Building Credibility

Building 429 sings, "Impossible." They remind us that, "We can rise above the typical and be anything but usual. We know, we know, we know that there's no such thing as impossible. And nothing is unreachable when we trust the God of miracles. WE know, we know, we know that there's no such thing as impossible!" And God's Word confirms that. Matthew 19:26 says, "Jesus looked at them and said, 'With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.'" (NIV) No matter what problems you are facing, you can overcome them with God, for nothing is impossible with Him! That mindset can greatly help you as a leader and in all the other parts of your life as well.

1 Samuel 3:19-20 says, "The Lord was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba recognized that Samuel was attested as a prophet of the Lord." (NIV)

Samuel grew in his leadership abilities, and quickly at times. How? He relied on God for guidance. We can learn a valuable lesson from his life: God is the Ultimate Leader, and we, like Samuel, should submit to His authority and look to Him for direction.

Maxwell notes, "Samuel exhorted, he affirmed, he corrected, he prophesied, he reminded, and he taught the people." We can take on several of the things Samuel learned to do in his leadership. If our followers are discouraged, we can exhort them, which means to strongly encourage them, according to Google. When we see someone with great potential, we can affirm them. If someone is in the wrong, we can correct them, but we must do so gently and in love. We can remind our followers of the vision if they lose sight of where they are going. And we can teach them along the way. But through it all, we should also follow another part of Samuel's example. Maxwell says that, "He spoke the truth, and he spoke it in love."

The reflection question for today asks, "What can you learn from Samuel to build your own credibility?"

Those examples that I just mentioned would be great ways to start. All of those things that Maxwell listed helped Samuel build his credibility, and they can help us to do the same. While we may not all be prophets, we can take on the other areas.

Father, thank You for gifting me with leadership, and thank You for giving me direction and examples to follow in Your Word, the Holy Bible. Please guide me and lead me so that I can effectively and efficiently lead others. Help me to display Your love through it all. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen!

God bless you!

Impossible