Wednesday, March 30, 2011

March 30

Jotham's parable is a fabulous insight into leadership, especially within the local church. Often, people are drawn into leadership by the same motivation as Abimelech, vain glory. Jotham's parable repeats the phrase (Judges 9:7-15) "just to wave back and forth over the trees."

In Matthew 20:28, Jesus tells us that even He came not to be served but to serve, and offer His life as a ransom for many. We must however be careful that we do not misunderstand Jesus' command. If leaders are overly pre-occupied with the daily details of tasks, there is no time to invest in people. A leader's greatest act of service is to invest in others and see their life potential fulfilled. Which takes us back to Jotham's parable.

He speaks of the olive tree, the fig tree, and the grape vine. Each one endowed with a special gift that worships God and benefits people when flourishing. I like the distinction among the three trees, subtle but still very instructive: to bless, to delight, and to uplift.

A great leader does not long to wave above the masses, feeding their own selfish ego. Great leaders find their greatest joy in empowering others to be the absolute best creation, uniquely endowed by their Creator, possible. If you are searching for a church, make sure that on your list of criteria, you are looking for a place where people are blessed, delighted, and uplifted because the leadership there excels in service, not vain glory!

Pastor Fred

No comments: