Anglican Devotional 3 November 2023 – You Must Be A True Christian Leader

anglican devotional

The Daily Fountain Devotional of the Church Of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) 3 November 2023 – You Must Be A True Christian Leader

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TOPIC: You Must Be A True Christian Leader

READ: 1 Timothy 3:1-21 (NKJV)

This [is] a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work.

A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach;

not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous;

one who rules his own house well, having [his] children in submission with all reverence

(for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?);

not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the [same] condemnation as the devil.

Moreover he must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

Likewise deacons [must be] reverent, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy for money,

holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience.

But let these also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons, being [found] blameless.

Likewise [their] wives [must be] reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things.

Let deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling [their] children and their own houses well.

For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a good standing and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.

These things I write to you, though I hope to come to you shortly;

but if I am delayed, [I write] so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory.

THE MESSAGE:

A leader is anyone in position of influence or authority. Whoever has the privilege of bearing responsibility for at least another person, is a leader. Our passage today brings out clearly the basic features which must not be lacking if leadership in Christendom must be what it should be. A true Christian leader at any level must possess the following qualities: He must be blameless, must be a monogamist; one who rules his house well; he must be above reproach and embrace sound Christian morals and dispositions (verses 1-7).

Dear reader, God looks at you as a leader and you cannot let Him down. You are a leader in your own right. You may think that your sphere of leadership is insignificant but you cannot underestimate what the Lord can achieve with you for His Kingdom, in your ‘small arena.’ Therefore, you have to strive to make yourself a responsible and dependable leader in the light of God’s message to you today. You cannot influence your world for the Lord if you constantly struggle with the basic Christian character as enumerated in our text today.

PRAYER: You need to pray for more grace to stand better for the Lord each day.