While reading through the New Testament recently during my daily devotions I was struck by the number of visions that the Apostle Paul received in his lifetime. Note the following….
It is quite the list, is it not? Can you see the intimacy between Paul and the Lord Jesus that is illustrated in these? What a connection!
Now you might be saying to yourself, “Bummer, I’ve never had such an experience.” “Why was Paul so fortunate and not me?” And yet, you have the Holy Spirit – God Himself – living within you and you have His Word – the Bible – through which you and He can communicate every moment of every day. Why do you long for what you don’t have and neglect what you do have?
We can sometimes long for the ‘spectacular’ and take for granted or even disdain the commonplace, not realizing how very special and privileged we truly are.
Should God choose to speak to you through a vision or dream, “good on ya'” as our Aussie friends say. Or should He choose to speak to you through a passage from His living Word, “be blessed.” Both are legitimate means of communication for Him, with one being more common (frequently used) – the Bible, yet not to be dismissed in longing for something more unusual.
Enter into you daily devotions with an expectation of meeting with the Living God, your Lord and Creator. Don’t overlook the usual and miss the great blessing of the pursuit of Him through the Scriptures.
The new U.S. President is 70 years old. His election opponent was 69. The average age for the new cabinet candidates is 64. Why the large number of older leaders? Is it because their generation, the Baby Boomers, tends to vote more frequently and out-number the Millennials? Is it that those who are older are clinging to power and reluctant to give it over to the next generation?
From the passage above in Numbers we see that those who served in the Tabernacle, the Levites, were conscripted to serve from age 25 to 50. At the age of 50 they were released from their regular duty, but were to still be available for helping those in active service. Many believe that this restriction was due to the heavy physical demands of the role – setting up, tearing down, and transporting the Tabernacle and all its accompanying accessories across the desert. Regardless, it is interesting to note that the Lord Himself set age limits for this service.
We can also observe that Moses was 80 when God appeared to him and called him into service. He served as the leader of Israel for 40 more years until his death at 120. Tradition tells us that the Apostle Paul served into his sixties and that the Apostle John wrote the book of Revelation in his nineties.
Certainly these examples are descriptive rather than prescriptive for us. But we must be cautious that as we focus on next generation leadership, we don’t automatically dismiss the contribution of those who are older. While it is wise and strategic to intentionally focus on a transition to younger leaders, we must not develop a corresponding prejudice against those who are older. Youth has its advantages, but so does age and experience.
Just because someone is younger does not mean that they are wise. But neither does having gray hair (or no hair) mean that someone is better qualified to lead. Discernment is needed to determine best fit and contribution, regardless of age. Better health care and nutrition means that what is “old” is an escalating age range.
Wise leadership will not automatically default to the younger or those who are older by assuming one is better than another. Good leaders are discerning on who is best qualified to lead and trust that the Lord will anoint them for their responsibility.
A good leader learns to focus on what they and only they can and must do as the leader of the team. Other responsibilities are delegated. Leaders who do not learn to delegate well are busy, but are they busy doing the right things? Sadly, the answer is often ‘no.’ Busyness is not the sign of a good leader and can lead to an early demise.
Jesus illustrates this art of delegation in the following two passages.
In both cases Jesus is delegating a task to two members of His leadership team. Both tasks are important, very important, yet capable of being done by others. Jesus gives detailed instructions and also helps them with some possible scenario planning should they have to adjust along the way. In the second example we know that it was Peter and John who were sent on this errand – the leaders of leaders were asked to carry out this very mundane, operational task (see Luke 22:8).
Are you busy? More importantly, are you busy doing the right things?
Leaders rarely plan for their sudden death, often leaving their personal and professional affairs in a mess. Part of good, strategic leadership is thinking and planning ahead for the unexpected or untimely. Good stewardship of your responsibilities, both personal and professional, means preparing for a transition should something happen to you unexpectedly. Let’s examine the personal aspect first.
It is extremely helpful if you collect all the important, vital documents and information in one centralized place and that your spouse knows where this is located with easy access. I placed my info in a “What to Do If” notebook. Should something happen to me – plane crash, car accident, heart attack, etc.) my wife knows where to go to help her sort through the myriad of decisions that she will be facing. Here’s some of the items in my notebook.
I collected all of the above information into one notebook – the What to Do If notebook. Should my wife get word of my death, she knows where to go for guidance. I collected the most important details in a two page executive summary at the beginning of the notebook and the rest is filled with copies of statements, records, etc. for her to reference, if needed.
We have talked over the contents of the notebook together to clarify any questions she may have. I also asked my oldest son to review the notebook with both of us, so that he can lend objective support in executing the details after I’m gone.
Loving care and good stewardship means we plan for the unexpected and help prepare a way forward for those we leave behind. Seek to make it as easy as possible for them. Taking the initiative and planning ahead means you really do care!
Where’s your notebook? Does your spouse know where it is?
A Kingdom leader’s personal sense of purpose and destiny serve to guide their leadership choices and decisions. It informs the selection of their team members, their leadership priorities, and personal development. Where does this sense of purpose and destiny come from?
The Lord will guide and direct the Kingdom leader as they seek to follow His purposes. The Lord will use the Word (Psalm 119:105), the inner voice of the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 30:21), and open doors of opportunity (Isaiah 43:18-19; Revelation 3:8). And who the Lord calls He also equips to accomplish His purposes.
So as we begin a new year and you reflect upon the coming months, how is your sense of purpose and divine destiny? Are you yoked with Him and in step with Him? Are you praying over His promises and listening carefully to the voice of the Spirit within you? What doors of opportunity has He opened for you to trust Him to help you through?