“What really gives the leader his authority—his right to lead—does at the end of the day come down
to him, or her, as a person—the nature of their character and the degree of their integrity.”
 
~ General Sir Richard Dannatt – Chief of the General Staff, the professional head of the British Army
 
Have you noticed that often leaders are promoted due to their knowledge, experience and relational connectedness? That has often been the case with many of us – and, of course, there is nothing wrong with this approach and in fact has much wisdom attached to it. However, per our quote above from a fine godly British Military leader, ultimately, a leader leads out of who they really are and what they have become – what is embedded deep within them, who they are away from the crowd, and what they have become due to the chiseling challenges that have allowed character to emerge as fine gold.
 
Where are you in this process? Is God at work within you building a character that can later contain the weight of broad leadership in daring times? Is He growing your trust in Him as seemingly everyone around you gets promoted and well positioned now for success? As one who is leading – are you giving time to the building of godly leaders around you who will in-turn do the same within their generation?
 
In light of the days we are living in we need leaders who unconditionally love and uncompromisingly live and lead out of truth, leaders who lead out of relationship and accomplish their mission with excellence. We need leaders in every societal domain who are tried and tested, who have failed and know how to rightly respond to it (I tend to trust those most who walk with a limp), and those who have learned to surround themselves with godly counsel and listen to it.
 
To emerge as a leader who leads out of who they are, one must willingly subject themselves to the deep and often painful dealings of God over an extended period of time. If there is any question of its ultimate value for the individual or the world around them, consider the lives offered up to us by God in Hebrews 11 – those of whom ‘the world was not worthy’.

~DB

    

A new year is upon us and with it comes all kinds of resolutions and promises for personal change and growth (or shrinkage if the Christmas treats have had their way with us). All of us are feeling the financial squeeze in one way or another so we are banging out new budgets and looking to trim or add where we can. We are also on the verge of an historic moment in our country with the swearing in of our new President – someone we will need to diligently stand with in prayer and intercession (1Tim. 2:1-4) as he addresses huge challenges regarding our nation and the world.

As a follower of Jesus are you looking at your life and the events of the world around you through ‘eternal eyes’ – or do you have a tendency to react only to what you see with your senses? ‘Eternal eyes’ seek to understand God’s perspective and heart on things and recognize the greatness of His person and power. They also tend to respond as Henry Blackaby puts it, ‘looking for where God is working and joining Him in it’. No matter what happens they live with the perpetual belief that God’s heart is always to intervene to redeem – and therefore position themselves to be agents of redemptive activity.

As you begin this year, are you looking at who you relate to, what you do, and what has come your way through ‘eternal eyes’? If not, and you find yourself a bit stuck here, ask Jesus for fresh perspective from His vantage point and then watch what He will do!

~DB

    

We have touched in this brief blog series on The Pacing of Jesus – how He lived and led out of a place of inner security, that He only gave Himself to where the Father was working, that He was motivated by obedience and not driven by needs, and that He rested awhile in the context of meaningful friendships. As I wrap this up, I want to share one final observation that I believe is crucial to the godly pacing of our lives.

Jesus knew that His vision could only be fulfilled by multiplying His life within others – Mt.28:18-20

It is interesting to note that while Jesus was going from village-to-village loving, preaching and teaching, healing, etc., that He seemed to always have a dozen guys with Him that He was investing in. There was a constant ‘teach – demonstrate – replicate’ feel to everything Jesus did. He knew that part of healthy pacing was finding others that He could pour His life in to – allowing the ‘seeds’ of His life to multiply fruit within others.

Often, multiplying ourselves within others is the first thing to go when we get busy. Our eyes more naturally focus on leading our group, building our company and/or ‘doing our thing’. Jesus, however, built in to the ‘flow of His being’ pouring His life in to others. He viewed this as a valuable piece of His life – look how much time He gave to it! In His unhurriedness, He made people, their growth and finding their place a priority. It was never an ‘add on’ or ‘got to’ – He understood that this is the primary way that the Kingdom gets passed on and advanced.

If it was a part of the pacing and ‘life flow’ of Jesus and a priority to Him, should it not also be for me? Looking through this set of lenses provides me with a reference point on how I spend my time and energy, and also offers me a scriptural window through which I can measure the fruitfulness of my life.

~DB

    

The Pacing of Jesus - Part 5

In this series we have been reflecting on Jesus’ pace in life and posing thoughts on how it may align with our pacing or contrast with it. Here in this fifth piece of six, I want to touch on something I believe is crucial to our pacing - rest and relationships.

