Follow the Leader

Tonight, I began my devotion with the song "Lead Me to the Cross," sung by Francesca Battisetlli.

"Lead me to the cross, where Your love poured out. Bring me to my knees. Lord, I lay me down. Rid me of myself, I belong to You. Oh lead me, lead me to the cross!"

The main Scripture reference came from Proverbs 28:10, which says, "He who leads the upright along an evil path will fall into his own trap, but the blameless will receive a good inheritance." (NIV) In order to lead properly, the leader must also have a leader.

To quote John C. Maxwell, "It's not the size of the project that determines its acceptance, support, and success--it's the size of the leader," he points out in The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership.

In order to move forward and make progress, the leader must be a good navigator, as Maxwell points out. But it goes even further than that. Godly leaders must also look to the Lord as their navigator. He is the ultimate leader.

Leaders have followers. "He that thinketh he leadeth and hath no one following, is only taking a walk," Maxwell says. Not only that, but leaders must also be followers. Whether they are following the direction of their supervisors, significant others, or any other person, they should follow God above all and look to Him for direction.

Tonight's devotion asked the question, "In what ways do you prepare before a project begins?" Meditate on that question as I answer it myself.

I usually follow a planning model as I begin a project. However, beyond that, I look to God and trust in Him to help me. We must remember, "being confident of this, that He Who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." (Philippians 1:6) While that verse has much larger implications than the scope of a project, its concept can still be applied.

No matter what, we should press forward in faith. As leaders, we have people who look to us. Children oftentimes look to their parents for guidance. Followers also look to leaders to take them successfully in the right direction. In order for the leader to succeed in leading his or her followers, he or she must follow God and heed His direction.

Have a blessed night!