Pathway to a Vision

My Bible app from bible.com gets a workout daily. For many years I have used it to track my progress as I read through the Bible using one of their many plans. And I love the ability to switch between translations for better clarity of God’s Word. My current favorites are the New Living Translation (NLT) and the New English Translation (NET).

From time to time I will also use one of the various short-term reading plans. They are usually topical and provide focused insight on different facets of our spiritual lives. The current one I am using is on Leadership and Personal Development.

Today, as I read both the scripture passage and the devotional insight, I was reminded there are many good books available for anyone who is in a leadership role. But for the Christian leader, our best practices…our best directions…come from God’s powerful Word.

The devotion writer highlighted Jesus’ teaching to His disciples. After talking again and again about the kingdom to come, Jesus shared the reality of His path toward the vision.

[blockquote author=”Mark 8:31 NLT” link=”” target=”_blank”]And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.[/blockquote]

The devotional writer points out that a good leader shares more than just the glorious vision.

“Any leader who paints the goal without painting the path to that goal is in danger of failing to realize the vision.”

John Ryan is the head of the Center for Creative Leadership. He says, “Leadership success always starts with vision.” But Ryan follows that with this insight.

“Compelling visions can change the world. But staying invested in them can be extremely difficult when hard times arrive.”

Jesus was letting His disciples get a glimpse of the hard times that would come on their pathway to His vision. Later, the Apostle Paul would be shown the highs and lows of what God had for him in ministry. At his dramatic conversion, the Lord said that Paul would “…take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel. And I will show him how much he must suffer for my name’s sake.”

Speak before kings…AND suffer hardship. God laid out the pathway to the vision. And later in his ministry…having suffered great perils, hardships, and abuse…Paul could say to one of the kings the Lord spoke about,

[blockquote author=”Acts 26:19 (NASB)” link=”” target=”_blank”]So, King Agrippa, I did not prove disobedient to the heavenly vision….[/blockquote]

The lesson? If we are to effectively share our vision as Christian leaders, we must also tell of the challenges to be encountered on the pathway. Those who follow will be better able to stay on task, on the pathway toward the vision. Great examples from God’s textbook for Christian leaders.