The Longevity Of Leadership
“Listen to Me, O house of Jacob, And all the remnant of the house of Israel, who have been upheld by Me from birth, Who have been carried from the womb: Even to your old age, I am He, And even to gray hairs I will carry you! I have made, and I will bear; Even I will carry, and will deliver you." (Isaiah 46:3-4)
No matter what the leadership responsibility is in the church, the key to having a fruitful ministry is "Longevity."
Those who we read of in the Bible who God called to "Lead" faced many challenges. Right at the start, Moses gave God a group of excuses for why he was not the person God should send to Pharaoh, to lead His people out of Egyptian bondage. But once he committed himself to the task, he went the distance to lead the Jewish people to freedom. (Exodus 3-4)
Look at the prophet Jeremiah's excuse: "Alas, Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.”But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you." (Jeremiah 1:6-7) Even though it was hard, Jeremiah went the distance as well.
Too many in Christian leadership, throw in the towel too early. "When the going get's tough, the tough are to get going", but instead we drop out, we quit, and leave the work to others, when God called us to use our abilities to make a difference for Him.
I believe that we need as Christian leaders, to work on developing a strong maturity. Contained in this maturity, are the attributes of humility, sincerity, purity, commitment, and a desire to obtain longevity in ministry.
The apostle Paul, encourages the Christians at Corinth, and us today, with these words: "Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain."
(1 Corinthians 15:58) I like what Paul says here: "Always give yourself fully to the work of the Lord."
Let us not just go part way, let's go as far as the Lord will take us. Yes, there will be rough times, yes there will be those times when we will want to quit. But we as leaders must stay the course, finish the race, and fulfill our ministry, no matter how rough it gets, or how far the opportunity presents itself for us to serve.
There will be times, When we must rest, times when we will relocate, or be redirected, and yes retire, from the task at hand. But we are never, ever, to quit serving the Lord, until He says. "It's Time!" GP
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