Calling — purpose with passion

A 5C devotional for healthy leader development


Why do you do what you do? 

 Is it a job or a calling from God? If you do what you do because it a means for security, it is a job. If you do what you do because you “feel the pleasure of God”, it is a calling. We get a job. We discover calling. At jobs, we make money. At calling, we make a difference. A job is chosen by you. Calling is initiated by God. Jobs have to do with knowledge, ability and skill that you have acquired. Calling has to do with how God has wired you. A job is where you spend time,  A calling is where you invest your life.  A job is where you accomplish something, A calling is where you make an eternal difference.   Jobs are too small. Calling is your life opus.

As the new year begins, look to your Lord.  Quiet your soul and listen to Him, read Psalm 62.  Worship Him, read Psalm 92:1-11, trust and obey and live out your calling, for this is where true joy is found.  

Challenging Assignment:   

Ask Him,why are you here?

Ask Him, why you have the "job" you have? 

Ask Him, how the experiences of your past are to be used to influence those around you today.

Ask Him, how you are to employ your spiritual gifts in building up His body. 

Ask Him, to lead you to speak the Gospel with boldness and with respect.  Who is in your influence you are sharing the Gospel with?  

Ask Him, to use you to serve someone in need.

Ask Him, to deepen your "roots" in Him so that you may bear much fruit to glorify Him.

Ask Him, to give you a "Paul to mentor you and a "Timothy" for you to mentor.  

Ask Him, to do His deeper work of holiness in your mind, soul, spirit and body.

Ask Him, to fill you with the Holy Spirit, your helper to empower you to be subject to one another in the fear of the Lord. 

Ask Him, to surround you with His grace and peace.

Ask Him, to direct your steps to fulfill His calling on your life in 2013. 

Now, read Colossians 4:17.

Character — foundation for leadership

A 5C devotional of healthy leader development

“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.” Helen Keller, 1880-1968

It is in the crucible of life that God is dealing with us, purifying us and shaping us into His Son’s image. I don’t normally enjoy the crucible but this is how character is built IF we respond well to the trials of life found in relationships, and circumstances. In “Overcoming Your Shadow Mission”, John Ortberg states, “If you don’t develop the character to support your gifts, they will actually become destructive to you.”

Challenging Assignment:  Read Genesis about Abraham's journey to Canaan. Notice that the conditions of the land when he arrived.  The Lord certainly could have led Him there in a season of bounty and the Lord could have removed the Canaanites from the Land.  But He didn't. The Lord led Abraham into the land in a time of famine and with the ungodly canaanites living there as his neighbors.

What was the first thing Abraham did?  He built an altar out of the rocks from the hard ground.  Abraham worshiped God!  He took the hard things in his surroundings and offered worship to God.  Today, take the "hard things" in your life and worship Him, praise Him and give Him thanks for each one of those hard things.   

Christ — a river of joy

A 5C devotional of healthy leader development

The Apostle Paul writes the letter to the Philippian church from prison.  He is chained to a Roman soldier and is under house arrest for his work in the Gospel.  Even though his circumstances are difficult he writes the most joyful letter in the New Testament.

Joy is an important fruit of the Holy Spirit that enables Christian leaders lead well.  And when we read the life of Paul, (read especially 2 Corinthians), we discover that even though he went through many trials, struggles, discouragements, sorrows, distresses, and pressures,  he was able to write about joy.

Throughout the book of Philippians joy is like a river that runs all the way through it and Paul knew how to tap into this stream even in the midst of the most adverse and trying circumstances.  What is Paul's secret?

In this letter, in the four chapters, we discover four reasons for joy

#1.  Joy is not dictated by circumstances but by finding life's Purpose in Christ.
In chapter one, The Apostle Paul chooses to rejoice because His life is Christ's.  He can have his freedom to travel, be imprisoned and chained to a Roman guard twenty-four-seven and yet rejoice because no one can take Christ away from him.  His life belong's to Christ.  His one desire is to exalt Christ and that can happen where ever he is.                                                          Philippians 1:20-21

#2.  Joy is discovered in the Pattern of Jesus' sacrificial service and not in our selfish pursuits.
In  chapter two, The Apostle points us to Jesus as the Pattern of humbling and yielding Himself for our leadership model.  Later in this chapter Paul says that he rejoices in the opportunity to be poured out as a drink offering upon the service and sacrifice of their faith.                                  Philippians 2:3-5,

#3.  Joy is deepened when we pursue Jesus as the Prize of our life.
In chapter three, The Apostle Paul describes how he has chosen to suffer the loss of all of his achievements and his privileged status in order to embrace Christ.  Paul's singular passion is Christ as the treasure and prize of his life.  To know Christ is all that really matters.  To know Christ personally, powerful and sufferingly is the treasure of a lifetime.                                             Philippians 3:7-10

#4.  Joy develops when we learn the secret of relying on Jesus as the source of our Power.
In chapter four, Paul has learned the secret to the Christian experience.  This is something that Paul learned in the school of hard knocks.  It is to be content in any and every circumstance through Christ who strengthens.                                                                                                    Philippians 4:11-13

Where does joy come from?  How can we tap into this ever flowing river of joy?   Jesus is the source of joy.  Jesus is our life Purpose, our Pattern, our Prize and our Power and when we abide in Him two things happen.  We bear much fruit (Joy is a fruit of the Spirit) and so glorify our Father and the joy of Lord becomes our and our joy is made full, John 15:5-11.

