They were on their way up to Jerusalem, with Jesus leading the way, and the disciples were astonished, while those who followed were afraid. Again he took the Twelve aside and told them what was going to happen to him. “We are going up to Jerusalem,” he said, “and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles, who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later he will rise.”
Mark 10:32-34
There’s a great need in our land today. We’re looking for it all the time. It’s discussed in the news, on social media, while pumping gas into our cars. There are seminars, webinars, books, whitepapers, and video courses on how to satisfy the need.
And the need is for leadership.
Leadership may well be the greatest need in our country today. More than computer chips, toilet paper, lumber, skilled labor.
Leadership is more than being in front, behind a podium. Like the term says, leadership leads. It leads the way that we need to go. It leads through the:
· Words it says through its mouth. While this is the main way that we speak, it’s not the most powerful way.
· Words it says through its ears. When you listen, you’re actually shouting that the other person is important.
· Words it says through its actions. Our actions and attitudes speak more loudly than anything else.
Here we find Jesus leading the way. He’s in front, going ahead to not just point the way, but to walk it before we do. When we walk in Jesus’ footsteps, we more than retrace where he was. But also experience something of the life he lived.
And part of that life is that he completely understands what we’re going through. He doesn’t have this just because he’s God and has all knowledge. He really understands on a deep, personal level because he’s experienced it.
Jesus hasn’t just talked about these things, but can offer real comfort because he personally has really gone through the same thing.
· He’s been misunderstood and misquoted.
· He’s been hopeless.
· He’s been abandoned by family.
· He’s been betrayed by a close friend and coworker.
Do any of these things sound familiar to you? Have you experienced something similar? Are your feelings of loneliness and hopelessness somehow attached to what you’ve lived through? What you’re living through right now?
We can be encouraged through the person and life of Jesus. We can run to him with all our pain and troubles. He not only understands, but has felt the same things.
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.
Hebrews 4:15
It’s comforting to know that our great God and savior has gone through these things. But there’s something more. Because of his personal experiences with pain, loneliness, abandonment, hopelessness, he can more than shake our hand or give us a checklist of things to try.
He can tell us what he experienced and how he lived through it. He can show us his scars and what it was like to live through it. He can show us how to walk the walk, how to live each and every day. He can direct us to the one who will sustain us in our darkest hour.
God’s not just some spiritual force that’s “out there” somewhere. God is not impersonal, like gravity or light. No, God is deeply personal. At his core, he’s a person. But not like any person you’ve ever met. From eternity past, he’s never changed, never had to learn anything. He’s never had to correct himself. He’s never had to walk anything back. He’s always right, just, holy, loving.
Doesn’t this sound like the God you’ve been looking for all your life? Isn’t this the person you want to love on you right now? Doesn’t he fit that gaping hole in your soul that you’ve been trying to fill with so many things, people, possessions, power?
Yes he does, and yes he will. But he’s a gentleman and waits to be invited in.
So, what are you waiting for? What’s stopping you from seeking him. Asking him in?
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