"Leading Everyday Always Deliverer Emancipates Readily!(L.E.A.D.E.R)"

By Ramesh C.Reddy
Pittsburgh Standard

February 23, 2008

Editors Note: The devotional has a background song 'Jesus is Lord of All' by Keith Green which can be heard if you use Internet Explorer.

Observations:
I asked myself what words/phrases were repeated?

As I looked through the passage, Sabbath was mentioned 5 times so I decided to focus on it to see in what instances it was mentioned.

1. One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and as his disciples walked along, they began to pick some heads of grain.

2. The Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?”

3. Jesus said, “The Sabbath was made for man,

4. Not man for the Sabbath.

5. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.

 Interpretations:

Today I looked at the first 2 instances where Sabbath was mentioned:

Point 1:
I asked myself why Jesus would go through the grainfields!
It occurred to me whatever Jesus did He had a reason for it. Jesus already knew that the disciples were going to pick some heads of grain. Jesus took this opportunity to address the Pharisees regarding the Sabbath because He knew they were going to ask Him a question. Earlier in the chapter, I learned that Jesus knew what the Pharisees and teachers of the law were thinking in their minds even before they said it. It would be no different here. Jesus wanted to teach them a lesson regarding the actions of the disciples too.

Point 2:
I asked myself what was significant about the question the Pharisees asked Jesus!
I found it interesting that the Pharisees do not address the disciples who they perceive to be breaking the law but directly address Jesus regarding the disciples. Rather, than talking to the disciples, they go directly to the source. This made me see that the Pharisees saw Jesus as the leader of the disciples and whatever mistakes the disciples did, they wanted answers from Jesus because Jesus was in a leadership role.

Implications:
I saw important implications for my own life. The Pharisees saw Jesus in a leadership role and when mistakes were made, they did not address the persons making the mistake but went to the source. This showed me the responsibility we have when we are in a leadership role. Those who think they are leaders take it as an opportunity to challenge other leaders when their followers mess up.

This tells me when we are in a leadership role, we need to be aware of the actions of those that follow us. We also need to be prepared for the fact  that if followers mess up, people may not question the followers for the mess up but the leader who is in charge of the followers. If the leader does not have a substantive defense, not only is the leader affected but the followers are too.

Speaking from experience, I can tell you being in a leadership role is not always easy. Being in authority over employees who I have to manage is like a leader-follower role. When the employees have messed up, the managers go to other managers to address the situation than the employees. The assumption is that the manager is supposed to manager the employees and if something went wrong then the manager is to answer. This makes a lot of sense!

Even in ministry, if you are a campus minister you have student leaders who work under you and follow you. When the student leaders mess up and do things that are unbiblical in their leadership role, the one who oversees the campus minister will address the campus minister to see why it has happened that way because the campus minister was put in authority to do the Lord’s work on campus and faithfully shepherd the student leaders. When followers mess up, the Lord could demand an answer from you because He put you in that leadership role to shepherd them! If negative things were happening then the campus minister may not have been doing his job properly. This goes to pastors too!

People don’t have to be in authority to question someone if they perceive them to be doing wrong. I can think of the church as an example. If people perceive that a certain church overlooks deliberate and blatant sin of their congregation members and does not even address it but gives a perception of condoning it, the congregation members are not those who are questioned but the pastor of that church would be in the spotlight and in the hot seat.

Whatever Jesus did I know is right and I intend to look more closely at Jesus’ response in tomorrow’s devotional time.

I ask you now dear friend, what kind of leader are you?
Dear friend, there are only two choices when it comes to being a leader; you are either a good leader or a bad leader. It can be an honor to be a leader but there is also great responsibility that comes with it. Those that follow you will be influenced by your own actions because they see you in a leadership position. You can take that opportunity to be a righteous leader as you depend on the Lord Jesus Christ to help you and guide you to be the best leader you can be. I know I want to be the best leader wherever the Lord has placed me. Everyone is a leader in some capacity for everyone has followers whether we acknowledge it or not. If you are a big brother or sister, you have younger brother/sister that becomes a follower, etc. Jesus is the best example of learning how to be a good leader.

Sororities and fraternities on campus are big on big brother and big sister so they need to set the right trend for new pledges who become members learning from the example of Jesus.

May you learn from the Master Himself on how to be a good leader for His honor and glory! Amen!

Good books to read on leadership are "Transforming Leadership" and "Master Plan of Evangelism", 'Excellence in Leadership', and 'Making of a Leader'. If you want those books, I can get you a copy!

“Leading Everyday Always Deliverer Emancipates Readily!”(L.E.A.D.E.R)/”What kind of  leader are you?

Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, thank you so much for letting me learn about leadership. Oh Lord thank you for being the best leader and being up to the challenge to answer those that question your leadership. You Oh Lord have set an example for us. Help us Oh Lord to know that when we are in a leadership position, we are scrutinized more and need to set a good example for those that follow us. Lord, when we are followers also help us to follow depending on you for wisdom. More than anything, Oh Lord we ask your help to follow you. We want to follow you Jesus and be guided by you. Forgive us our sin Oh Lord and cleanse us with your precious cleansing blood. I thank you Jesus! Please come into my heart and make my heart your home. I thank you Jesus for coming into my heart and making my heart your home. Thank you for living in me Jesus and I will live for you and serve you the rest of the days of my life as I follow you with your help. I acknowledge you as my Lord and Personal Savior! Thank you Jesus for being my Lord and Personal Savior! I surrender my life to you and ask for your help! Thank you Jesus that you have heard my prayers and answered me! In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!

Dear Jesus, thank you for healing the paralytic after forgiving his sins. He set him free to go home. I want to be free. I don’t know everything about you. I still have a lot of questions. What I do know is that you died on the cross for my sins. When it comes to sin, I am a paralytic Oh Lord. I am infected with this deadly disease known as sin. I am not perfect but a sinner who needs your cleansing blood to clean me of my sin everyday. I confess to you my sin and repent of my sin. I know you have forgiven me when you died on the cross. I want to accept that forgiveness. Thank you for shedding your cleansing precious blood for me. You were nailed to the cross because of me. It is like I actually held the hammer and pounded the nails so I could be free. Thank you for willingly dying for me Jesus. Thank you for taking the shame and pain for me. Thank you for doing that to set me free. I come to the cross and ask you for your healing in my life. Thank you for the power of your Blood to redeem humanity. Thank you for coming back to life to save us and give us Eternal Life as we yield to you. Your blood can heal us where we are. I love you Jesus. Even with my questions, I come to you now and accept you into my heart. Please Jesus come into my heart and make my heart your home. Give me a transfusion of change. Live in me Jesus and I will live for you and serve you the rest of the days of my life. I thank you Jesus for coming into my heart and making my heart your home. Thank you for living in me Jesus. I acknowledge you now as my Lord and Personal Savior. Please be the Lord and Savior of my life. Thank you for being my Lord and Personal Savior Jesus and because of what you have done for me when God looks at me, He now sees me covered in your blood and His judgment passes over me. Thank you that you have heard my prayer and answered me. Thank you for being with me Lord. Please fill me with your Holy Spirit. Thank you Jesus I now belong to you and never need to be alone! You will always be with me and have given me Salvation.  In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!

Friend, if you have prayed this prayer and meant it in your heart, you are a new creation in Christ and all old things are passed away and everything has become new! You may feel something or may not but don’t base it on feelings but base your new life in Christ on the promises of our Savior who will never leave you nor forsake you! Amen!