The heart of the matter is where our heart is. Is it resting in Christ?
“So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved…”
Colossians 3:12 • Read Colossians 3:12–17
Before we lead we belong
Leadership can fill our minds with what we have achieved, what remains unfinished and what others expect. In the middle of it all, we can lose sight of the One we follow.
Paul begins in 3:12… chosen of God, holy and beloved.
Before responsibility comes belonging. Before we are leaders, we are His.
Our role is entrusted to us. Our identity is received from God in Christ. This is not a call to try harder to become better leaders. It is an invitation to keep following our Leader together.
What are we becoming. Our doing must flow from being and becoming in Christ.
His concern is not merely what we have accomplished or are accomplishing, but what we are becoming as we follow Him.
Compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness and love are not techniques. They are Christlike character.
Paul speaks of one another and one body. This character becomes visible in our shared life: how we listen, bear with weakness and forgive. What is our leadership revealing about where our hearts rest?
Christ remains the Leader
His peace rules | His Word dwells | His name governs
We have responsibility, but He has authority. We may lead His people, but they remain His people.
We never grow beyond needing His Word or depending on His care. Before we lead, we follow. As we lead, we follow. While we lead others, we keep following Him.
Look again at His heart
Yet the searching question about our hearts should lead us to Jesus, rather than leave us absorbed in ourselves.
If you are tired, frustrated or carrying a burden others cannot see, pause. Listen to the Leader Himself:
“Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28
A good leader follows the Leader.
Hear the tenderness of His invitation. He calls us to Himself, to take His yoke and learn from Him.
He is “gentle and humble in heart” Matthew 11:29.
Christ is the focus. Everything else is consequence.
Look at Him before measuring yourself again. Bring Him the unfinished work, the difficult conversation and the fear of letting people down. Let His Word speak into the place where your heart has become anxious or self-reliant.
In His presence, ask:
Lord Jesus, is my heart yielded to You?
Lord Jesus, draw my heart back to You.
Where service has become function without fellowship, restore my delight in You. Where I have carried what belongs to You, teach me to trust Your care.
Let Your peace rule, Your Word dwell and Your love shape our life together. As I lead others, keep me following You.
You lead. We follow.
Amen.
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