The late leadership/management guru, Peter Drucker left a statement that all leaders, especially pastors and others that primarily work with volunteers, should have carved in granite and sealed with lead to let it sink into our head and heart and keep ever before our eyes. It’s not a biblical verse, but it contains a biblical truth, as we shall see.
"A man should never be appointed into a managerial position if his vision focuses on people's weaknesses rather than their strengths." Peter Drucker.
Most of us who work with people, especially the volunteers, must grasp this truth and deal with it as did our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Christ has called all Christians to participate in the miraculous work of God and this is done via God The Holy Spirit working through us as we surrender to His will as expressed in His Word. This statement makes it seem so easy, but in practice it can be nightmarish at times. Not because God is lacking in providing wisdom and strength, but mostly because we are humans and sometimes forget how desperately we need the Lord, not only to do His work, but to merely keep our sanity!
Sam Jones, the Methodist preacher of several generations ago, told of a young man who been a rounder in the community and at about age twenty Christ arrested the man and he was truly converted. He started giving his testimony and soon money was raised and he was sent off to college to learn the finer arts of preaching. One evening he appeared at one of Sam’s famous revival meetings and it was evident his learning had certainly gone to his head. He strutted around prior to the start of the meeting and failed to notice that his pompous ways were turning everyone off. When the service started the now very erudite, in his own mind, young man was invited to the platform to lead in prayer. He paraded up and began to pray in language even the angels couldn’t understand and went on and on asking the Lord to help Mrs. So and So, as she really wasn’t all the good on the piano and on he went. Finally Sam Jones walked up behind the loquacious one, in the midst of his flowery tones, grabbed the long coat tail the man was wearing and gave it a jerk and said, “Young man, remember where the Lord found you!”
That we are weak and work with other weak specimens is a truth that is hard to swallow, but you must never doubt that it is true. And, rather than shrinking, we should really glory in that God uses those who are strong enough in Him to admit their weakness and ask for and receive His divine help in the grind of things.
Paul talked about this in 1 Corinthians 1:27-29, “But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:
29 That no flesh should glory in his presence.”
Here, you have in black and white, God uses weak people. In the book I have been working on for a while, it dawned on me that men God used, the sons of Jacob, were for the most part morally weak, their character was deemed weak by Jacob himself and if you look at the boys, with the exception of Joseph you will ask, “How on earth did any good come from this kind of family?” The whole of Genesis 49 tells the sordid story.
The story does not give us license to do whatever we feel like doing, but it does give us hope when we mess things up. We don’t have to lay down like whipped dogs and lick Satan’s boots. We can and should, by the grace of God, get up and get going for God’s glory.
Sunday past I was especially blessed by a newcomer to our church. Between Sunday School and church she said to me, “Mr. Lilly, I am so impressed by your courage in that when you went through so much trouble, you did not quit, but just went ahead and started another church!” (Actually, I did not start this church, but became the pastor in the churches infancy 24 years ago). I came near to openly weeping at her words. I have heard pretty much the same statement with but one word changed and at first it felt like a knife going into my heart, but I trusted God and it doesn’t bother so much anymore. I’m sure you have heard similar words, they come out like this; “Well, Mr. Lilly, you certainly have a lot of nerve starting another church after what you have gone through.” One word makes a lot of difference! PTL.
Well whether it is courage or nerve, I believe I have and am following the Lord as a volunteer and He keeps me going in spite of flaws or weakness. Because until I know I am unable to do His work, you can take it to the bank, I cannot do His work. John 15:5 “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”
Like Abraham, Jacob and his children and a myriad of others in the Bible, I must walk life’s pathway and sing, “I am weak, but thou art strong, Jesus Keep me from all wrong, I’ll be satisfied as long as I walk dear Lord let me walk with thee.”
I am thankful that Jesus, the boss of volunteers, focuses on His strength in me, rather than on my human weakness.
Psalms 103:14 “For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.”
