Open
Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye
Memorise:
Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things
wherewith one may edify another. Romans 14:19
Read: 1
Corinthians 15:3-10
The grace
of God grants access to the unqualified. In the early church, there were a
privileged few who ever saw the resurrected Lord. Even fewer were those called
as apostles. But we find in Paul, a man who did terrible harm to the church,
who was not satisfied with just harming Christians locally but planned to carry
out his devious plans on an international scale (Acts 9:1-2), he even stood as
surety for men who broke the law (John 18:31) in lynching and murdering Stephen
(Acts 22:20), both seeing the resurrected Lord and being called as an apostle.
That is pure grace! Even though Paul was chosen by God to propagate the gospel
right from his mother’s womb (Galatians 1:15), the Lord did not give up on him
when he was fanatically fighting against his own destiny. He turned out to be a
staunch follower of the Lord and a man addicted to serving Him, even laboring
more than those called before him.
There are
some lessons here for leaders. First, even when your subordinates disappoint,
do not give up on them. If Jesus had given up on his disciples, Christianity
would have been buried a long time ago. Also, even when your subordinates are
very slow in complying with certain directives, be patient with them: do not be
too quick to hit or condemn them. We also learn that sometimes, meeting the
individual needs of your assistants and subordinates will enable you get more
commitment from them. To this end, it is good to invest in them and ensure they
have the best. Love is a great weapon that can break down the defences of the
disobedient. Just love and pray more for the disobedient with a lot of care and
they can have a change of mind. The leader who is vengeful will easily lose his
or her helpers. Just as with children, not all your assistants will develop at
the same pace. Care is needed to raise them up to be able workers and ministers
in the vineyard or in your business. Even when your ministers or workers fail
you, do not withdraw your assistance. That may be when they need it most.
Assisting someone who has betrayed you can turn that fellow around to become a
staunch supporter. Also, there is a right time to say what should be said and a
right manner of doing it so as to achieve the desired result. What kind of
leader are you?
PRAYER
POINT:
A true
leader is identified by the value he places on his subordinates. Father, every
iota of foolishness in my life and in the lives of members of my family, turn
into wisdom.
Bible
in one year: Isaiah 25-27
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