Leadership is not just about what gets accomplished, but also how it gets accomplished.
Question: When you think of your work, do you focus more on what to do or how to do it?
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Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 3:12-17)
We are all wired a little differently. When it comes to work, there are a few main personality types or perspectives toward which we all naturally gravitate. For simplicity, we’ll summarise these with the words: why, what, and how.
1. Why? (Big-Picture)
The big-picture answer to why we do what we do is that God has called us to the work of ministry so that others would grow in maturity and experience the fullness of Christ (see Ephesians 4:11–16).
We want lives to be changed. We want a healthy church that honours God. We don’t lead because people need our work. We lead because we know that people need the same gospel that changed our own lives to work in their lives too.
2. What? (Task-Oriented)
What you do depends on your area of leadership (again, see Ephesians. 4:11). It may even change throughout the year, season, or day. Whether or not you love crossing items off a list, ticking boxes in a checklist, or seeing status changes in calendars or productivity apps, we all have to be mindful of our specific tasks. This comes naturally for some people and takes a lot of disciplined effort for others.
3. How? (Policies & Procedures)
Today’s devotion focuses on how we approach our work as ministry leaders—not because it’s more important than the what and why, but because God’s Word has a clear checklist for how every leader should conduct his or her work.
Reread Colossians 3:12–15
Since Paul is writing to all Christians in his letter to the Colossians, these should be considered a baseline of standard policies and procedures for how we should all go about our work, especially as leaders who set an example.
Which of the characteristics from Paul’s list is a timely reminder for you today?
Use the following checklist to discuss and reflect on what is going on in the hearts and minds of your leaders. You might choose to encourage one another by identifying people who lead by example in the different characteristics:
compassion
kindness
humility
gentleness
patience
forgiveness
love
unity
peace
thankfulness
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Each of us will find certain things on that list easier or more natural than others. If we’re honest with ourselves, we know that none of us perfectly live up to this standard. You may even be tempted to wonder why God would choose to use you as a leader.
But don’t forget that Paul identifies you as “chosen ones, holy and dearly loved.” You don’t do the things on this list to earn his affection. He has chosen to work in and through you.
Rather than letting it discourage you where you see room for growth in Christlikeness, turn your attention to him.
Reread Colossians 3:16–17
Bible reading and study, sermons and podcasts, books and music, there are many ways to keep spiritual truth front and centre each day. When the wisdom of God’s Word fills your heart and mind, all of your work becomes an act of worship.
The characteristics Paul lists begin to overflow from you—even the ones that don’t come as naturally. When you do everything for him, your why, what, and how all line up and point to Christ.
How do you keep your focus on Christ so that all of your work honours him?
Think about your routines and habits, favourite resources, or current lessons that God is teaching them
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Prayer Prompts
Focus on God’s love for you.
Confess attitudes and actions that don’t honour Christ.
Thank him for choosing to work in and through you.
Ask him to fill you with a worshipful spirit so that you will honour Christ in how you do whatever you do.
This article was taken from ‘12 Devotions for Every Leader’ by Church Fuel (2020)
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