THE 5 DECISIONS REVISITED
Jesus is the greatest leader in history. He is God in the flesh and He humbled himself to die for us. One of the most powerful scriptures in the Bible is Philippians 2: 5-11. Here it is:
5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Over 10 years ago, I preached a sermon at the church I pastored that impacted a number of people. I have preached that message around the world to leaders. It was called "5 Decisions that will Change your Life" .....or something like that!
I had an experience where one day I declared these 5 decisions. When I told others, many told me how inspired they had been by them. Here they are:
1. I will not Quit!
2. I will not Fail!
3. I will not Die!
4. I will not Fail Morally!
5. I will not Slacken the Pace!
The message was not unbalanced even though some of the decisions seem to be, because I balanced some of the phrases with other concepts. Nonetheless, this set of decisions has helped encourage me and others to keep going through tough times.
Now however, as the years have passed, I think that I need to put down some corollaries that I have been learning the last 10 years or so. I think these are the result of new experiences and more mature reflection.
Jim Collins has written 2 business management books that have been very impacting to me. I recommend them both. They are "Good to Great" and the brand new "Great by Choice". In them he talks about a model of leadership that is characterized by both Passion (my words, he calls it professional will) and humility. The greatest leaders are people who have unfathomable drive and passion, but also tempered with a humility that truly never focuses on self. That combination (lots of people and leaders have some of 1 or the other) is truly rare in most leadership circles, regardless of the context.
This combination has never been seen in any human being to the degree that it was in Jesus Christ. He is our model of leadership, servanthood, purpose, mission, and life. In light of all this, here are some additions to the 5 decisions.
1. I will Not Quit: Except for the wrong things. I will quit those. I will stay open to change and new learning. When I discover that I am pursuing a wrong goal.....or even a "good" goal that is not a "God" goal or a Great goal....I will quit. I will be willing to follow God toward His mission. But on that mission....I will Not Quit!
2. I will Not Fail: That is ultimately.....I will make mistakes, many of them, and be willing to change when I discover them. There is much trial and error in my life....I am far from perfect. But when I fail in something, I will go back to the drawing board and "fail forward". I will learn from failure and go forward!
3. I will Not Die: That is prematurely! I trust in God's power to protect and heal me. I will take wise precautions and not live recklessly. But I will be willing to lay down my life for Christ and His mission, knowing that He and His Great Commission are worth dieing for! One day, should the Lord not return in my lifetime, I will die and see Him face to face.
4. I will Not Fail Morally: I will keep this as my decision, but I also will be open to the conviction of the Holy Spirit, and many times He shows me that I have words, attitudes and actions that do not please Him. His standards are far higher than mine, and I have failed him countless times. I will confess my sins and He is faithful and just to forgive my sins and to cleanse me of all unrighteousness. I will also repent of a "morally superior attitude". I will devote the rest of my life to helping people who have fallen morally to get back up. I will be a restorer, not a judge.
5. I will Not Slacken the Pace: But I will definitely take times to withdraw for a season, as Christ did. I will seek Him and His wisdom. I will take time to learn and counsel with others. I will need His refreshing Spirit and His Word's wisdom to infuse my life. I will enjoy the journey!
For what its worth, I think these refinements on the decisions may be of help to some.
Passion and Pacing.
Drive and Humility.
Focus on the goals with unrelenting commitment, and forgetting self and a sacrificial spirit.
Leadership the Jesus way.
5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Over 10 years ago, I preached a sermon at the church I pastored that impacted a number of people. I have preached that message around the world to leaders. It was called "5 Decisions that will Change your Life" .....or something like that!
I had an experience where one day I declared these 5 decisions. When I told others, many told me how inspired they had been by them. Here they are:
1. I will not Quit!
2. I will not Fail!
3. I will not Die!
4. I will not Fail Morally!
5. I will not Slacken the Pace!
The message was not unbalanced even though some of the decisions seem to be, because I balanced some of the phrases with other concepts. Nonetheless, this set of decisions has helped encourage me and others to keep going through tough times.
Now however, as the years have passed, I think that I need to put down some corollaries that I have been learning the last 10 years or so. I think these are the result of new experiences and more mature reflection.
Jim Collins has written 2 business management books that have been very impacting to me. I recommend them both. They are "Good to Great" and the brand new "Great by Choice". In them he talks about a model of leadership that is characterized by both Passion (my words, he calls it professional will) and humility. The greatest leaders are people who have unfathomable drive and passion, but also tempered with a humility that truly never focuses on self. That combination (lots of people and leaders have some of 1 or the other) is truly rare in most leadership circles, regardless of the context.
This combination has never been seen in any human being to the degree that it was in Jesus Christ. He is our model of leadership, servanthood, purpose, mission, and life. In light of all this, here are some additions to the 5 decisions.
1. I will Not Quit: Except for the wrong things. I will quit those. I will stay open to change and new learning. When I discover that I am pursuing a wrong goal.....or even a "good" goal that is not a "God" goal or a Great goal....I will quit. I will be willing to follow God toward His mission. But on that mission....I will Not Quit!
2. I will Not Fail: That is ultimately.....I will make mistakes, many of them, and be willing to change when I discover them. There is much trial and error in my life....I am far from perfect. But when I fail in something, I will go back to the drawing board and "fail forward". I will learn from failure and go forward!
3. I will Not Die: That is prematurely! I trust in God's power to protect and heal me. I will take wise precautions and not live recklessly. But I will be willing to lay down my life for Christ and His mission, knowing that He and His Great Commission are worth dieing for! One day, should the Lord not return in my lifetime, I will die and see Him face to face.
4. I will Not Fail Morally: I will keep this as my decision, but I also will be open to the conviction of the Holy Spirit, and many times He shows me that I have words, attitudes and actions that do not please Him. His standards are far higher than mine, and I have failed him countless times. I will confess my sins and He is faithful and just to forgive my sins and to cleanse me of all unrighteousness. I will also repent of a "morally superior attitude". I will devote the rest of my life to helping people who have fallen morally to get back up. I will be a restorer, not a judge.
5. I will Not Slacken the Pace: But I will definitely take times to withdraw for a season, as Christ did. I will seek Him and His wisdom. I will take time to learn and counsel with others. I will need His refreshing Spirit and His Word's wisdom to infuse my life. I will enjoy the journey!
For what its worth, I think these refinements on the decisions may be of help to some.
Passion and Pacing.
Drive and Humility.
Focus on the goals with unrelenting commitment, and forgetting self and a sacrificial spirit.
Leadership the Jesus way.
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