Romans 12 – Brandon Hatmaker “The Leadership Gift”
Thursday, June 5th, 2008
“We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.” Romans 12:6-8
Paul reminds us that what we have is from God. They are gifts and are spiritually endowed. Even our experiences are gifts. If we are encouragers, along with Spiritual enablement, it typically comes with a history or disposition of positive influence that fosters more encouragement and a positive attitude. This is a gift. If our gift is contributing to the needs of others, it typically comes with the ability and/or stability to give because you have. This is a gift. If it is showing mercy, typically it came with a history of experiencing and understanding mercy. While this can often be the result of a season of trail, it is a gift.
Leadership is no different. Many times we see it as ability alone. But it’s not. It is a gift that is shaped by our influences. And it’s an influence based on position. We know that because the word used here in Romans 12 for leadership means to stand before in rank, to preside, maintain, be over, to rule. Paul is telling us that we have a responsibility to use our position in leadership to honor God. The ability to lead is a gift, and the position of leadership is a gift.
Scripture tells us if we have the gift of this influence and position that we should govern diligently, which means with eagerness, earnestness, forwardness and carefulness. Since our position of influence is a gift. How we use it is everything. “How” we lead others is just as important (possibly even more important) than “that” we lead others. This is the difference between leadership and servant leadership.
In these few verses, we are reminded that we are who we are because of God. He is shaping and using our experiences and our exposures for His glory. He has been intimately involved with the development and endowment of these gifts, therefore, He should remain intimately involved with the USE of these gifts. And heart attitude is everything.
Throughout the rest of chapter 13, Paul gives us the list in which all these gifts must be filtered through. Whether we are speaking truth, encouraging, giving, exhorting, leading, or offering mercy they are to be done in the shadow of these attitudes of faith and heart:
Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought. (vs.3)
Cling to what is good. (vs.9)
Honor one another above yourselves. (vs.10)
Keep your spiritual fervor. (vs.11)
Be joyful in hope. (vs.12)
Be patient in affliction. (vs.12)
Be faithful in prayer. (vs.12)
Share with God's people who are in need. (vs.13)
Practice hospitality. (vs.13)
Bless those who persecute you. (vs.14)
Rejoice with those who rejoice. (vs.15)
Mourn with those who mourn. (vs.15)
Live in harmony with one another. (vs.16)
Do not be proud (second time this is written). (vs.16)
Be willing to associate with people of low position. (vs.16)
Do not be conceited (a third time) (vs.16)
Because of our nature, that’s a tough list to filter our actions through, but these “filters” determine whether we are using our gifts for ourselves or for God’s Glory. As believers, we often assume we are acting out of these, but we should take time to evaluate our own hearts. They show us if we are going “around” God or going “through” people to get where we are going. Each one is as indicting and full of neglect as the other. What do we neglect? Loving God and loving others. The greatest commandments.
They filter whether we are speaking “truth” to someone to glorify God or speaking “truth” to glorify ourselves. They are the difference between showing mercy to show how merciful we are and offering it to show how merciful God is. They are the difference between giving generously so others might think we are generous, verses us giving from a thankful and cheerful heart recognizing God’s provision in our lives. It’s the difference between secular leadership and servant leadership.
Father, Your word is so clear and you remind us so often. I think about Luke 16:15 where Jesus accuses the Pharisee’s, He said, "You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God's sight.” In whatever pursuit we have, please show us when we are neglecting Your ways. Your Word teaches us that all we can do should be an overflow of what YOU are doing in our lives. Start within each of us. Don’t allow our faith to become toxic, neither to ourselves or to others. Protect us from our own selfish ambition.
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Romans 11 – Honor the difference
ReplyDeleteV 6 – 8 We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.
We have all heard of the Golden Rule, “"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." The Golden Rule implies the basic assumption that other people would like to be treated the way that you would like to be treated. However, I had a leadership coach once teach me a different rule and I think it is the rule that Paul speaks of this morning; The Platinum Rule, "Do unto others as they would have you do unto them." The Platinum Rule accommodates the feelings, skills and direction of others. The focus of relationships shifts from "this is what I want, so I'll give everyone the same thing" to "let me first understand what they want and then I'll give it to them."
In Romans 11 Paul encourages us to remember that God has created each of us to be unique and we are each most fulfilled when we are putting our gift to use glorifying God. In our pride and self-centeredness we try to conform the ones we love most into our image when the greatest gift we can give them is to listen and learn who they are and treat them the way they need to be treated. I have been guilty of this with many people, including boys – I thought I would share with you something I wrote to Will a while back as sort of a confessional. I had been touched by a poem I read, I do not know the author, but it just sounded like Will talking to me from his heart.
Will, I read this and thought of you. I want you to know that I deeply understand this about you and I always want to respect it and cherish it. I want you to follow your own heart. I love you for the way you are different from me…I prize the way you are different and I always want to preserve it. I am not perfect, so I may not always act the way this poem reads, but please know in my heart this is how I feel.
“If I do not want what you want, please try not to tell me that my want is wrong. Or if I believe other than you, at least pause before you correct my view. Or if my emotion is less than yours, or more, given the same circumstances, try not to ask me to feel more strongly or weakly. Or yet if I act, or fail to act, in the manner of your design for action, let me be. I do not, for the moment at least, ask you to understand me. That will come only when you are willing to give up changing me into a copy of you. If you will allow me any of my own wants, or emotions, or beliefs, or actions, then you open yourself, so that someday these ways of mine might not seem so wrong, and might finally appear to you as right—for me. To put up with me is the first step to understanding me. Not that you embrace my ways as right for you, but that you are no longer irritated or disappointed with me for my seeming waywardness. And in understanding me you might come to prize my differences from you, and, far from seeking to change me, preserve and even nurture those differences”
Love you little man.
Love others as yourself, does not mean make others into yourself.
A couple of things got me today. One, when Paul calls us to live our lives as living sacrifices. WOW!! That is an easy thought but a hard thing to do. I have put on 30 pounds this school year. That would be good if I started the year out at 100 pounds but, I started the year at 210. Now then being the fatest cross country coach in the state of Kansas is not my goal. So, every time I sit down and knock out a bag of pretzels am I living the life of a sacrifice?
ReplyDeleteSecond, love. It all comes down love. We are called to love.