anywhere. This is not science! It is simply believed…that sounds like a religion to me. Evolution is boldly thundered and asserted without really proving anything. Once again I also assert a Creator really does answer more questions than it raise. “In the beginning God created….”