Ordinary to Wonderful
You will
receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be
witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the
end of the earth (Acts 1:8)
A group of us have been reading a
book called Good to Great by Jim
Collins. Its an analysis of companies that went from ordinary to
wonderful. How did they do it? The book looks at the role of the CEO
(Executive) in relation to corporate success or failure. The findings
were surprising.
Mr. Collins described truly GREAT
leaders as modest and willful, humble and
fearless. He found their ambition
was first and foremost for the company and they
were concerned for its success rather than for ones own riches and
personal renown. He cited other, lesser leaders, concluding
they were too concerned for their own
reputation and often failed to set up the company for success in the
next generation. He went on: Leadership
is not just about humility and modesty; its equally about ferocious
resolve
a determination to do whatever needs to be done to make the
company great.
You would follow a leader if you
became convinced 1) they were worth following, and 2) they had your best
interests in mind. Give it some thought before you reject the idea of
following someone. We are speaking of Someone who will truly do more
than you could ask or think. That is, you actually NEED Him, because
His decision-making abilities are incredibly greater than yours. Mr.
Collins concludes that for an organization to become truly great, its
not really about the product the company makes its about the people
who work there.
Great leaders are, he continues, self-effacing,
quiet, reserved, even shy; a paradoxical blend of personal humility and
professional will. And, he said, they hire the right people;
people who can RUN the organization when the leader is gone.
Consider Jesus Christ. You might
think Him a great leader and teacher. He was all of that and more. But
He draws people to Himself by these words: Come
unto Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you
rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and
lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls (Matthew
11:28-30). He wants us to work for His organization (the Kingdom of
God), and yet, it is not like work at all. Somehow, in His service, you
will not be heavy laden anymore, but
instead, you will have REST after years
of stress and strain.
And the incredible words: I
am gentle and lowly in heart, remind us of the statement by Mr.
Collins that the truly great leader will be self-effacing,
quiet, reserved, even shy. Isaiah prophesied of the Messiah of
God, hundreds of years before He was born on this earth: Unto
us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be
upon His shoulder, and His name will be called, Wonderful, Counselor,
Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6).
Isaiah, in the same context, identified the powerful, amazing Messiah of
Israel with, of all places, Galilee of the
Gentiles. Jesus, the King of Glory, would (and did) come from
lowly Galilee.
He is in charge of all government
and He is our Mighty God, our Everlasting
Father. He can do EVERYTHING, and will act as the Prince
of Peace in your life and mine. He IS that Great Leader you
always needed, and yet He is gentle and lowly
in heart; the Counselor who
will LISTEN to your every need.
You can trust Him. Whether you live
or die, He is the One who will care for you. No one else can do that,
for He is the only One who is the Lord of both
the dead and the living (Romans 14:9). Whether
we live or die, we are the Lords (Romans 14:8).
Our Lord has the ferocious
resolve on our behalf that Mr. Collins spoke about. When we as
individuals and as people did not LIKE God, He came to us and literally
died for our sins. Thats what it says in Romans 5:8 God
demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners,
Christ died for us. It took GUTS to die on that cross. It took
COURAGE for the sinless One to take your sins upon Himself.
People were laughing at Him as
spikes were driven into His hands and His feet. The crown of thorns He
wore was both a mockery and a source of pain. He had been beaten nearly
to death. He bore our sins. Can you imagine bearing the sins of just
ONE other person? He experienced the sins of the WORLD. That shameful
place inside that you hide even from yourself; He knows about it, and
paid the price you could not pay. He has the ferocious
resolve, the humility, and the love to make you His own.
He chose the disciples, who were
lowly in position (Matthew 4:18), uneducated (Acts 4:13), argumentative
(Matthew 20:20-28), limited in faith (Matthew 16:21-23); and sent them
to do His work on this earth. He will build potential in YOU that no
one understands, and send you to the WORLD, if you let Him. He will
fill you with His Spirit and equip you for His service. You will learn
of the special rest He has, that no one
truly knows except those who trust in Him.
Will you follow Him? He gave up
everything for you. Will you do the same? He has the strength,
intelligence, love, resolve and humility to bring you through. You
will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall
be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to
the end of the earth (Acts 1:8). He has chosen you as His
representative. But unlike earthly CEOs who leave after a few years or
decades, He is here right now. Say yes to Him. He will not only
send you, but He will be WITH you forever.
Lord, You are the One I have waited
for all my life. Thank You for dying in my place. I understand my need
and receive You now. I love You, Lord Jesus. I will follow You. In
Jesus Name. Amen.
Ron Beckham, Pastor
Friday Study Ministries
www.fridaystudy.org
ron@fridaystudy.org
P.O. Box 92131
Long Beach, CA 90809-2131
"While
we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8)
