Do You Measure Up?

3/13/09

1 Peter 4:8-11:
8 And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.”[c] 9 Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. 10 As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 11 If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Mike’s Thoughts:
As a Christian, there is no better guide to effective leadership than the Bible.
Here Peter gives me 7 principles of leadership:
1. Love one another …. isn’t this the 2nd great commandment?
But notice, Peter doesn’t just say “love one another”; he says,
“have fervent love for one another”! I believe this means that I
am to be excited about loving others and love others with
enthusiasm. Personally, I need to work on my enthusiasm.
2. Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. I know many
times I have had the attitude of accommodating someone but,
at least to myself, grumbling about it. Why can’t I just be
hospitable to everyone with a pure heart? It is obvious that I
have to fight my human nature to be more Christ-like. This
takes discipline and concerted effort. I pray that God gives me
these characteristics.
3. Minister my gift(s) to others. Well, I believe this means that I
should not be a closet Christian. Often I find myself being
reserved or shy about my Christianity, even to other Christians.
I pray that God will help me to be more outspoken and outgoing
about my Christianity without being pushy or offensive to others.
4. I am to be a good steward of God’s grace! This is a huge order
for me! I feel so unworthy of being a steward of God’s grace!
I feel this is an order for the mighty archangels Gabriel and
Michael ….. not Michael the imperfect human. I know that to be
an effective leader in business or my family, I must learn to be
a better steward of God’s grace and I pray for strength and
wisdom in this area.
5. Effective leaders speak as the oracles of God. How often do I
allow my mouth to be less than an oracle of God? Lord, give me
strength and discipline to control my words so that I can
represent You in an effective manner.
6. I am to minister with the ability that God supplies. Notice this
does not say with Mike’s ability. Every day I need to pray that
God gives me the ability to be an effective leader.
7. God is to be glorified in everything that I do. Another tall order that I often fall short of. I need to always strive to think, say and
do things in a manner that honors God.
In conclusion, when I measure myself against these 7 principles, I could say
that I would never be able to measure up to God’s standards, and I would be
correct. However, God does not expect us to be perfect like Jesus, only
continually striving to be Christ-like, righteous people doing His good work during our temporary stay on this planet.