The Journey, part 24: leaders and followers

(For there were about five thousand men.) And He said to His disciples, "Have them sit down to eat in groups of about fifty each." They did so, and had them all sit down. (Luke 9:14-15 NASB)

The crowd would never have been seated before Jesus, waiting in stillness, if the disciples had not first expectantly waited before Him for instructions, if they had not waited to move until He gave clear directions for the first step. In order to lead, as the disciples soon found, we must know where we are headed. As leaders in matters of faith, we must get that direction from our Lord. 

Where would He have us go? What would He have us do? How would He have us do it? The answers to those questions do not come from us. They come from our Lord and are readily available.  James tells us that, if we need wisdom, all we have to do is ask. 

But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. (James 1:5 NASB

We all have those who look to us for leadership, be it in our family, at work, or in our communities. It is imperative that we lead in a manner and a direction that is pleasing to God, and that begins at the feet of Jesus, looking to Him for direction. Do you need wisdom? Direction? Just ask Jesus. He is willing to supply all you need, and do it "generously and without reproach".  Just ask. 

It is the job of leaders, as well as that of followers, to spend time with our Lord in order to receive strength, guidance, and help in time of need, so be still. Wait. Listen. Ask. 

The Journey, part 18: The Listening Jesus

When the apostles returned, they gave an account to Him of all that they had done. (Luke 9:10 NASB)

The apostles had just returned from their amazing ministry journey. They had preached the Kingdom of God and healed the sick. Their efforts had clearly been effective, because the reports of the events had made it all the way to Herod's palace. 

Undoubtedly, they were full of enthusiasm when they returned to Jesus, eager to tell Him everything, and He took the time to listen to it all. He had three short years to accomplish His mission, and yet He took time out from His own schedule of preaching and healing to listen to his apostles-in-training tell about the work they had done. 

Had we been a part of the creation of the universe, had we hung the stars in the sky, we might have just smiled at their enthusiasm and continued on our way. Not Jesus. He allowed the twelve to give Him an accounting of all they had done in His name. It was only after the accounting of their journey that they moved on to the next task. 

He was training them, and not only to preach and heal the sick. Our Good Shepherd was training them to shepherd those who would come after them, and He led by example. The effectiveness of His leadership can be seen in Peter's words, written years later. 

"Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, ... shepherd the flock of God among you ... with eagerness; nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory ...and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another... "(1 Peter 5:1-5 NASB)

How about that? Jesus was training these men to be humble, enthusiastic shepherds. There would be some struggles along the way, but, in the end, that is exactly what they became. Oh, what a difference we could make in our world if we learned from Jesus and treated others the way He treats us! If we were as patient, as gentle, as humble as the Son of God was with these twelve men, we could impact the world for Christ in a mighty way. 

Today, let us look at the kindness God has shown toward us and compare it to the way we respond to those He has entrusted to us. Do we treat others the way Christ treats us? If not, let us ask our Lord to fill us with His grace, His patience, and His kindness. May we "clothe ourselves with humility" and be the kind of example others want to follow.