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Day
4 - “How to Lead”
Passage: Acts 1:12-22 (NIV)
12Then they returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount
of Olives, a Sabbath day's walk from the city. 13When they arrived,
they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present
were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew
and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas
son of James. 14They all joined together constantly in prayer, along
with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.15In
those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering
about a hundred and twenty) 16and said, "Brothers, the Scripture
had to be fulfilled which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through
the mouth of David concerning Judas, who served as guide for those
who arrested Jesus— 17he was one of our number and shared
in this ministry." 18(With the reward he got for his wickedness,
Judas bought a field; there he fell headlong, his body burst open
and all his intestines spilled out. 19Everyone in Jerusalem heard
about this, so they called that field in their language Akeldama,
that is, Field of Blood.) 20"For," said Peter, "it
is written in the book of Psalms, 'May his place be deserted; let
there be no one to dwell in it,' and, " 'May another take his
place of leadership.' 21Therefore it is necessary to choose one
of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus went
in and out among us, 22beginning from John's baptism to the time
when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a
witness with us of his resurrection.
Devotion:
Peter was chosen by Jesus to lead – so he led (“In those
days, Peter stood up among the believers.”). Pay attention
to how Peter led: He went back to meeting together; back to prayer;
back to scripture; back to a focus on Jesus; and back to reflecting
the pattern and example of Jesus. Quality leadership always starts
with a return to basics (core values), before innovation and creativity
can be applied effectively (even before problems get addressed or
plans are made).
Why? -- Because the “next step” becomes apparent when
the focus is on the Lord and not the situation. Notice I didn’t
say solution. Peter didn’t have all the problems worked out
– they must have been overwhelming. Most people look to leaders
to fix all the problems. For example, what was Peter going to do
about the persecution by the Jews, form a militia? But Peter didn’t
address that or any of a few hundred other issues. Instead he focused
on fellowship and worship; praying together: studying scripture
to gain insight into current events (that’s what we’re
doing right now); and looking at the pattern and example of Jesus.
The net result was a clear “next step” – and that
was to fill the empty 12th apostle spot -- simple and effective
leadership.
You might say, wait what about all the other issues that needed
to be addressed? All that other stuff didn’t seem to matter
much, because this decision was the only one that got recorded for
us to look at two thousand years later. I would say Peter listened
to the Lord, prioritized, and dealt with the right issue at the
right time.
The same is true for us in our own lives. Things are coming at us
fast and hard – pressing us for decisions. What do we do?
Question to Ponder:
What decision is pressing hard on you today? What should you do?
The answer is simple, follow Peter’s example. The next time
you have a problem at home, rather than trying to fix it at that
moment try this:
1. Spend time together: turn off the TV, computers, video games,
and the phone -- go for a family walk.
2. Pray together: join hands as a family – take turns –
give thanks and praise God.
3. Open and read the Bible together. Pick a verse, read it and talk
about it.
4. Then and only then, ask “What would Jesus do?”
Your “next step” will be incredibly clear!
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