In the past few months, I have been challenged about what is involved in leadership. I believe that the events at Easter more than 2000 years ago, speak of leadership, and provide an important foundation for us. I believed leadership to be largely defined by strength, power and influence. I have since learnt that true leadership is also defined by pain and weakness.
Recently a situation came up in my life, where I was leading a group of people. I felt like a failure and completely out of my depth. I prayed and asked for God’s help at the time but it didn’t change how I felt in the situation. It was only afterwards that I could appreciate how God is with us in our weakness.
The following verse helps us understand how God is with us in our times of human weakness. “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). This verse emphasises how God works most powerfully in our human weakness. Our weakness causes us to rely on God more.
The gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) in the Bible describe many examples of Jesus operating as a highly influential leader when he lived on this earth. The gospels also describe him performing miracles and operating as a strong leader of groups, such as his disciples.
The most powerful impact of Jesus as a leader, occurred at his time of apparent human weakness, nailed to the cross. This was when Jesus died to take away the past, present and future sins (bad things) of the world and exchanged these for forgiveness. Do you realise that you too can accept this generous gift of forgiveness, for the sins in your life?
Published in the Gisborne Herald, 26 March, Easter 2016
Don McLean
Assembly of God
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