As followers of Christ, each of us has the opportunity to influence those around us, to be leaders in the spheres of influence God has given us in our homes and communities. The definition of a leader that I heard once and really like is “someone who is a step ahead and headed in the right direction.” I recently did an interview on leadership with the Christian Leadership Alliance and, in the next few posts, I’ll share some of the concepts I talked about in that interview.
I’ll begin with talking about culture. Culture-making is a primary job of all leaders and, I think, Christ-followers. Culture speaks not only to what is done, but how things are done. Our relationships and communities are meant to reflect the Gospel and the Lord Jesus, and to release the fragrant aroma of Jesus into our world!
Consider the culture that Christ created, how He did what He did: “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45 NIV). As He walked this earth, Jesus had others in mind and served them, with grace and mercy, as He went.
So how can we embody Christ and Christlike culture that flows from the Gospel? How can we reflect the Kingdom of God?
In light of these questions, consider the last words of David:
his word was on my tongue
The God of Israel spoke,
the Rock of Israel said to me:
‘When one rules over men in righteousness,
when he rules in the fear of God,
he is like the light of morning at sunrise
on a cloudless morning,
like the brightness after rain
that brings the grass from the earth’” (2 Samuel 23:2-4 NIV).
In your spheres of influence, how can you do what you do so that people experience you like the light of a morning sunrise and the brightness after rain?