TRUE LEADERSHIP starts with LOVE

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Mark 12:29-31 (New Living Translation)

29 Jesus replied, "The most important commandment is this: 'Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. 30 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.' 31 The second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' No other commandment is greater than these."

Mark 10:42-45 (New Living Translation)

42 So Jesus called them together and said, "You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. 43 But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. 45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many."

Today the Lord guided me to these to parts of the Bible. I have come to live these verses out many times, and it is the belief that is in me, that allows me to share this:

If you indeed receive this, it is my prayer you will pass it along to those who may receive it, and the strength and peace that comes along with it.

Love is the GREATEST of all things, but it's not a love that is thrown callously around in this world but a LOVE that is Divine in and through God.

Now, the question I ask myself: Lord, how can your Divine Love be in me and work through me? He shows it in the set of verses above (Mark 12:29-31).

First you must Love God with all that you are, then you must Love your neighbor (anyone/anything breathing) in the same manner you Love God.

Now, I have struggled many times with wanting to be a leader in life, yet through all my efforts I was never counted first. Why is that?

Well, in the second set of verses above (Mark 10:42-45), it clarifies this for me. If I want to lead, I must FIRST serve others. If I want to become FIRST, I must serve all else first.

Now, this is indeed a tough thing to find yourself in, and further more choose to do WILLINGLY.

Yet, the Truth is shown again. The Lord says, even I (who is greater), has [CHOOSEN] to live as a servant for all, and to give all to everyone [FREELY.]

Those words above are so powerful, yet the ACTION in those words, will never be destroyed, as the Lord said it Himself 'Everything will disappear, but my words will remain forever (Mark 13:31).' Why? because He acted upon them. They became a PROMISE fulfilled. Amen!

I quite often see others wanting to be in lead roles, yet I have rarely seen those who want to lead, take on a servant role in order to be seen as a leader. Why is this? The Lord said it Himself, in (Mark10:42-43):

42 So Jesus called them together and said, "You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. 43 But among you it will be different.

We often fall victim to this, and I too have been on such a "Power trip," many times before (and I say we, to illustrate mankind in a whole).

The Good News to all of this weakness we have, if we CHOOSE & ACCEPT LOVE above all else, we will FREELY CHOOSE to SERVE others to show TRUE LEADERSHIP.

I speak of God's Truth as I receive it, and it has set me FREE. I pray, the same Truth sets you FREE. *Food for thought*

God bless you all.

Signature from Flavio's iPhone:

Psalm 27:4-5 (my prayer)

The one thing I ask of the Lord—the thing I seek most—is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, delighting in the Lord's perfections and meditating in his Temple. For he will conceal me there when troubles come; he will hide me in his sanctuary. He will place me out of reach on a high rock.

Amen!