Have you ever wanted to have the final word? Have you ever wanted to be the one who makes the decision after hearing all that others have to say? I am sure at times it would be a welcome task and at other times it would be a difficult task. Who is moving to the front to take the lead? Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Leadership is a difficult endeavor; it involves having the last word. A leader interprets all that is said and all that is done and has the responsibility to set the direction. Leading others comes with a great responsibility. Is the person we are following moving us to the front or are we the one going our own way?

I was thinking about the final word and how it guides others to get the job done. The foreman is the one that makes the decision but who has the final word?  I think the one who does the job ultimately decides. Others have input, the foreman has the decision to make, but ultimately the person that does the job has the final say. They are the one that actually does it.

There are times when I have the last word, it comes with any leadership position, when all is said and done there is one with the responsibility to decide. One that has the final word. They have to decide what was said that was significant. They have to set a direction. They should be leading. Having the final word is one thing, but what happens if no one follows your instructions?

Leadership not only involves making decisions, providing guidance, but also being a person people will follow. If you look around and there is no one following you then you are not leading. That is a difficult time, having to take a step back and figure out where you lost everyone, collect them back up and recommit to move forward together.

We deal with this on a constant basis in life, there is always a level of trust required and a belief that the one leading knows the way. The one leading has a responsibility not to lose those they are responsible for. There must be mutual respect from everyone to be committed to the direction of the leader.

Who have we allowed to lead our lives? Who have we decided to follow? Who have we submitted to their authority? A couple of Scriptures come to mind that help remind me who should be the one I follow.

Proverbs 3:5-6; Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

Jeremiah 29:11-13; For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

These verses will help us not only follow, but lead, when we commit to seek God with all our heart and let Him guide our path we will move beyond the pettiness of life and find true satisfaction and fulfillment. That only comes from one source, Jesus Christ.

This isn’t a half-hearted endeavor, we need to be all in, whole heartedly following God, and His promise is, that by following Him, we will lead others to Him. We lead by submitting whole-heartedly to God.

Think about this, we want to lead a good life. We desire to have the best life possible. Then why do we put our trust and faith in things that will not help us attain that? We seek life in things that lead to death and destruction. Not everything we desire will lead us to an abundant life. The Scripture tells us if we want to lead we must serve.

Philippians 2:5-8; Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.

And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death– even death on a cross!

Do we lead from the front? No. We need to move to the back. The most effective leadership comes with an attitude to serve. We get this so wrong in life. We think the powerful, the bullies, the proud and arrogant are the natural born leaders, but the truth be told leadership comes from surrendering yourself in service of others.

I’ve seen a sheepdog do its work, they gather the flock together and encourage them to move in a certain direction. The sheep dog knows where the flock needs to go. From behind the flock they circle left and then right, back and forth coaxing the flock to move toward the goal. Some need a little more encouragement than others, a bark or a nip at their heels. The sheep dog does what it takes to get the flock to the shepherd. From behind, keeping an eye on all, making sure everyone is moving the way they should be going. Ready to chase down a stray and return it to the flock. Watching for dangerous wolves that only seek to divide and devour.

Leading from behind is most effective. Putting yourself in a place of service is the key. Many do not know the way that is best for them. Telling them where to go isn’t effective. Encouraging them, nurturing them, and modeling it for them is a very effective way to lead. Having a heart to serve makes that possible.

Think about the times someone has served you? Think about how that made an impression on you. It is easy to remember those times when someone reached out to us in our time of need and helped us. Those are the times in life when we are encouraged, fulfilled, satisfied. Those are the times we don’t feel alone.

Those are the times when we see hope and a future. The times when we know someone is looking out for us, we stumble and fall but there is someone there to pick us up, dust us off, walk alongside us until we can stand on our own: that is true leadership! The secret is to lift others up, support and encourage them, enable them to move forward with confidence.

Christ’s desire is to lead us to the most satisfying, meaningful and fulfilling life here on earth. We need to whole-heartedly allow Him to lead us, move us from where we are to where we need to be. Don’t be surprised if the view from the front isn’t what you expected.

If we are leading, we will start to see how many other lives we can touch, giving them hope and a future. We will start to understand the influence we have on others. Surrender to Christ and let Him have control over our decisions and actions; that is a life worth leading.

Blessings,

Pastor Don