1.10.12 "The Vision of Your Leader"

"The Vision of Your Leader"

Genesis 23:1-24:51
Matthew 8:1-17
Psalm 9:13-20
Proverbs 3:1-6

Every single one of us is under the authority of someone else. What is your attitude about that? How do you feel about being under authority? In Genesis 24 there's a simple little story that lays out some principles in the heart of Abraham's servant that we can apply when dealing with the authorities in our life.

"Abraham was now a very old man, and God blessed him in every way. One day Abraham said to his household administrator, who was his oldest servant, .... 'Go instead to my homeland, to my relatives, and find a wife for [Isaac] there.'" (Gen. 24:1,2,4)

The mission is to find Isaac a wife. Who does Abraham choose for this task? His household administrator, who is also his oldest servant. I'm impressed first by the fact that this is an individual who has given his life to care for the little things in Abraham's life. Abraham expresses his desire to him. He lays out his vision. He wants a daughter-in-law from his own people.

"'But suppose I can't find a girl who will come so far from home?' the servant asked. 'Then shall I take Isaac there, to live among your relatives?'" (Gen. 24:5)

This verse REALLY impressed me. You're thinking: "what's the big deal about this?" The servant was not just focussing on accomplishing a task. He was committed to searching the heart of his leader. He wanted to know the parameters of the vision. He wanted to go past the "task" mentality. He was committed to success. How many times are we given an assignment, and we jump on it either over-enthusiastically, or even with no enthusiasm, and we either take the initial mission a different direction, or we put such lame effort into it that it barely gets done.

It's a good thing the servant asked the question he did. Abraham was emphatic about certain criteria for this mission. He lays that out in verses 6-8.

I love verse 9. "So the servant vowed to follow Abraham's instructions." How committed are we to the leaders God has placed over us? Are we committed to the point that we can "vow" to follow their instructions? So many times it's easy to let our opinions usurp the throne, and either misdirect the mission, or even ultimately subvert it. It's in our human nature to be short sighted and lose the big picture. We take our opinion and make a new "vision" out of it, and now we have "2". you know what that's called? Di-vision.

The Lord desires that we live Relationships Devoted to Unity in our workplace. We need to model Godly character in working to carry out the vision of our leader. This should apply to ministries. The nursery worker should give their all to carry out the vision of the coordinator. This applies to all areas of responsibility in our life.

There are some incredibly practical principles in here. ("Hey this Bible's got some good stuff in it!")

I will highlight a few things.
1. The servant knows that success is dependent upon God's favor of the project. v 12 says, "O Jehovah, the God of my master... show kindess to my master Abraham and help me to accomplish the purpose of my journey."

2. The servant has defined a strategy for accomplishing the mission. v 14.

3. He didn't jump right away when it looked like the answer had presented itself. Rebekah seemed right away to fit the bill. He watched her closely and made sure she was of the character that would be suitable to his master. v 21

4. He praises God through the process. v 26-27

5. He makes sure he accomplishes the vision through the "chain of command". He goes to Rebekah's family and speaks with them. He doesn't just grab her by the hair and drag her back to Abraham. You're probably thinking, "well of course not!". In this particular case it would seem obvious to not take that route, but too often, our boss tells us to do something, and we go forth with our mandate, and we don't care who we leave wounded along the road. God's authority structure is in place at all levels, and when his will and his timing are working together, he will make a way for success within the structure he has ordained.

6. Vision Casting. This one is HUGE! in verses 33-48 the servant lays out the vision of his leader. He lays out the heart of it. He tells of how God connected the dots. He's not just "doing his job", he's casting a vision that was not his own to begin with, but it has become his. It's so easy to just say, "my boss said this... so i gotta do this... so let me do it..." instead of casting a vision that is greater than self.

7. in verse 49, he calls for a commitment from others, and we see the success of his vision casing. "The Lord has obviously brought you here, so what can we say? Take her and go! Yes, let her be the wife of your master's son, as Jehovah has directed."

The servants heart for the vision of his leader brings glory to God at every level. You can see why he became the household administrator. He could be trusted. His commitment was to the heart of his leader.

The characteristics of this servant are the characteristics of an individual who is living in Relationships Devoted to Unity. If we begin to apply these principles to every element of work, home, church, ministry, and life, we will begin to see some incredible things. Make today a day of carrying out the Vision of Your Leader!




Through the Power of the Spirit,
Live the DREAM!

Pastor Greg Lathe

Dynamic Lifestyle of Worship
Relationships Devoted to Unity
Empowered Through Biblical Training
Active Ministry Involvement
Mission to Reach our World for Christ