TODAY IS…

a superb day to aspire to be a good leader.

“In everything set them an example by doing what is good.”  Titus 2:7a NIV

Some of us may say. “But I don’t want to be a leader. I’m not cut out for that.”

The reality is, we are almost all leaders of one sort or another and probably do not even realize it. The real question is, “Am I a good leader?”

One of the most common forms of leadership can be found in parenting.

Certainly a mother or a father is a leader. After all, one of the primary definitions of ‘lead’ is “to influence.” There can be no singularly more important leadership position than parenting. How we carry out that responsibility has effects that are far-reaching and long lasting. To be good leaders we must set good examples and nowhere is this more important than in the raising of our children and in their preparation to be the individuals God intended them to be. It is a leadership position that far too many of us take lightly because we are too busy, too wrapped up in our own lives, or are too unsure of exactly how to carry out our responsibilities.

Leadership is not limited to raising children, of course, but it is one of the most common forms of leadership and the one that is most often performed poorly.

Other than parenting, we are leaders whenever anyone looks to us for guidance or direction. Even as ushers in our church, people look to us for the correct direction to move in, or the proper time to break out our wallets. Anyone in any sort of a management position, of course, is a leader as well, as are foremen, shift managers, coaches, teachers, priests, pastors, and ministers.

The number one responsibility of any leader of any type is to set a good example. If we are raising children, we must portray a good example of what the finished product should be like. If we are a leader in our church, we must present a good example of how God expects us to live our lives and conduct ourselves.

We have all been leaders without thinking about it. Now it’s time to look at ourselves and the various ways in which other people look to us and ask ourselves if we are providing the best example for those we are leading. If the answer is no, then a “makeover” is necessary, for those we are leading are looking to us for answers. The best place to get the answers we need to be great leaders is in the Bible.

Now that we are aware that we are leaders, even if we didn’t think that we were, we can focus on becoming the best leaders that we can be. Use the gift of this superb day and do exactly that.

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Taken from “TODAY IS….A Gift From God”, (C) 2013 Tony Casson