Copyright © 2014 Larry Lilly
Contact Oral Deckard for any computer work. He is an honest professional with a heart for helping with your IT needs. Click Development-Resourceshttp://development-resources.com/index.html
"A man should never be appointed into a managerial position if his vision focuses on people's weaknesses rather than their strengths." Peter Drucker.
Most of us who work with people, especially the volunteers, must grasp this truth and deal with it as did our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Christ has called all Christians to participate in the miraculous work of God and this is done via God The Holy Spirit working through us as we surrender to His will as expressed in His Word. This statement makes it seem so easy, but in practice it can be nightmarish at times. Not because God is lacking in providing wisdom and strength, but mostly because we are humans and sometimes forget how desperately we need the Lord, not only to do His work, but to merely keep our sanity!
Sam Jones, the Methodist preacher of several generations ago, told of a young man who been a rounder in the community and at about age twenty Christ arrested the man and he was truly converted. He started giving his testimony and soon money was raised and he was sent off to college to learn the finer arts of preaching. One evening he appeared at one of Sam’s famous revival meetings and it was evident his learning had certainly gone to his head. He strutted around prior to the start of the meeting and failed to notice that his pompous ways were turning everyone off. When the service started the now very erudite, in his own mind, young man was invited to the platform to lead in prayer. He paraded up and began to pray in language even the angels couldn’t understand and went on and on asking the Lord to help Mrs. So and So, as she really wasn’t all the good on the piano and on he went. Finally Sam Jones walked up behind the loquacious one, in the midst of his flowery tones, grabbed the long coat tail the man was wearing and gave it a jerk and said, “Young man, remember where the Lord found you!”
That we are weak and work with other weak specimens is a truth that is hard to swallow, but you must never doubt that it is true. And, rather than shrinking, we should really glory in that God uses those who are strong enough in Him to admit their weakness and ask for and receive His divine help in the grind of things.
Paul talked about this in 1 Corinthians 1:27-29, “But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:
29 That no flesh should glory in his presence.”
Here, you have in black and white, God uses weak people. In the book I have been working on for a while, it dawned on me that men God used, the sons of Jacob, were for the most part morally weak, their character was deemed weak by Jacob himself and if you look at the boys, with the exception of Joseph you will ask, “How on earth did any good come from this kind of family?” The whole of Genesis 49 tells the sordid story.
The story does not give us license to do whatever we feel like doing, but it does give us hope when we mess things up. We don’t have to lay down like whipped dogs and lick Satan’s boots. We can and should, by the grace of God, get up and get going for God’s glory.
Sunday past I was especially blessed by a newcomer to our church. Between Sunday School and church she said to me, “Mr. Lilly, I am so impressed by your courage in that when you went through so much trouble, you did not quit, but just went ahead and started another church!” (Actually, I did not start this church, but became the pastor in the churches infancy 24 years ago). I came near to openly weeping at her words. I have heard pretty much the same statement with but one word changed and at first it felt like a knife going into my heart, but I trusted God and it doesn’t bother so much anymore. I’m sure you have heard similar words, they come out like this; “Well, Mr. Lilly, you certainly have a lot of nerve starting another church after what you have gone through.” One word makes a lot of difference! PTL.
Well whether it is courage or nerve, I believe I have and am following the Lord as a volunteer and He keeps me going in spite of flaws or weakness. Because until I know I am unable to do His work, you can take it to the bank, I cannot do His work. John 15:5 “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”
Like Abraham, Jacob and his children and a myriad of others in the Bible, I must walk life’s pathway and sing, “I am weak, but thou art strong, Jesus Keep me from all wrong, I’ll be satisfied as long as I walk dear Lord let me walk with thee.”
I am thankful that Jesus, the boss of volunteers, focuses on His strength in me, rather than on my human weakness.
Psalms 103:14 “For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.”
Copyright © 2014 Larry Lilly
Contact Oral Deckard for any computer work. He is an honest professional with a heart for helping with your IT needs. Click Development-Resourceshttp://development-resources.com/index.html
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