Biblical Leadership – Success as a Christ-Centered LeaderSample

Your Job & Who You Are. As a leader you certainly recognize this cycle: 1. Do good work 2. Get promoted 3. Expand your skills 4. Increase your influence 5. Repeat Unless things are not going well, even those you work with see that you have the ability to take charge and help move the organization forward. As a leader, it is not unusual that your subordinates or others in the organization come to you with compliments – often as a way to gain recognition so that they too might join the cycle of upward progression. Compliments, job perks, status and higher pay – all building you up in the eyes of others and perhaps even yourself. As things continue to go well, you maybe even start to feel like you’re “making it” and that “finally” all that hard work is paying off. But, does all this success affect who you are? That’s an important question and we’ll try to answer it in this set of readings. If you’re not sure how your success and leadership profile are defining you, then check this out next time you meet somebody new – or, ask a friend to fill you in (if you dare): > How do you introduce yourself to a new person? Are you referencing your work, even in a non-work conversation? Besides your work, who are you? What defines you? For most of us, we think of family, hobbies, travel, what church we attend, where we live, or maybe even what we’ve read. For those of us getting too caught up in our work, however, the sharing of our personal side becomes less and less. In the worst case, we let work define us. Against that background, let’s check this timely advice from the Bible: > That, however, is not the way of life you learned when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. > You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. – Ephesians 4:20-24 Wow! Two thousand years later and still so accurate! The Bible cuts right to the heart of the matter, doesn’t it? Reminding us that we have been made new through faith in Jesus Christ: > Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!  – 2 Corinthians 5:17 In this set of readings, we’re going to discover timely advice from the Bible to enhance your success, while preserving your identity. Along the way, we’ll have a look at both the risk & reward to your career growth, and uncover the timely lessons from some well-known Bible characters as well. Reflection / Application 1\. How important is your work to you? To what degree do you think it defines you? 2\. The Bible tells us to put on our new self, to be like God in righteousness & holiness. Do these concepts relate to your leadership role? Should they? 3\. Many of us see our working lives as separate from our Christian walk and/or church life. Is that how it should be? Why or why not?