Lead Wholeheartedly Like Jesus!
Throughout the Old and New Testaments, there are many references to being wholehearted. Each of these scriptures refers to functioning with our whole hearts focused on the Lord.
Paul admonishes us to, “Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people.” (Ephesians 6:7) This provides the cornerstone of leading wholeheartedly.
Jesus took his direction from God the Father and trusted in the Heavenly plan. Jesus focused the bulk of his ministry on helping others, and he was authentically himself, declaring who he was from the beginning.
In His ministry on Earth, Jesus displayed 12 leadership approaches we can emulate. He:
- Trusted in Almighty God
- Focused on His mission
- Worked a clear plan
- Made time for prayer
- Saw team members’ potential
- Developed them
- Empowered them
- Mobilized, directed them with authority
- Held them accountable
- Consoled them
- Served them
- Was authentically Himself
Let us look more closely at three of these:
Trust in Almighty God. Jesus understood that, even though he is a member of the Triune God, Jesus was still under the authority of Almighty God.
Jesus entrusted His disciples with the work of the ministry, saying, “Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these.” (John 14: 12)
Trust is the belief that you can rely on God’s promises, even without proof, and that you can trust yourself and others to deliver on promises.
See team members’ potential. Jesus called each of the 12 disciples to Himself as His ministry first began. “As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ‘Come, follow Me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will send you out to fish for people.’” (Mark 1: 16-18)
Jesus knew and understood each of the disciples He called to Himself—not just who they were presently, but who they would become. He saw beyond their current occupations and invited them on a much greater mission.
Be authentic. When describing Himself, Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” (John 6:35)
Jesus never pretended to be someone else. At your authentic core is a combination of personality characteristics, feelings, abilities, thoughts, and a spirit that responds to the Lord. These were given to you in your DNA at birth. Wherever you go, these attributes go with you, so it is important to be authentic.
Remember to lead as if you were directly serving Christ, with a positive attitude and a bedrock belief that the best way to become a wholehearted leader is to understand Jesus Christ more deeply, to lean into Him more completely, and to recognize that He died for your sins. Then, apply the 12 approaches of Jesus.