Jesus rested with His friends for awhile - Mark 6:31

I don’t know about you but this is a dynamic combination for me in my refueling. Rest keeps me energized physically (and emotionally) and relationships keep me encouraged spiritually, mentally and emotionally. While walking the planet Jesus recognized a need for both. He took the time to rest - even in the midst of a storm (Mk.4:35-40) - and invited His disciples to actually live their lives out of a place of rest (Mt.11:28, 29).

I wonder if too often we think of Jesus leading his disciples around the rugged Israel countryside going from place-to-place - with them "supporting" His preaching/teaching/healing ministry. We need to also consider that these were men that connected deeply on a relational level as well. How can than not happen when you are with each other daily for three years?! Jesus seemed to gain strength from their friendships while at the same time investing in them. I have always found it interesting that he stopped in Bethany to hang out with Lazarus, Mary and Martha on his way to Jerusalem where He knew He would be crucified (Jn. 12:1-3).

Does rest and restorative relationships sound too easy or not spiritual enough to you? Consider the consequences of a life lived without these two key contributors to our pacing. Are they lacking in your life - if so what can you begin to do today to turn that around? Take a nap or plan an extended getaway or vacation. And on the friend front, consider who it is that you receive something from when you are in their presence and look for ways to be more intentional about time with them. Remember, Jesus rested with his friends for awhile - so can you.

~DB

    

We have been on a journey of exploring The Pacing of Jesus – how He lived and lead in such a way that He enjoyed His walk with the Father, reveled in his relationships, and yet fully glorified God by accomplishing everything that the Father had given Him to do (Jn.17:4).

We have been briefly unpacking the five components from the original blog for the purpose of heart reflection and life application. So, let’s take a peek at the third one:

Jesus was motivated by obedience, not driven by needs –Jn.11:1-44

Awhile back, I heard a godly leader that I love and respect say something that didn’t quite land right inside of me. Since then, I have heard a couple of other leaders say the same thing – ‘If you see it, you are called to it.’ Now, I don’t know about you, but I ‘see’ a lot of things – individuals hurting, needy, and powerless; systems and structures that need reforming; locations on the planet that are in turmoil; natural disasters ravaging huge populations of people – and just because I ‘see’ these things I am ‘called’ to them?!

Now, I get it that I can pray as I am ‘seeing,’ but, until I grow further in the three big O’s – Omniscience, Omnipresence and Omnipotence (and that isn’t going to happen in my life time) – there is no way I can be called to all these things while living within this little finite tent I inhabit for seven to ten decades.

When I look at Jesus, I see Him motivated by obedience to the Father and not by the needs of the people around Him. Does this mean He doesn’t care – of course not – He had compassion on every need and on every person! It simply means that He trusted the Father – the only One who can meet all needs everywhere – to lead and guide Him to the piece that He was to carry and serve.

Being motivated to meet people’s needs is a good one – but not the highest one. If one is not careful, it can lead to a lot of busyness (is that always a Kingdom sign of good things?) – not necessarily fruitfulness. What are you motivated by – by your ‘closet times’ with Jesus and those He has called you to walk with or the loud noise of neediness that surrounds all of us every day? I think Jesus’ words to us today would be simple: listen – pray – obey.

~DB

    

My reflections recently have been on the Pacing of Jesus – how he paced his life so that He enjoyed the people around Him and accomplished the mission for which He had come. This time I want to look at the second of the five ‘compass points’ that seemed to govern the way He paced His life. If you missed the original blog or Part 1, take a peek at the previous two LionLogs.

Jesus did only what the Father was doing

In John 5:19, 20, Jesus lets us know several important things that apply to the way we pace our lives:

• v.19 – ‘…the Son can do nothing of His own accord…’     

- It raises the question – who is the initiator of what you do in life? What God initiates He permeates with His Presence, what you initiate you have to sustain. Talk about wearing yourself out! This might serve you well as a diagnostic tool to determine how much of what you are doing really is God-breathed vs. what you are trying to ‘make happen’.

• v. 19, 20  ‘…but only what He sees the Father doing. For the Father loves the Son and shows Him all that He Himself is doing.’  

- Whether a ministry or market place leader, are you spending the kind of time alone with God in the Scriptures, prayer, waiting on Him –just being in His Presence – so that you can actually ‘see what He is doing’ and join in on it? Or, are you doing ‘your thing for God’ asking Him to bless it? Remember, He blesses what He births – not what we launch for ‘His Name’s sake’.

    

Recently, I introduced you to five ‘compass points’ that I observed in the Gospels that seemed to be ingredients that helped to dictate how Jesus paced His life. Now, I would like to throw out a few thoughts on these various ‘compass points.' The first of the five is:

Jesus was secure in who He was/where He came from/where he was going – so He could serve.

