CHAPTER SIX
UNTEACHABLE, UNACCOUNTABLE AND UNACCEPTABLE
When a man is wrapped up in himself, he makes a pretty
small package –John Ruskin
A leader is someone who leads. Just because you have a
title of leadership doesn’t mean that you are a leader. You are only a leader
if you lead.
People who hang out with the Lord everyday can’t stop
talking about Him. They can’t help looking at every issue the way He would look
at that issue.
Marks of the UnLeader
UnServant: one thing that sets apart Christian leadership
from any other type of leadership is the idea of being a servant. According to
Leonard Bernstein, New York Symphony conductor, the most difficult position in
the orchestra is “second fiddle” because everybody wants to be first.
Christian leadership is giving your best without having
to be first.
Diotrephes loved to be first, served, a big shot, given
special privileges and impress people (3 John 9-10). If I want to lead like
Jesus instead of Diotrephes, I will have to make drastic changes. The challenge
with reading the Bible is every time I open it, I keep getting the idea that
God wants me to change and conform to the image of Christ. If we’re going to
grow up in Christ, we’ve got to change everyday. If we don’t, we’ll merely be
growing old instead. Be willing to change and be a servant.
UnTeachable: great leaders have teachable spirits. Great
leaders know how to submit to authority. A lot of people have leadership
inclinations but don’t want to submit to anybody because they want to do it
their way. The one trait to look for in a husband is teachability – a teachable
guy will listen to your input. He’ll be a big enough man to admit he’s got lots
of room for improvement. More importantly, he’ll be open to input from the Holy
Spirit. He’ll know how to humble himself before the Lord. A teachable guy will
grow up in Christ. If you’re not teachable, you don’t have a chance in the
world of finishing strong, not a chance!
UnJust: more than anything else, spoken words determine
the atmosphere of a home. Every home has an atmosphere – ambience. Your home
either has an atmosphere of construction or destruction. The people in the home
are either being built up or torn down. What kind of home were you raised in?
Is it one with an atmosphere of construction or that of destruction?
The family you come from is not as important as the one
you are going to have. – Ring Lardner
I can’t do anything about the family I was born into but
when I’m the dad, it’s on my shoulders to make a good home. What’s going to be
the atmosphere of my home? More than anything else, it will be my words that
spell the difference between construction and destruction. What kind of words
will echo off the walls of my home and sink into the souls of those
impressionable folks under my roof? Words are awesomely powerful instruments –
for evil or good. In a Christian home, there is no room for unjust words. We
need to think about the words before they come spilling out of our faces. We
need to ask ourselves “am I being just here? Is that a constructive remark? Or
am I just trying to score a point?” as men who want to finish strong, we need
to make sure our remarks and comments are constructive – and just.
UnHospitable: hospitality isn’t always convenient. It
isn’t always comfortable and handy. It doesn’t always fit right in with our
plans and our schedules. A family willing to be inconvenienced is a sign of
spiritual maturity.
UnHappy: does God speak to us today? You bet He
does. He speaks to us in His Word. But
He also has another way of getting through to us. It’s amazing how God will
talk to me through my wife and kids. And when I start hearing the same thing
over and over again, I better listen up. If I want a happy family, I better
listen to some of those words – and even some of those silences! That’s not easy
because sometimes we get into a groove. We get goal oriented and locked on
course. At such times, it’s not easy for to pick up on the family’s emotional
needs. In the heat of the moment, it’s
easy to get upset and irritated and start throwing around harsh words. That’s a
natural tendency.
Being an UnLeader is UnManly. Real men serve just like
Jesus did.
If I have to finish strong, I have to work on it. As we
ask Christ to make us teachable, accountable men that He wants us to be, we
will begin to change.
Source: Finishing Strong by Steve Farrar
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