I went to a retreat this weekend and received a book on leadership written by Ken Blanchard and Mark Miller entitled, “The Secret”. I enjoyed the book very much and without giving away everything the book has to say I can tell you the big secret is that we lead others best through serving them. Or as my two-year-old granddaughter aptly puts it, “Be nice to you friens”. Yes, be nice; genuinely nice; be kind; be considerate; be compassionate.
Or better yet, love one another, just as Jesus commanded us to do. Jesus, the ultimate example of the servant leader said that we are to love others as He first loved us. In fact, not only are we to love our friends, but we are to love our enemies as well, Matthew 5:44; and because of this love we have for one another, people will know we are disciples of Jesus, John 13: 34-35.
Surely we would
all agree service to others would be easier with love in our hearts. But how do
we obtain the kind of love that helps us to love our enemies and pray for those
who would spitefully use us? Honestly, it can be difficult to love others in
general; but to love our enemies seems…unrealistic.
Is it
unrealistic? Dare I say, impossible? Both these answers are completely accurate
without the love of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit abiding within us.
Jeremiah 17:9 calls the heart deceitful above all else and even incurable.
However, Jeremiah
continues by crying out to the Lord, saying, “Heal me LORD and I will be
healed; save me and I will be saved,” verse 14, HCSB. Jeremiah knew what the
heart of man was capable of without God, but he was also keenly aware of the
healing power of the Almighty.
Yes, it is God
who enables us to love one another, 1 Thessalonians 4:9. It is through
obedience to Christ we can sincerely love our brothers earnestly from a pure
heart, 1 Peter 1:22. The Apostle John tells us, “love is from God, and everyone
who loves has been born of God and knows God,” 1 John 4:7, and “If we love one
another, God remains in us and His love is perfected in us,” 1 John 4:12, HCSB.
It is through the
Lord that our faith flourishes and that our love for one another increases, 2
Thessalonians 1:3. It is through the strength of Christ we can do all things,
Philippians 4:13; through Christ we are able to become servant-leaders; we are
able to “be nice to you friens” and love our enemies. Praise God we have the assurance
that, “with men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible,”
Matthew 19:26.
Amen and God
bless!
p.s. My granddaughter,
Claire, also says, “Don’t bite you friens,” which aligns very nicely with the “Be
nice to you friens” rule.