I think John 13:1-5 provides tremendous insights into what was ‘behind’ the serving of Jesus. Consider:

vs.1 – “Jesus knew that his hour had come”

• Understanding one’s ‘season’ allows one to simply serve where they are at        

vs.1 – “having loved His own…He loved them to the end”

• Sincerely loving those God gives us provides us with the focus of our service         

vs.3 – “knowing the Father had given all things into His hands”

• Knowing the will of God and how we fit within it allows us to serve with effectiveness

vs.3 – “He had come from God and was going back to God”

• It is essential that our identities be rooted in who we are related to (God) – and not in what we do

    

Over the last few weeks I have noticed again how ragged many leaders are. They seem to be ‘sucking air’ while diligently serving where they have been placed by God to serve. As many of you already know the ‘finishing well’ and ‘ways of God’ themes are ones I have been associated with now for many years, and I have to say when I look at some leaders through these sets of lenses I find myself really concerned.

I am reminded of a journey through the Gospels that I embarked on a number of years ago as I sought to understand the ‘pacing of Jesus.’ Maybe what I discovered will be an encouragement or offer some mid-course correction for you as it has for me. I found that Jesus’ compass as it related to dictating ‘His pace’ included the following:

• He was secure in who He was/where He came from/where he was going so He could serve – Jn.13:1-5
• He did only what the Father was doing – Jn.5:19-20
• He was motivated by obedience, not driven by needs –Jn.11:1-44 (note that He did not go right away)
• He rested with his friends for awhile – Mk.6:31
• He knew that His vision could only be fulfilled by discipling and multiplying within others – Mt.28:18-20

When you have an opportunity to ‘break your stride’ for a few moments, take a peek at these truths by reflecting on the Scriptures that accompany them and see if you are aligned to the pacing of Jesus.

~DB

 

    

'...go and make disciples…teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you…I am with you always’. Matthew 28:18-20

It appears in Scripture that God’s primary means of passing on the truths of the Kingdom is through discipleship – one person investing in another, or in a group of people. Along with Jesus and the disciples, we see the mentoring relationships of Moses and Joshua, Elijah and Elisha, Jonathan and David, Barnabas and Paul, Paul and Timothy, to mention a few. As leaders/pastors, we often give much of our time and energy to well-planned services and sermons, establishing community in small groups, and reaching out to the needy locally and globally – as well we should – but do we do so at the expense of neglecting the core mandate of Jesus to “make disciples”?

Jesus taught the multitudes, and He invested in twelve. With Jesus knowing that He only had about three years to disciple these twelve into church pioneers He must have felt the weight of His followers really "getting it." As we know from the book of Acts, His disciples certainly "got it!" Think of it – Jesus did such an awesome job of discipling that His life and message have been passed on from generation togeneration right up to today!

This truth has brought me to the conviction that the primary function of godly leadership, from Jesus’ perspective, seems to be more about deliberate discipleship of those we shepherd and lead then being trumpeters of vision or even executing well-planned missions.

Where does this value and priority ofJesus fit practically in your everyday life?

~DB

    

Let me share a story with you that ‘ruined me for the ordinary’ on an airplane some twenty-seven years ago somewhere between Los Angeles and Washington D.C. When I was with Youth With A Mission (YWAM), I had the privilege for a short season of doing some travel with Loren Cunningham, its Founder and President. On this particular flight Loren asked me what I thought my spiritual gifts were. At twenty years of age, I kind of gave him my best guess. He used that time to affirm me in my gifts of leadership and communication/teaching, but really got my attention when he said to me, “You know, Dave, it really doesn’t matter how many you lead or teach that counts. From God’s perspective, your life and ministry will be regarded as fruitful only to the degree you invest the ways of God into the third-and-fourth generations.” Loren went on to explain to me that he did not mean ‘forty-year generations,’ but rather the kind of ‘generations’ that Paul spoke about to Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:2:

“And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.” (NIV)

In this passage you can clearly see the ‘four generations’ of discipleship that Loren was talking about: Paul - Timothy - Reliable Men - Others.

So the question becomes have we deliberately invested the ways of God within those He has brought our way –‘teaching them to obey what I have commanded you’ (Mt.28:18-20)? In other words, have (1) you passed on things you have gleaned from your walk with Jesus into (2) someone else, who then deposited them in (3) another, who, in turn,(4) pours their life into someone else?

Through the last three decades this has become the lens through which I view my life and ministry. As you probably already know, the meaning of that initial phrase in Matthew 28 is ‘as you are going, make disciples.’ So, as I have gone about living life I try to intentionally invest what God has deposited in me in those He has led me to mentor – young believers, mature saints, and leaders who need to replicate their lives within others.

Your thoughts?

~DB