Day 2

Jesus 

Matthew 9:35-10:1: 

Take a moment to ask God to meet with you today, then reflect on these verses by reading them a few times

"Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.' 

Jesus remains the greatest example of leadership the world has ever seen. He is our primary role model for life and leadership. He started a movement that has changed the world more than any other person, yet he never wrote a book, didn't travel outside his native homeland, and His teaching ministry lasted only three years. However his impact goes beyond anyone else who has ever lived, to the point today where over 2 billion people claim to follow him. And nowhere is his leadership philosophy clearer to me than in these verses in Matthew. 

It's from these verses that we can see leadership essentials of Passion, Vision and Action: 

Jesus' Passion - As Jesus traveled throughout towns and villages He met countless needs. Rather than try to avoid these, His response is to help. Why? Because "he had compassion on them". Compassion simply means to be 'with passion'. Jesus was deeply and passionately moved by the needs of the people around Him and this motivated him to action. 

Jesus' Vision - As Jesus saw the problems and troubles in the world he first had compassion, but then, through vision, he looks to the future. As Jesus looks, he says the people around him are "harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd', but he then says that the "harvest” is plentiful. To see people as "harassed and helpless" is just to see the problem. Jesus was also able to see potential and envision a solution. 

Jesus' Action - Jesus was also a man of action. As a result of what he felt and the solutions he saw, he outlined a plan. He called people to pray for workers to go into the harvest; he sent His own twelve disciples out as workers into the harvest. He then also went out Himself. 

The world today is still in desperate need of people who follow Jesus' example - those who will grow a passion for God and His purposes, develop a vision to see how they can make a difference, and have the courage and strength to put this into action. 

Q&A: 

Question for reflection: Does this spark something in you? What do you learn from how Jesus approached this situation? 

Action to take: Do you have a vision coming together for how things in your world could be different in the future? Do any immediate steps of actions spring to mind for you? Go ahead, take a step!