Ambitious Movements

I was reading in my devotional time about love from 1st Corinthians 13. Bishop Garry Bryant gave me a book called, "Sparkling Gems from the Greek." I was reading about the part that love is not self-seeking or self-serving, nor ambitious.

Leaders who start movements love those they lead. I actually like to put it this way, they are in love with those they lead. A leader must believe that people God has put in their path are the greatest people on the planet and can do anything. It is a marriage.

When it comes to starting a movement, leaders must watch out for starting an ambitious movement. I see in young leaders, including myself, is great ambition for the quick return. In church planting especially. Church planters are driven by nature, ambitious and impulsive. These qualities can be good in certain situations, but can be detrimental also.

My greatest desire is for those I lead to know that I love them and will lay my life down for them. The greatest enemy of this is self-seeking ambition to build a large church. (Large churches are good, I hope that I am able to see multitudes saved). I will begin to view people as mere tools to fuel my ambitious desire. The ambitious desire must be to have a pure love for all those around me and find creative ways to display it.

Listening to John Maxwell's cds on leadership has revealed one thing to me. His people feel love, appreciated and empowered.

Look inside today:
Do you find yourself manipulating the Sunday numbers or figures in your organization to look good in front of others? DO you find encouragement from large numbers or personal development of leaders?

Do you secretly trash talk people in your organization behind their back at something they have done wrong?

Have you looked at yourself lately from "outside" of yourself to see what type of ambition is driving you?

What do those closest to you say about your love for them?

Here is the point: Leaders who start movements have an ambition to grow their people personally more than a desire to see organizational growth. "Love is not self-seeking or self-serving, nor ambitious...."