Good morning all-
Well as I stated the other day in my post, I am about to embark on a new journey. I finally get to lead and direct a team of people. I am so excited I can't even tell you. I have found myself smiling, laughing and just feeling light inside. Yesterday, I even went in for 3.5 hours on my own time. Why? Because I get to help build a company and use the principles Jesus has taught me over the last 20 years and that just is so exciting. With every fiber in my being, I hope that I can be the leader that Jesus was and is. I hope that I will serve but be strong in my belief and in the end, I hope I propel people and this company to success. It won't be easy and I know it but if I could get up every morning and be happy and fulfilled, then work wouldn't be work.
With my start date approaching, it will be important for me to address the people of the company. Great leaders cast vision and hire people that can propel companies to success. A great leader knows that they must surround themselves with men and women that can do their jobs with excellence and in the end, who can train more to be great too. I don't want to be a babysitter and I just won't be. I want men and women that want to be a significant part of their careers and the companies they work for, which got me thinking about Jesus. Jesus didn't run a million dollar company or have investors that wanted to see profits. He was a man on a mission for a commodity that was far more precious; He was out to win souls. Money is a common denominator between countries, people, and religions. Money makes the world go round. But Jesus didn't have any and either did the men He selected to carry His vision. I woke up this morning thinking about the power of vision.
They say that every great leader casts vision. They instill in their people the importance of a mission statement. I am reading "EntreLeadership" by Dave Ramsey and he states, that at every turn he talked and stated his mission statement. Why? Because he was casting vision for himself, his company and the people that would move it to greatness. Martin Luther King, Jr. had a vision. Didn't he say that he had a dream that one day every man would sit at the same table. Didn't he see white people and black people in one place? Of course he did. Who do you think gave him that dream? Did you guess Jesus, of course you did. Or what about Abraham Lincoln setting the slaves free? Do you think that was a popular decision? No. Abe lost his life because of it. And then let's just look at the disciples for a minute. They were hand chosen, given every access to Jesus and asked to leave their livelihoods to follow a man, with no home, no money, and that wandered from place to place preaching a message that stunned the Pharisees and eventually brought death on Him and them. Now that's vision!
After I watched the Passion of Christ so many years ago, I went back and began to look at each chapter in the four gospels. I read a chapter in each one to see how Jesus was depicted, what each author had to say, and where the differences were in the messages. There are many events that are similar but it's written from different viewpoints and each one gives you a new or different way to look at moments in History. It really is fascinating. I think the biggest thing that struck me to my knees was that men would leave their jobs blindly and follow a man who had nothing to give but Himself. Those times weren't easy and people didn't have extra money and food laying around. But Jesus was God and He cast a vision onto these men that have lasted over 2000 years. The vision was to know and love God; not just for the Jews but for the Gentiles too. He asked them to leave their families, their boats, their nets, their businesses and blindly follow Him through the streets and cities preaching the message of the gospel. Wow! It gives me chills just writing this down. I'm worried if I don't have insurance for four months and they had nothing! Now that's a humbling message.
The vision that Jesus set forth in the hearts of those men live today. There are men and women today that give up their homes, their lives and their jobs to serve Jesus. Somehow, the Holy Spirit comes to them and they leave everything for the call. Why? Because winning people for Jesus will be the most exciting and satisfying job you will ever have, however, the flip side is that it will take perseverance, character and vision to continue in the face of adversity. The career is far from easy but it's the vision and the word that keep people motivated.
So like Jesus, I have a great job to do. First, I must continue to pray and be directed by Jesus, that to me is the most important part of my day. Next, I must be true to my husband and my children and never sacrifice being a wife and mother. Finally, I must set in motion on Monday a vision that will inspire a band of men and women to be excellent in their daily work and to give them something to hold onto when we are piled with work and they are tired and exhausted. Not an easy task but I know that Jesus will help me every step of the way and if I'm successful in His vision, I will be successful in life, because the things of this earth are temporary, but salvation is permanent.
If you're reading this today, I hope that you are reminded of the vision that Jesus set in motion. It started with His life and ended on a cross. Nothing is easy in this life. We all know that the economy is tight, war is at every corner of the earth and that men are making foolish decisions. We know that Jesus has been cast aside for money, power and pride and in the end judgement will fall. Do not be weary for hope is here and it's in the form of Jesus. I may be trembling on the inside, wondering if I can do this great mission God has put in front of me, but then I still and say, "Jesus take the wheel." He will be my guide and any success I have from Monday on will be because of Him. More importantly, I hope that beyond doing a great job, that I am winning souls for Jesus! Some of my happiest days have been watching the sinful be sanctified and washed white as snow. May God bless you and keep you today and may every day be filled with the power of His love.
John 13:14-15 NKJV:
If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have to you.
Matthew 4:18-19 NKJV:
And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men."
Every word of the Bible casts vision for the Old to the New Testament. Promises were made and fulfilled with Jesus's death. The word is a living, breathing document that has lasted far longer than the people that impacted it. We have an opportunity being children of God to write the story for the next 2000 years and that story must always begin with "Jesus is our Savior!"
Pass it on...
My prayer today:
O, Jesus, may men and women come before you and remember the vision You cast so many years ago. The power of the cross is as vital today as it was over 2000 years ago. We can't see You, we can't touch You but by Your word we are Yours. I often ponder what it must have been like to walk with You, to hear Your voice and to see Your Spirit. I think of all the beautiful things that the disciples got to see and I also remember the stories of hardship and death. You are God and You came to set Your people free! Freedom is in the form of knowing and loving You. I pray today for those that don't know You that You will send people out with vision, perseverance and the power of the cross. Bring forth the lost and give them Your vision for their lives. Everything we have is Yours and it's because of Your leadership we have eternal life. Make each one of us leaders in our families, with our friends and in the workplace. Keep us from evil and make us aware of our sins so that we can be accountable to You. We are in love with You Lord and by Your hand we are healed. There are no words to express the love that I have for You or for the ability to write and think every day about You. You are the key to every dollar I have made, for every word of wisdom I have spoken and for every opportunity to be Your woman. I owe You my life and pray that I will be Your woman forever! Grow me and my sisters to know You better, to be wise and to spread the words that matter! May we sing Your praises in our homes and throughout the world and may we ban together and pray for our sisters all over the world. We need strong warriors that will love their families and be true to You. For everything You are and for everything You do, I praise Your Holy Name. In Jesus name, AMEN
Until tomorrow...
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