SUM 11: Day 35

Romans 13:1-10

Lead those you have influence with! All authority is from God. When I was a kid, I went to church a lot. My dad was a pastor, so every time the door was open, we were there. Pretty much all that time. I hated Sunday School. If you don’t know what Sunday School is, allow me to explain it. Sunday School is a time when adults try to teach you about the Bible and why you should not be drinking, partying, watching Rated R movies or pretty much having any fun. Sunday mornings always seemed like such a drag.

My sophomore year, however, was a little different. That year, my Sunday School teacher was a guy named Eric. Eric was different than any of the teachers I had in the past. He was a young, single lawyer with a sweet pad and sweet wheels. He taught us the Bible in a way that made it come alive. Really, for the fi rst time, the Bible was more than a collection of memory verses. He taught me about historical context and that the Bible was not full of foolish, 1st Century weirdoes; instead, it was full of businessmen, athletes and blue collar workers. At times, it was as crazy as a Springer episode. Eric did not do this because he was being paid or to win applause.

Rather, he invested into the lives of eight sophomores because God had given him authority, and he wanted to be a good steward of it. Not only does God put others in positions of authority over us, but, also, at many times, He puts us in positions of authority over others. The Bible is clear we 1) Should respect those in authority over us and 2) We should be worthy of respect if we are in authority. Eric was worthy of respect, and we loved him. To this day, all of the guys in my class are serving the Lord in our respective fields and making a difference for the Kingdom.

Pray: God, help me to respect those in authority and to be worthy of respect
to those who I have authority over.

Do: Find someone who is in authority over you and tell them you appreciate them and
their efforts in leading.

SUM 11: Day 34

Proverbs 12:24 & Romans 12:8

How should I lead? Lead enthusiastically! When I was in seminary, I happened upon my dream job. For three years, I coached a high school basketball team at a small Christian high school. The fi rst day of practice, I was so excited. My team was small, weak, slow and without any athletic ability, but, man, we had heart. (That’s what a coach says when he knows his team isn’t good.) The school was so small that our varsity team was the only team, and we had four freshmen on it, including our starting point guard. We were doomed. As the season went on, I had so much fun getting to know my players and working with them; however, no matter how hard we practiced, we could not win. We were bad.

As the season was winding down, I had circled one specific game on my calendar. The team was almost as bad as we were. I thought if I scouted them hard and drilled a few
specifi c plays into the brains of my kids, we could pull off the upset. The day of the game, I gave the best pre-game speech ever. (Maybe an overstatement.) We went out there and played so hard but got our tails kicked by 15. My fi rst year as coach
gave us our record of 0-18. We stunk.

I still keep up with those kids and many of them have kids of their own. They have grown up to love Jesus. Awhile back, one of them contacted me and told me how my involvement in his life had helped him to become a Christian. Even though the immediate goal (winning) was never reached, the greater goal was. When we lead, we build into others with the goal of making them better. I tried to do that both on the court and in their lives. BTW, three years later we finished undefeated. Booyah!!!

Pray: God, is there some way I can use my gifts and abilities in
leadership to make Your name great?

Do: Find a place to use your gifts and passions and invest in someone else.

SUM 11: Service and Notes: Day 33

Proverbs 11:14

Everything rises and falls on leadership, and leadership is all
about influence!

There is more to leadership than having a position or title. In fact, some of the most influential leaders in history didn’t have a title or an official position. Instead, they were leaders because they had influence with others.

Do a Google search on “leadership.” What do you find?

Do a second search on the word “leader.” What did you find?

Do another Google search. This time, search “influential leaders.” Did you see the “Religion of History’s 100 Most Influential Leaders?” As you look at what each person did to gain his/her rank, notice whether it was a title or something they did that placed them in that position.

Outline:

You can be a leader. In fact, you may already be! Use your influence with your friends, family and others to lead people.

How can you use your influence to lead people to Christ?

How can you develop more influence with others?

Do: Go be influential! Lead people to Christ!