It’s always time to grow! Your personal growth has a major impact on your leadership. The writer of Hebrews shares a strong warning about the issue of timing and growth.

We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil (Hebrews 5:11-14).

While this passage has implications for all believers, the stakes are even higher for leaders since their own growth determines the growth of those under them. Servant leaders see and accept God’s plan for their personal growth in these verses.

Grow early.

“By this time you ought to be teachers.” Not everyone will have the gift of teaching, but God’s plan for every believer is for them to grow personally and then pass on to others what they have learned. Those who do this kind of “teaching” are influencers of others. This makes them leaders whether or not they have a position or title. The leadership vacuum we experience is not a lack of gifting but a direct result of little growth. So, the timing for growth is as early as possible. If you are just beginning your leadership journey, do all you can to grow. Invest early in your growth; it will pay rich dividends later. If you have been a leader for a long time, look at areas you still need to grow. Just because you have been a leader for years does not mean your leadership is growing! Are you increasing your impact over time? How would the sentence end if God were speaking these words to you, “By this time you ought to be….”? Servant leaders recognize that the only way to grow early is to grow now.

Grow quickly.

“You are slow to learn.” The writer is alarmed about the speed of their growth. The difference in the speed of growth is a personal choice. This is not to say that growth is a quick process; it takes time. But, servant leaders desire to grow as quickly as possible to maximize their impact. They recognize that the only way to grow quickly is to schedule time for their own growth. They are determined not to allow their busy schedules to crowd out time for their personal growth. They look for books, seminars, or other resources which can speed their growth.

Grow continually.

“Solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves…” Over time personal growth leads to maturity and the ability to handle “solid food.” Maturity is the outcome of continued growth. Servant leaders recognize the compounding growth that comes as they continue to grow. They resolve never to stop growing. They value the growth that has already happened but refuse to become satisfied with where they are at. They want more growth, realizing that as they grow, they can more deeply impact others for the growth of God’s Kingdom. Servant leaders realize that their growth is their own responsibility; they have “trained themselves.” They don’t wait for others to challenge them to grow, they see it as one of their primary leadership responsibilities.

It is always time to grow. It takes time to grow. Grow early, grow quickly, and grow continually to be the leader God has called you to be! I’m growing with you!

For further reflection and discussion:

Reflect on your own personal growth with the following questions:

• How would the sentence end if God were speaking these words to you, “By this time you ought to be….”? What needs to change for me to move in this direction?
• Is my growth slow, medium, or fast? How has this impacted my leadership? What, if anything, do I need to change?
• How much of my current schedule is devoted to personal growth? What are the obstacles to growing and what do I need to do to change?
• What are the current areas of growth in my leadership? What steps could I take to speed up this growth? What will be the impact as I continue to grow in these areas?
• Are there persons to whom I should be accountable to grow or who can help me grow? What are they and when will I talk to them about my growth?

John the Baptist is not the center of attention in the gospels. John’s leadership lasted only a few years and he was killed just as Jesus’ ministry was gaining momentum. But John’s role was so crucial that Jesus said, “I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he” (Matthew 11:11). Jesus calls John the greatest person up to that point in history! Even more surprising, Jesus also predicts that each of us will be greater. In this series we’ll look at why John’s servant leadership made him the greatest leader up to that point in history. First, let’s look at how John the Baptist prepared himself to be a great servant leader.

John practiced self-development.

And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the desert until he appeared publicly to Israel (Luke 1:80). This verse provides a small glimpse into John’s early life. He “grew and become strong in spirit.” We know that John was filled with the Spirit of God from birth (Luke 1:15) but John recognized that he was responsible to develop this gift. We know nothing about his formal education or how John received instruction. But, like every leader, he had to take what God provided and develop it. John focused his energy on becoming strong “in spirit.” His attention was on who he was, not what he could do. John prepared to lead by developing his character. Much leadership training focuses on developing skill as leaders and is beneficial. However, John’s example reminds servant leaders to first develop themselves and to focus on their heart and character. Servant leaders know that who they are comes before what they do.

John practiced self-denial.

One of the ways John developed his spirit was to practice self-denial. “…He lived in the desert until he appeared publicly to Israel (Luke 1:80b). John prepared to serve by living in the desert! The desert was hot, dry, and uncomfortable. This was an act of denying himself the pleasures of life to nurture the growth of strong character. He chose the challenging place, not the comfortable place. He embraced suffering instead of running from it. Like Moses before him and Jesus and Paul after him, John chose to let the desert shape him. Many leaders like to hang certificates on their walls showing where they studied and earned their degrees. John’s certificate would have simply read “Graduated from the Desert University.” John prepared to lead by denying self and embracing suffering. Of course, servant leaders are not all required to move to the desert. But John’s life teaches us that if we want to be greatly used of God we must make the hard choices of denying our own wishes, learning to embrace suffering and welcoming God’s work in our lives through pain. Servant leaders are shaped by the desert they experience, not the dessert they eat! They prepare to lead by denying themselves.

John practiced self-discipline.

John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey (Matthew 3:4). John practiced self-discipline in how he dressed and ate. He wasn’t concerned with the latest fashions in clothes and he stayed away from fine foods. How did this prepare him to lead? John knew that he would need inner strength before calling others to repent. He had to practice the painful disciplines of giving up what his body craved before he could call others to give up anything. He recognized that fasting comes before feasting for servant leaders. He knew that how he treated his physical body did reflect his call to leadership. Servant leaders build character with self-discipline.

Many of us would love to be called the greatest leader of all time. But few of us want to pay the price John paid before he led. His example calls us to develop our gifts with a focus on our hearts, and to practice self-denial and self-discipline. Servant leaders first lead themselves before leading others.

For further reflection and discussion:

• What have I done to deliberately develop the gifts God has given me? Has my focus been on strengthening who I am (character) or what I can do (skills)? What steps is God calling me to make to continue to develop my leadership capacity?
• Reflect on the description of John’s growth, “became strong in spirit.” What does this phrase mean? What are specific things that I can do to become stronger in my spirit?
• Does the way I treat my body (eating, exercise, etc.) reflect self-denial or self-indulgence? How does this impact my leadership capacity? What changes should I make in this area?
• John lived in the dessert, choosing a life of self-denial. In what ways have I chosen to deny myself or in what ways have I not chosen this path? How does it impact my leadership? Over time, have I moved towards more self-denial or less? What will result if I continue moving in this direction?
• In what ways have I used my leadership to call others to be disciplined? Has my own life reflected discipline in these areas? How has this strengthened or weakened my leadership?