Challenging Assignment:   Center your life in Jesus Christ by thanking Him that He is in every one of your circumstances and choose to rejoice.  Bow your heart before Him and let the presence of His grace and peace rule in your heart.   Memorize and meditate on Jesus as our life Purpose - Philippians 1:20-21,  Jesus as your Pattern - Philippians 2:5, Jesus as  your Prize - Philippians 3:10 and Jesus as your Power, Philippians 4:13.   With these truths in your heart, be on the look out how you can serve others in love and with joy!                                                  

bringing out the best

Community — bringing out the best in people

A 5C devotional for healthy leader development

One of the ways to bring out the best in people is to believe the best about them.  “Love always looks for the best . . .” 1 Corinthians  13:7 MSG.  

Focus on the person’s potential in Christ not on his or her problems or failures.  Make this the platform for which you develop your relationships and deal with difficult issues. 

Read the following:  

            God’s attitude toward us — Rom 8:29-30

            Jesus’ attitude toward Simon-Peter — John 1:42, Luke 22: 31-32                           

            God’s attitude toward fearful Gideon — Judges 6:11-12

            God’s attitude toward diffident Moses — Exodus 4:10-12

Challenging Assignment:

Add to this list of God’s attitude towards other biblical characters and how He worked with them.   Do a character study of Barnabas from the book of Acts and Epistles and observe his attitude towards those he interacted with.  Find a Barnabas in your life and hang out with him or her for a period of time to see how they bring out the best in people.  Go do the same. 

Enjoy the day by bring out the best in people.

maintaing a clear conscience — COMMUNITY

A devotional for the 5C's of Healthy Leader Development


Paul writes - I thank God whom I serve with a clear conscience the way my forefather did, as I constantly remember you in my prayers night and day,  1 Timothy 2:3.

The word clear means, clean or pure, as in unmixed motives. This does not mean that Paul was perfect or always had it all together. Having a clear conscience means that when we offend God or someone, we don’t ignore it or deny it but we get it right either by seeking forgiveness, restitution or both so that we are free from hurt or harm.

Maintaining a clear conscience will be a way of life for us (so we better get used to it) and it is essential in building a strong community.

Keep your heart moist before the Lord and like the Apostle Paul, do your best to maintain a clear conscience toward both God and man, Acts 24:16.

Years ago a friend of mine was plagued with and dealing with false guilt.  There is such a thing as real guilt and false guilt. In fact false guilt feels the same as real guilt.  False guilt occurs when our heart still condemns us even though we have confessed our sin and received forgiveness from Jesus.  But God is greater than your heart, so turn your eyes from your sin and stop trying to defend yourself against the accusations that bubble up.  Instead, turn your eyes to the Cross of Christ and see the loving sacrifice of your Savior putting to death your "certificate of debt" that condemns you,  (Read 1 John 3:19-21, Colossians 2:10-15).  Turn your heart towards God's truth that there is no condemnation or those who are in Christ Jesus!

I took my friend to a nearby river and asked her to pick up a rock and throw it as far as she could into the muddy river.  I then asked her where was the rock?  She said in the middle of the river.  Then we read the Scripture which says,  He will cast all of our sins into the depths of the sea, Micah 7:19 (Read Micah 7:18-20).  I asked her what is she doing "mentally" in the midst of the river searching for the sin when God says He has cast if far from her — as far as the east is from the west, Psalm 103:12).

As my friend mentally chewed on what God said, she was set free!

Challenging Assignment:
Ask the the Lord search your heart according to Psalm 139:23-24.  If the Holy Spirit reveals a way of pain in you towards someone, take the initiative to seek peace.  Don't allow resentment to linger and grow roots of bitterness, Hebrews 12:15.   Don't allow unrighteous anger to remain embedded and in doing so give the evil one leverage in your relationships, Ephesians 4:26-32. Don't allow unconfessed sin to live any longer in your heart but confess it to the Lord and be done with it, Psalm 32.

Quiet your soul before the Lord and reflect on the forgiveness that flows from the Cross of Christ toward you.  Now, pray for and forgive the one who has offended you.  Hand them over to God.  Read Romans 12:17-21 as a meditation for the week and write down your meditation in a journal.  

made to know God

the 5C's of healthy leader development:  CHRIST

What is the goal of the Christian life?  

Read John 17:3.  The Goal is to know God.  This is not just and intellectual knowledge.  It includes this but it is much more.  We are created to be in fellowship with God, 1 John 1:3, 7.  Through Jesus Christ, the Christian is brought into an eternal relationship with God — starting now.  

This is the beginning and ending, the alpha and omega of healthy Christian leadership.  God is the One who ultimately builds leaders.  It is therefore imperative that the emerging leader cultivates and deepens his or her relationship with God.  The Scripture says to "take root downward, bear fruit upward."  

Is the way you are pursuing your life helping you in growing in your relationship with Jesus?  What does this mean to you - to have a relationship with God?  What are you doing that deepens your relationship with Him? 

How do you experience God?  What do you need to do or redo to deepen your walk with God?  What have you learned about God so far in your life?  How has this changed your life?  

Challenging Assignment:  This week, get away in solitude, be still and listen, fast to focus your attention on Him, meditate upon His Word and then share with a friend what God is teaching you about . . .  Himself.