FOLLOW THE LEADER  

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. (John 10:27)

Did you know that before Jesus led others, He first led Himself? We must all remember that we must first lead ourselves in order to lead others, because we will never lead others beyond the point to which we have led ourselves.

Here are three important areas of self-leadership that I hope will encourage you to follow the Leader.

Prayer

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. (Mark 1:35)

Jesus was in constant communion with His Father in heaven, and Scripture makes it clear that He made no important decisions without first consulting with God the Father. You might remember that an unnamed disciple asked Jesus this crucial question: “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1). Why did he ask Jesus to teach him? Because he saw Jesus often in prayer.

Bible Study

Jesus answered, “It is written …” Jesus answered him, “It is also written …” Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written …” (Matthew 4:4, 7, 10)

When Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to do battle with the devil, He conquered Him with the Word of God. Every temptation was hurled back by a response from sacred Scripture. It’s important to note here that both Jesus and the devil quoted Scripture, but there was a difference: They were both in the Word of God, but the Word of God was only in Jesus.

Church Attendance

He went to Nazareth, and on the Sabbath day he

went into the synagogue, as was his custom. (Luke 4:16)

Jesus knew the importance of showing up for weekly worship. Here are just two reasons why you should too: First, God has commanded that we gather together each week to worship as a family of faith (Hebrews 10:25). Additionally, it bears a wonderful witness to the watching world whose side we are on. Christians are to be “doing life together,” and that life should center on the corporate worship of our Creator God.

It has been well said that “What you do speaks so loudly, I can’t hear what you say!” Regardless of where this message finds you, someone is watching and looking to you for leadership. The key to leading them in the right direction is to follow the Leader!

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!