“I the Lord have called You [the Messiah] for a righteous purpose and in righteous-ness; I will take You by the hand and will keep You; I will give you for a covenant to the people [Israel], for a light to the nations [Gentiles], to open the eyes of the blind, to bring out prisoners from the dungeon, and those who sit in darkness from the prison.” Isa 42:6-7 (Amplified)
A district board of education in California decided to carry out an experiment. They randomly picked students and recruited some run of the mill teachers and set up a school. They told both groups, the students and teachers, that they were picked for the project primarily because they were the best and that their performance in relation to other schools within the district will be assessed at the end of the academic year.
At the end of the school year, the board discovered that these handpicked students performed 30-40% better than other schools and relayed their findings to the happy students and their teachers, who quickly jumped to the conclusion that the reason for such a large disparity was because they were the best. So, they were surprised when the board members informed them that they actually weren’t that special. The reality was that they were no better than their peers in the other schools. This only raised the question, why the highly significant difference in performance? It was down to the high expectation the board had both of the teachers and their students, who thought they were the best and raised their game to meet that level of expectation.
The leadership expert, John C. Maxwell said that people either rise or fall to the level of your expectation. This truth was borne out by the interesting experiment narrated above. Thankfully, this is also true of God who believed so much in us that He died for our sins ever before we ever what it meant to repent. He is now saying to you that whoever you are and whatever your circumstance, He has called you for a righteous purpose. Whatever your life experiences, you are not an accident that has either occurred or is waiting to happen. However low you may think of yourself, God has promised to take you by the hand and keep you and He will appoint you as His ambassador to the nations to give them the light of the Gospel. So, if for whatever reason you still don’t see yourself as a leader and as such see no significant role for yourself in impacting lost souls for God, then understand that leadership is simply the ability to influence others and anybody can do that. If you will trust God, He will take you under His wing and develop you into someone other people will be willing to follow. So, just resolve to follow Him and in due time others will start following you, not because of who or what you are, but because of the Christ Who lives within and is actively leading you. You need to appreciate the fact that you are the difference between a glorious eternity and a dark ending for the many lives that God in His wisdom will bring across your path. Irrespective of whatever might be going on in your life, understand that you were born to make a significant difference and you shall if God is your guide. He is willing to hold your hand. Are you willing to be held?
Prayer:
Lord, you delight in using weak and insignificant things to glorify you name. I clearly understand that I fall into that miserable category and I’m willing to be held and led by you. Please work your miracle in my life and truly as promised make me into a light for the nations for the glory of your name. Amen.