“We highly want you to consider applying for the discipleship leadership position for your floor.” Me? A leader? There’s no way! This is what I was thinking in my head when I was approached by my residence hall director in college. In my mind, a leader was someone who was popular, energetic, a public speaker, etc; all characteristics I felt I did not possess.
I fell into a similar mindset of those who heard the prophesy of the Lord in these first four verses of Psalm 110. They knew the Messiah would be the Most High Priest, with all authority given to him—authority that will never be broken. He will sit on the right hand of the throne and will lead his people to victory. Okay, this is it! This is the ultimate leader the Israelites have been waiting for! The Messiah will come as a mighty warrior, ready for battle; to destroy anyone who will get in his way. They had a picture in their mind of how the Messiah would lead, just as I had a picture in my mind of what a leader should look like.
But that is not how the Messiah came. That is not how Jesus delivered His children. He led His people into freedom by dying on the Cross. In His time on earth, Jesus had a lot of pushback from many religious rulers and civilians like you and me. God foresees that, but speaks with confidence in these verses that Jesus will lead His people into victory and glorify His Father’s name. Of course, there were some challenges that I faced with the leadership position (I agreed to do it), but God taught me that if I am willing to serve Christ in my leadership role, He will (and did) give me the tools to be a strong leader. Christ’s reign as Priest will reign forever, just as our security and identity remains in Him forever.
Dig Deeper—What characteristics would you use to describe a leader? Psalm 110:3 states that Jesus’ people will be ready and willing to serve when He goes to war. In what ways are you preparing your heart to serve Him?
Family Talk—Together, make a list of as many attributes of a good leader as you can think of. Do you know good leaders who meet some of these attributes? Compare this list to how Jesus lived as a leader.
written by Jessie Dropp
Crossroads 