Lead by Friendship

Lead by Friendship

Written by Jeff Pennypacker

God, our greatest leader knows just what we need - when we need it. In our most difficult times He provides hope for the present and passion for our future.

It is exciting to know that His loving hand squeezes every beat of our hearts and His breath fills our lungs with life. He sent the Holy Spirit to live inside us every second of the day as His personal messenger, to feel what we feel, and listen to our innermost thoughts. It is from His presence that our souls are nourished from the inside out.

In the Bible, God’s Word tells us what will grow out of our life when we follow the Great Leader. We will grow the sweet nourishing Fruit of the Spirit; Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control (Galatians 5:22-24).

What makes God greater than words can describe is that He always goes above and beyond. Not only did He give us the Holy Spirit to nourish us from the inside, He gave us examples in our everyday life, called friends, to nourish us from the outside. Family loves you because they have to, but it’s our friends that are the volunteers.

Looking through the lens of leadership one may be able to see the level of your leadership by the volunteers in your life. True friends volunteer themselves to be a part of our journey and nourish our souls because each one of us is a reflection of God that we can see and hug. Each friend is an image of the fruit of the Spirit in our life. Which friend loves you always, or brings you joy? Which friend reflects kindness and brings you peace? Make a list, write them down, and thank each one of them for it. It’s these volunteers that make life so beautiful.

When you lead well, you will have wonderful soul-nourishing friends. Cherish them always because they are an earthly example of our Heavenly Jesus. Just as choosing Jesus is your option, so are your friendships. Lead life well.

If you do not have this Spirit living inside you, please pray to God that he would give it to you, believe in His son Jesus and it will be done. Then allow your spirit to grow through the true friendships that hug your soul!

Printed in the Journey Christian Newspaper Nov 2011 Issue