Skip to content
cla-higher-thinking-blog-web-rev

Live a Life Worthy By Steve Douglass

Live a life worthy of the calling you received – Ephesians 4:1

By Steve Douglass ~

Love God and what he says. Abide in Jesus and follow him. Appropriate the power of the Holy Spirit to do these things. Jesus said the greatest commandment is to love God “with all our heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” (Matthew 22:37, 38).

He also said we should abide in him and that from him we can do nothing. (John 15:5). All of these, and much more, represent the essence of the message that all Christians are to live a life that is distinctively holy and pleasing to God. How many sermons have you heard, or even preached, on that?

“OK,” you may be saying, “I know I need to live the Christian life. Tell me something new.” Well, I am not trying to tell you something new; I am trying to emphasize something that is absolutely basic. The life we live, and that people around us see, is the basic foundation for our ability to influence. there is no clever leadership skill that can overcome the practice of sin on the part of a leader.

Sometimes this obvious. When some prominent Christian leader is found to be unfaithful to his wife or guilty of financial impropriety, he loses most, if not all, of his ability to influence people for God. Hardly a month goes by when I do not hear about a new example – which illustrates why I am emphasizing this point.

Let me quickly say, there but the grace of God could any of us go. There is no room for pride or pointing of fingers here. But the issue is that Christians want to follow men and women of God. They do not want to follow those who consistently refuse to walk with and obey God.

There is no substitute for your credibility as a leader. And there is no greater element of credibility in a Christian context than your walk with God.

####

Steve Douglass is President of both Campus Crusade for Christ International and Cru, as the ministry is known in the United States. This post is an excerpt from Non Profit Leadership in a For-Profit World: Essential Insights from 15 Christian Executives (Standard 2011)

Outcomes Conference 2019

It’s not too early to register for the Outcomes Conference, April 16-18!

Alliance members who register four at the same time earn a fifth one free.

Don’t miss this window to save!

www.OutcomesConference.org

logo-small

What is Christian Leadership Alliance?

Christian Leadership Alliance equips and unites leaders to transform the world for Christ. We are the leaders of Christ-centered organizations who are dedicated to faithful stewardship for greater kingdom impact.

Upcoming Events

Outcomes Conference 2024