Issue #38, August 25, 2010
Leadership Nuggets from Ephesians, 2
Servant leaders have grace to lead. Paul’s discourse on grace in Ephesians 2:1-10 provides great insight for the role of grace in servant leadership. Grace has been described as “unmerited favor,” God’s lavish goodness to each one of us. The grace Paul describes for all believers also has significant implications for servant leaders.
Grace provides perspective on our past.
Paul paints a dismal picture of our past (2:1-3). It included spiritual death, living under the dictatorship of the enemy and gratifying the desires of our flesh. He wants to ensure that every believer recognizes that except for the grace of God we would still be completely lost. Servant leaders acknowledge that they have come a long way from this dismal past. There is no difference between the leader who was privileged to grow up in a strong Christian environment and the one who spent years in open disobedience. Both acknowledge that apart from the grace of God, their sinful past would determine their future. They are forever grateful for the great change God has made in their life.
Grace perceives leadership as a gift.
“And this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–not by works, so that no one can boast.” Paul makes it clear that the favor we have received from God is a gift, not the result of our effort. Servant leaders recognize that salvation and subsequent opportunities to serve in leadership are not based on their own goodness but on the grace of God. They humbly acknowledge that the influence they wield in their homes, businesses, churches, or working places is a precious gift from God.
Grace provides perspective on victories.
Leaders love to see results and celebrate victories. These celebrations can easily become focused on the leader who made it happen and encourage boasting about the success. Paul makes it clear that grace means “no one can boast.” Servant leaders work hard, but they recognize that victory comes from God and is for His glory. They acknowledge that leadership is not about them; it is about God. Their leadership serves His purposes, not simply to build their own kingdom.
Grace promotes good leadership.
As we recognize our past, see leadership as a gift, and refuse to boast, it might appear that we should lead with timidity or a sense of unworthiness. Instead Paul makes it clear that a proper understanding of grace leads to freedom to lead with confidence. We are “…created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” At home, in the corporate office, in the marketplace or church, servant leaders work hard to lead well. They learn and grow, recognizing that their leadership is one of the “good works” for which God has created them. They energetically cast vision, build teams, delegate tasks, and empower their followers for action. They recognize that their servant leadership has eternal consequences and are able to extend grace to others in the same way they have received it.
Take a moment to reflect on the role of God’s grace in your leadership using the questions below to guide your thinking. Thank God for the grace to lead; then go forth and lead with grace!
For further reflection and discussion:
- How has my past shaped who I am as a leader? Have I tended to see my past as making me worthy or unworthy to lead? How does grace change the focus from my past to what God has done to set me free?
- Do I see my leadership as a sacred gift from God? How will this be expressed in my leadership today?
- In what ways am I tempted to take credit for my leadership victories? What can I do to remind myself that my leadership is not about me, but about God’s glory?
- Have I been set free by grace to lead with confidence? How does it change my perspective to realize that God prepared me to lead even before I knew I was a leader?