Leadership Lessons From John the BaptistSample

Lesson 1. Leaders develop character

As we have seen from yesterday’s reading, John was the greatest of the prophets; thousands of people came to him to get baptized. He had a unique mission to prepare society for Messiah’s ministry.

However, when asked about himself: “Who are you?” – John replied humbly that he was not "the one you are looking for. But there is one coming after me whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.” Then he says,“He must become greater; I must become less."

All that speaks of a mature and humble character. It’s impossible to execute the call without a humble character. We need to be people that neither success nor failure can unsettle. Neither praise, nor critics. And that’s only possible when we grow in meekness and obedience to God. John understood that God had exalted him and gave him authority for the special reason of weightily proclaiming Christ. The more authority God gives to the leader, the brighter Christ should be reflected in the life of such a leader. If the leader uses his position to promote himself, the fate of such a leader will fall short, if he doesn’t stop in time.