Ever since our big regional meeting, I've been thinking a lot about leadership. I guess it's something I should know a little bit about: I used to be a pastor and am now a church planter and team leader. It makes sense, I guess, that the subject should be getting familiar. But the more I think about it, the less I think I know.
A few weeks ago, I started asking God for wisdom: wisdom to make good decisions, wisdom on how to deal with people, wisdom on what to do today and tomorrow and the day after that. I've always turned to James 1 where he says "if you lack wisdom, ask God for it." So I asked. I asked Him to show me how to live and to lead.
A day or two later (this was all part of one of those read-the-Bible-in-a-year plans), I got to James 3, where God decided to answer my prayer. He showed me that thing number one to learn about leading is to watch my mouth. The verse (11) where James talks about bitter and sweet water coming out of the same fountain got to me.
Then, I read verses 13-18. James 1 says "ask God for wisdom" then in chapter 3 he says "you want wisdom? Here it is." In The Message, it says to "live humbly and get along with others." In the NASB, it says someone wanting to be seen wise should "show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom."
Wise leadership means humility, gentleness, and "sweet water." What a change from the model of the world and many churches. God, help me to be like that.
More on this later...
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