Descending love bottoms out at the Cross of Jesus Christ, turns at the Resurrection and becomes ascending love rising to the highest heights of heaven. How high it is to:
Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of the Father
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Every knee shall bow, in heaven and earth,
and under the earth, and every tongue confess
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and gave him the name that is above every name,
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Therefore, God exalted him to the highest place,
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…even death on a cross!
What is success for the leadership of Christ? The highest position, greatest name and the mightiest power in the universe now belong to the Son of God. Christ’s descending love for us is more than matched by the ascending love of God for His Son. But wait; never once does Jesus promote Himself, boast at winning, brag about results or take glory to Himself. In the mind of Christ, the glory belongs to God and God alone. Recognition, results and rewards belong to the Father.
What is success for our leadership? Ideally, we see effective leadership as achieving our goals for the common good. Our self-centered culture, however, contaminates this ideal by making our reputation, honors and achievements as ends in themselves. When it all shakes then, the ultimate question we have to answer is, “Who gets the glory?” We may be exalted by many, but to have the mind of Christ, we are exalted only by One. Paul, after citing all of his claims to fame as a leader answered the question by saying, “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Galatians 6:14).
We have our final answer. Ultimate trust is to be faithful to the call of God without any guarantee of recognition, results or rewards. We do, however, have the guarantee of a full measure of joy if we obey His commands and remain in His love. When we do the emptying and leave the exaltation to God, we have the mind of Christ and the incarnation continues in us.
Billy Graham comes to mind. A walk through his archives at the Cove in North Carolina leaves us awed by the honors that have come to him from kings, queens and presidents from every corner of the earth. Yet, it is the shy and skinny farm kid who says that the first question he will ask God when he gets to heaven will be, “Why me?” To have the mind of Christ is to do the emptying and leave the exaltation to God.
This is an excerpt of “Christ-Centered Leadership: The Incarnational Difference” (fmchr.ch/dlmckenna) by David L. McKenna.
DISCUSSION:
[1] When I succeed, who gets the glory? When I fail, who gets the blame?
[2] Even though I say, “To God be the glory,” do I really mean it?
[3] If a full measure of joy is greater than recognition, results and rewards for Christian leadership, can I honestly know that I have the mind of Christ?
