Day 95
Matthew 11:1-3 Now it came to pass, when Jesus finished commanding His twelve disciples, that He departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities. And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to Him, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?”
Jesus didn’t just tell His disciples what to do and how to do it; He got in there and did it with them. A great leader doesn’t just send others out; they get on the front lines with their people. They have a hands-on sense of what is going on, yet they do so without getting bogged down in the tyranny of the urgent. You see, Jesus practiced what He preached, yet He also kept a heavenly perspective. By getting in the streets, Jesus was hearing what His disciples were hearing, He was seeing what they were seeing, and He knew the challenges they were facing; hence, He could relate to them. The difference however between great leaders and those who follow, is great leaders don’t just see the immediate future, they look beyond the circumstances. Great leaders keep the goal and the plan in perspective, they understand the day to day and yet they lead for tomorrow. While we would never want to get so familiar with Jesus that we forget who He is and disrespect His Godhead, we must also remember that Jesus was a man, tempted in every way; a man who experienced even greater physical challenges in sharing the faith than any of us ever will. Therefore, when we are feeling tired, beat up, worn out, neglected, or abused, He can relate, for He knows how that feels, and He knows the outcome. Wow! What an awesome God we serve!
One particular morning, I woke up feeling very discouraged. My knee was in constant pain; I had a very difficult time falling asleep and staying there–and the night prior to this writing was no exception. My wife was ill, the children were sick, the bills needed paying, and I had been failing with keeping my diet healthy. Yet this morning as I read this passage, I am encouraged, my spirits are lifted, and I am reminded that I serve a God who has been where I’ve been (and much worse), a God who can relate to my fears and aspirations, one who has felt my pain, and best of all “He will never leave nor forsake me!”
Daily Prayer: Father, thank-you that You allowed Your Son to become a man in flesh, that He, too, would know and understand the challenges we face. Help me to never forget that when the trials and temptations of this life weigh me down. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
“There’s nothing I will face that He has not conquered.”
Pastor Gene Burroughs
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