If it is to Lead, Do it Diligently

In Romans 12:6-8, Paul shared with us, "We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement, if it is giving, then give generously; if it is lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy; do it cheerfully." 

For awhile now, I have prayed, pondered, and inquired among godly counsels in my life regarding the spiritual gift or gifts God has blessed me. I long and desire to know so that I can hone in on them to better serve the Lord who purposed me for His will. I understand that my professional background as a Director of Surgical Services equates to leading. However, this does not always mean that my spiritual gift is leadership. I do sense that leading is certainly on top of my spiritual gift and because of that, I commit to doing it diligently. 

What does diligent leadership look like? Why does it matter in my service to the Lord? What lasting impact can I make as a leader of healthcare professionals so that it can be carried on with them for a lifetime?

While I understand that the above list of gifts that Paul shared is limited as this certainly is not the complete list of spiritual gifts, I want to focus on the obvious in my life so that I can do my part as a follower of Jesus. Meanwhile, I can start to assess the spiritual gifts of those around me for the purpose of leaning on them where I am lacking so that the decisions I make in my life are well-rounded covering all of the bases of the truth. 

According to Chip Ingram, "the gift of leadership is the divine ability to notice what needs to be done, set goals to get it done, and then attract, motivate, and lead people who can accomplish the work of ministry." Ministry is not limited to the actual physical church. Ministry is in our every day work where we spend the majority of our time. For example, my ministry is at work and at home. I spend 5 days a week at a hospital somewhere whether that is in Stockton, Manteca, or Modesto. The latter part of my weekdays are spent at home with my husband and daughter. This is my other ministry. However, at work, my actual job is to lead people, nearly 400 employees in the Perioperative Services Department across the Central Valley.

I enjoy responsibility and stepping into gaps to help organize the disorganization of processes, practices, and workflows. Through all of that, I know that I have to love people through the process changes to see that outcomes and results are not only optimized, but also meaningful to the individuals and the team. I also enjoy seeing a need and would then envision a plan to meet the need. I must not lose sight of the spiritual purpose behind the projects that are executed. 

Another spiritual gift that I may have according to my best friend Linda (who went on to be with our Good Lord last year) and my Assistant Nurse Manager Nida, is prophecy. One Tuesday evening years ago, Linda shared with me that one of my spiritual gifts is prophecy. I laughed and responded, "Linda, I am no Isaiah and not even anywhere near it." Today, as I dove more into this spiritual gift of prophecy and how it could look in 2022, I can kind of understand where Linda was coming from and what Nida was trying to say. According to Chip Ingram, "the gift of prophecy is a divine ability to proclaim God's truth with power and clarity in a timely and culturally sensitive fashion for correction, repentance, or edification--"strengthening, encouraging and comfort" (1 Corinthians 14:3). Chip went on to say that people with the prophetic motivational gift: tend to be persuasive speakers, read people well, can come across as opinionated or insensitive, can depend on their speaking ability rather than on the power of the Holy Spirit if not careful. Whenever I am placed in a new position by God, I often ask, what went wrong here? I want to know in order to right the wrongs. Additionally, I desire to get to the heart of the real issues that need to be addressed and often gets overlooked. 

More on this another day...

But, as of today, Sunday, November 20th, I commit to leading my team diligently with the help of the Holy Spirit that lives in me. I am thankful to God for using me for His purpose and will. I commit to doing the good work daily to His glory.

Part 2: Antidote to Pride

 (This is a follow-up entry to my latest post, Setting Our Pride Aside) 

Personally, for me, the antidote to pride comes from dwelling on the message Paul shared in Colossians 3:12-17 which goes on to say:

Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

In Colossians 3, Paul reminded his readers of their status as a people chosen by God (v. 12). Because we're chosen, we have certain obligations that are relational in nature. Since we have a reconciled relationship to God, to whom we were once enemies (1:21), we're to be in healthy relationship to each other as brothers and sisters in Christ. Therefore, Paul instructed us to put on the virtues listed as we would put on literal garments (2:12-14). The characteristics he shared are critical to establishing and maintaining healthy relationships. Our restored relationship to God should lead us to extend compassion, kindness, and patience to our fellow believers. This, however, means that we'll necessarily need to "bear with each other" when conflicts and misunderstandings arise (v. 13). We can't put on these virtues without love, "which binds them all together in perfect unity" (v. 14). -Tim Gustafson