Love, Surrender, and Leadership
“I just flat out love Jesus.” - Carolyn Moore
When Rev. Moore said this she got a little chuckle from the crowd, but something about her passion really inspired me. It really got me thinking.
How often do I remember my love for Jesus?
How often do I set aside time just to be with the Lord?
As a leader, am I dependent on Jesus, or am I trying to do things my own way?
There have been so many seasons in my life where the work I was doing to build the Kingdom gave me an excuse NOT to spend time with Jesus. Maybe I am the only one who does this, but I was so busy “doing church” that I wasn’t being with Jesus.
And honestly, I was okay with it. I was okay with a sub-par relationship with Jesus because anything more than that seemed like it was going to take too much time. Not to mention, what if Jesus actually told me something that I was going to have to do something about? The scariest part about spending time with Jesus is that if Jesus is Lord, then I have to give up control!
No one told me at the beginning of this ride with the Lord that the more I followed Him the more I would have to surrender the outcomes to the things that I thought should happen.
I think sometimes, as leaders, we get ourselves in a real pickle - mostly because we know we need to spend real (authentic) time with Jesus, but also we get really scared about what might happen when we do.
So, if you are anything like me, and the idea of surrender makes you sweat a bit I just want to reassure you:
The Lord is kind and gracious (even to you).
In His grace, the Lord wants to show you a full and intimate life with Him. He wants to make your burden light, and He wants you to experience how easy life is when He is in the driver’s seat.
The beautiful part about Rev. Moore’s statement, “I just flat out love Jesus” is the fact that I believed her.
If you made the same statement to a crowd of people in your community; would they believe you?
This week I want to invite you to spend some intentional time with Jesus. Maybe it is in the morning hours under the reflection of your Christmas tree. Maybe it’s on a beautiful winter walk. Or maybe it is in the stillness of a starry night.
Whenever it is, do it intentionally and surrender the outcome!
Psalm 103
103 My soul, praise the Lord!
Every part of me, praise his holy name!
2 My soul, praise the Lord
and never forget how kind he is!
3 He forgives all our sins
and heals all our sicknesses.
4 He saves us from the grave,
and he gives us love and compassion.
5 He gives us plenty of good things.
He makes us young again,
like an eagle that grows new feathers.
6 The Lord does what is fair.
He brings justice to all who have been hurt by others.
7 He taught his laws to Moses.
He let Israel see the powerful things he can do.
8 The Lord is kind and merciful.
He is patient and full of love.
9 He does not always criticize.
He does not stay angry with us forever.
10 We sinned against him,
but he didn’t give us the punishment we deserved.
11 His love for his followers is
as high above us as heaven is above the earth.
12 And he has taken our sins
as far away from us as the east is from the west.
13 The Lord is as kind to his followers
as a father is to his children.
14 He knows all about us.
He knows we are made from dust.
15 He knows our lives are short, that they are like grass.
He knows we are like a little wildflower that grows so quickly,
16 but when the hot wind blows, it dies.
Soon, you cannot even see where the flower was.
17 But the Lord has always loved his followers,
and he will continue to love them forever and ever!
He will be good to all their descendants,
18 to those who are faithful to his agreement
and who remember to obey his commands.
19 The Lord set his throne up in heaven,
and he rules over everything.
20 Angels, praise the Lord!
You angels are the powerful soldiers who obey his commands.
You listen to him and obey his commands.
21 Praise the Lord, all his armies.[a]
You are his servants,
and you do what he wants.
22 Everything the Lord has made should praise him
throughout the world that he rules!
My soul, praise the Lord!