Coffee With The Lord

During “coffee with the Lord” I read a wonderful passage from God’s word – a passage that addresses the subject of leadership – 1 Peter 5.1-5.

“And now, a word to you who are elders in the churches… As a fellow elder, I appeal to you: Care for the flock that God has entrusted to you. Watch over it willingly, not grudgingly – not for what you will get out of it, but because you are eager to serve God.  Don’t lord it over the people assigned to your care, but lead them by your own good example.  And when the Great Shepherd appears, you will receive a crown of never-ending glory and honor… And all of you…  serve each other in humility, for “God opposes the proud but favors the humble.”  (New Living Translation)

My doctorate is in leadership.  I can tell you there are all kinds of leaders and leadership styles… Transactional, autocratic, bureaucratic, charismatic, democratic-participative, laissez-faire, task-oriented, people/relations-oriented, transformational and servant-leadership!  And the list could go on…

THIS PASSAGE, HOWEVER APPEALS FOR A “JESUS-STYLE” OF LEADERSHIP – the style of “the Great Shepherd.”  Jesus said…

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep.   A hired hand will run when he sees a wolf coming. He will abandon the sheep because they don’t belong to him and he isn’t their shepherd. And so the wolf attacks them and scatters the flock. The hired hand runs away because he’s working only for the money and doesn’t really care about the sheep.  I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me…  I sacrifice my life for the sheep.”  (John 10:11-15 NLT)

I want to be that kind of leader!  I need that kind of leader!  As a follower of Jesus, I HAVE THAT KIND OF LEADER!

I heard a Christian say it with alarmed emphasis the other day… “What is this world coming to anyway!”

Good question!  And the Bible is not ambiguous about the answer!  (This is where the habit of daily Bible reading can be helpful … it supplies Biblical answers to questions like that!)

But a related question begs for an answer… What should Christians do about it?  How should they respond to that reality?  At least a partial answer was supplied by my Bible reading today… 1 Peter 4.7-11 (I’ll post what it says as kind of a bulleted list)

“The end of all things is at hand [immanent]! Therefore…

• Be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your  prayers.
• Above all, keep loving one other earnestly, since love covers over a multitude of sins.
• Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.
• Use whatever gifts you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.
• If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God.
• If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides…

And then the finale … DO ALL OF THESE THINGS “SO THAT IN ALL THINGS GOD MAY BE PRAISED THROUGH JESUS CHRIST! To him be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen”

Listen… If the Bible is right in its assessment of the future (and I am convinced it is) … it’s going to get a lot worse before it gets better.  In light of that, it seems to me that what you just read is really good advice!  I’m going to put the things Peter emphasized on my spiritual “bucket list.”  I want stay alert and be prepared for “the end” when the Lord returns!

It’s not a popular topic, but Scripture seems to indicate (and experience seems to validate) that suffering and sanctification seem to go together.  That’s right… I don’t know about you, but some of the holiest, most godly people I know, or have encountered, have suffered a great deal.  Like I said, we’d like to change that narrative, but we can’t!

Here’s how Apostle Peter, inspired by the Holy Spirit, expressed it…

“Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God!  For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles [those who are not “children of God” through “new birth”] want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry.  With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you.” (1 Peter 4:1-4)

So if you’re suffering right now – for any reason, but especially because of persecution for your decision to follow Jesus – allow that suffering to drive you closer to the Savior, deeper in faith, and purify your life through the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit.  Don’t turn back to the old life but embrace your “new life in Christ” with devoted tenacity.  The Lord will strengthen you, sustain you, and he promised to “never leave or forsake you!”  After all, as this passage teaches, He is your supreme example in this regard!