I listened to myself say on video, “If we want to lead like Jesus, we must become like Jesus.” I absolutely believe that becoming like Jesus is God’s goal for us and the message of Romans 8:29, “He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love Him along the same lines as the life of His Son.” However, as I heard the statement, it seemed there was emphasis on the notion that “I” could work on my “becoming,” through personal discipline and resoluteness. I was taught that with hard work, perseverance, determination and persistence, almost anything could be accomplished, so in the quietness of my heart I asked myself, “Has my personal bias impacted my thinking about how I can become more like Jesus?” The answer was, “Yes.”
Perhaps this thought came because I have just read a wonderful book, The Cure by John Lynch, Bruce McNicol and Bill Thrall, and I was reminded again of the opportunity and choice to live in His “room of grace.” Or, maybe, it was a quote from Brennan Manning that I read recently. He said, “Though lip service is paid to the gospel of grace, many Christians live as if only personal discipline and self-denial will mold the perfect me. The emphasis is on what I do rather than on what God is doing. In this curious process God is a benign old spectator in the bleachers who cheers when I show up for morning quiet time. Our eyes are not on God. We believe that we can pull ourselves up by our bootstraps –indeed, we can do it ourselves.”
I come today with a new resoluteness. We can’t do anything to add to our spiritual stature - to become more like Jesus. But we can give over all of ourselves to all of Him, so that our Heavenly Father molds us more into the likeness of Jesus. There is no ladder to climb to be more like Jesus, He came to us pouring out love and grace and reminding us that “It is finished.” Our part is receiving Him, accepting His love and grace and abiding in surrender to Him. Coming to understand that the Jesus I received at the beginning of my journey is the One who today gives me all I need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3) is paramount in my life and leadership.
The most important job we have as leaders is connecting to the Father and giving ourselves to Him. As His love is poured on us, our desire to spend time communicating with Him and to study Scripture to learn more of Him comes from a different perspective –not as a checklist of “to dos,” but as a closer look at the One who gives us life in His name (John 20:31).
Today, will you connect to the Father and allow Him to mold you to become more like Jesus so that you can lead like Jesus?
Written by Phyllis H. Hendry
