DRAWING NEAR
MAY 7
Building a Leader: The Right Raw Material
The twelve apostles included "Simon, who is called Peter" (Matt.
10:2).
Peter is a good illustration of how God builds a spiritual leader. He
begins with a person's natural traits and works from there. Natural
traits alone don't make a spiritual leader--the person must also be
gifted and called by the Holy Spirit to lead in the church and be a
model of spiritual virtue. But often God endows future leaders with
natural abilities that constitute the raw materials from which He
builds spiritual ministries. That was certainly the case with Peter,
who demonstrated the leadership qualities of inquisitiveness,
initiative, and involvement.
Peter was always asking questions. In fact, the gospel records show
he asked more questions than all the other disciples combined! People
who aren't inquisitive don't make good leaders because they're not
concerned about problems and solutions.
Initiative was another indicator of Peter's leadership potential. He
not only asked questions, but also was often the first to respond
when Jesus asked the questions (e.g., Matt. 16:15-16; Luke 8:45).
Also, Peter loved to be in the middle of the action, even when it got
him into trouble. For example, we might criticize his lack of faith
when he sank after walking on water, but remember, the rest of the
disciples never even got out of the boat.
Peter was inquisitive, showed initiative, and sought to be involved.
How about you? Are you inquisitive about God's truth? Do you take the
initiative to learn about Him? Do you want to be involved in what He
is doing? If so, you have the raw material for spiritual leadership.
Continue to cultivate those qualities, allowing the Spirit to use you
for God's glory.
Suggestions for Prayer:
Pray for your spiritual leaders. Ask God for opportunities to
lead others in the way of righteousness. Use every opportunity
to its fullest.
For Further Study:
Read the following verses, noting the kinds of questions Peter asked:
Matthew 15:15, Matthew 18:21, Matthew 19:27, Mark 13:2-4, and John
21:20-22.
Drawing Near, Copyright 1993 John F. MacArthur, Jr.
All rights reserved. Used by permission.
http://www.gty.org
~~~
Matthew 16:15-16 (NKJV)
15 He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"
16 Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of
the living God."
Luke 8:45
45 And Jesus said, "Who touched Me?" When all denied it, Peter and
those with him said, "Master, the multitudes throng and press You,
and You say, 'Who touched Me?'"
Matthew 15:15
15 Then Peter answered and said to Him, "Explain this parable to
us."
Matthew 18:21
21 Then Peter came to Him and said, "Lord, how often shall my
brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?"
Matthew 19:27
27 Then Peter answered and said to Him, "See, we have left all and
followed You. Therefore what shall we have?"
Mark 13:2-4
2 And Jesus answered and said to him, "Do you see these great
buildings? Not one stone shall be left upon another, that shall not
be thrown down."
3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter,
James, John, and Andrew asked Him privately,
4 "Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign
when all these things will be fulfilled?"
John 21:20-22
20 Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved
following, who also had leaned on His breast at the supper, and said,
"Lord, who is the one who betrays You?"
21 Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, "But Lord, what about this
man?"
22 Jesus said to him, "If I will that he remain till I come, what is
that to you? You follow Me."
~~~
These devotions are posted with permission from John MacArthur's
first (1993) devotional work, _Drawing Near_, and they are also sent
out daily for free to several folks via e-mail.
In addition, John's second (1997) devotional, _Strength for Today_,
is also available free via e-mail only. _Strength for Today_ follows
the same format as what you have seen here from _Drawing Near_, but
with different monthly themes.
If you would like to receive daily devotions via e-mail from either
of these series, just let me know (via e-mail), and I will gladly add
you to the list(s) of your choice.
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In Christ,
Peter
Peter G. Chase :: Columbus, Ohio, USA
pchase1@wideopenwest.com
http://www.gty.org/Gospel/
http://www.nwbible.org/
To forgive is to set a prisoner free, and to discover that the prisoner was you. -Alistair Begg
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