Did you know the overall odds of
winning any prize in the MEGA Millions lottery is about 1 in 15 but the odds of
winning the jackpot is about 1 in 259 million?
And there you have the marketing catch – it is likely you can win something but pretty much impossible you
will win big. But, because you win a
little, they keep the hope alive that one day you will “win the big one.” We believe we are the exception.
We engage
in this type of thinking a lot. We talk,
Facebook or text on our cell phone while driving because we are the exception. We can
do it safely and nothing will happen. We
drive without our seatbelt on because we
are the exception that we won’t get in an accident and, if we do, the
seatbelt would hurt us more than help us.
We push and push and push ourselves in our schedule with all of the
things we need to do, all the long hours at work to get things done, all the
activities the kids have to be
involved in to grow up to be well-adjusted adults meanwhile neglecting real
relationship with our kids, real relationship with our spouse and real
relationship with Jesus because we are
the exception. “Others might not be
able to handle it but the pace of my life isn’t having a detrimental effect on
myself or others,” we tell ourselves.
You
are not the exception.
“But now even more the report
about [Jesus] went abroad, and great crowds gathered to hear him and to be
healed of their infirmities. But [Jesus] would withdraw to desolate places and
pray.” (Luke 5:15–16, ESV)
Leadership
is influence. Spiritual leadership is
influencing people toward Jesus. You
can’t be a great leader without first being a great follower. The life of Jesus is our example of what it
looks like to follow. The words of Jesus
are our instructions of what it means to follow. You are
not bigger, stronger, better or more spiritual than Jesus.
Let me put
it plainly – you can’t influence people toward Jesus if you aren’t first
following Jesus. You are not the exception.
Jesus’
mission was to direct people back to the Father. It still is.
He kept close, deep connection with God the Father so when people
encountered Jesus, they would be seeing, hearing and experiencing God the
Father. Our mission is to point people
to Jesus so Jesus can bring them to God the Father. If we aren’t spending time with Jesus by
reading his words and conversing with him in prayer, people will not be seeing,
hearing and experiencing Jesus through us.
Let me make
it even more personal: If you aren’t
spending time with Jesus in reading his words regularly and conversing in
prayer regularly (I suggest having a goal of at least 4 times per week) your
kids are going to have a difficult time experiencing Jesus through you. Your spouse is going to have a hard time
being spiritually influenced toward Jesus through you. You are not the exception.
Time with
Jesus is not the end, it is the means to being the person God intended us to be
in a world desperate for spiritual leaders influencing people toward Jesus. You can be one. But you are not the exception in how it will
happen.
Peace and grace,
David
