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John 8:54 – Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God:
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As someone who lives to train and influence leaders in sound Biblical standards for leaders, to encourage Christian leaders in all arenas of life, that spectrum running from church through para-church to secular, one of the things I often see is a leadership chain based on position rather than basing position of leadership qualities, performance, production, people development, and character. This is most often seen in young leaders and leaders with newly granted position and/or power. We call that POSITION leadership. A person is a leader because they have a title. He/she is new to the position, and it is likely that those they lead know little if anything about the new leader. In our Text for Today Jesus addresses this very issue – the issue of honor and the manner in which it is recognized through proper order of application.
Look closely at these words of Jesus, and seek to apply them to yourself. First, Jesus said, “If I honour myself, my honour is nothing.” If anyone had a right to honor himself, it should have been Jesus, Who, at the time of His statement WAS, INDEED, THE ONLY BEGOTTEN SON OF GOD. But Jesus knew that self-pro-claimed honor had been around for a long time, and its end was usually bad, especially for the one living to bestow honor upon him/herself. I find it highly noteworthy that the ONLY person Who ever lived who could have legitimately honored Himself stepped back from that opportunity, allowing His Father the privilege and responsibility to honor Him. Should the man/woman of God not operate with the same understanding today? Let us use every tool at our disposal to spread the Gospel, but let us also accurately distinguish between the work of spreading the Gospel and advancing our own reputation. Preach the Gospel, my friend; be true to the Word of God, be led by the Spirit, walk in love, live by faith. If promotion for such does not come from God, perhaps we should check up on what we’re doing. Expand, grow, and build your ministry as the Lord promotes you. Let your honor shine as it flows forth from the throne of God by His hand as He wills. I can assure you that if you do, the best is yet to come.
Manna for Today – John 8:48-59 John 15:16; Ephesians 2:10; John 14:12-14
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My Second Miler by Dr. Beechard Moorefield 