For Jesus' Love 19 Leadership Traits

FOR JESUS’ LOVE 19

Leadership Traits

By

Dr. Gale A. Ragan-Reid (December 18, 2017)

“So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.” (St. John 21:15-17, King James Version [Christ’s charge to Peter]}

Greetings in the Holy Name of Jesus,

My sisters and brothers, the coming in to leadership is not always easy as Jesus’ family, Joseph and Mary demonstrated when they had to pick up and run so as not to face danger almost immediately since the birth of Jesus. Most importantly, folks think of the coming in to leadership as that time of the fleeing of Jesus with his mother and father instead of firstly, the leadership of the spirit, “And the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” [Genesis 1:2, King James Version] and secondly, the leadership of God orally (spoken-out commandment) in word “Let there be light: and there was light.” [1:3] Oftentimes, we wonder why the movement of man is closely watched as it is from municipality-to-municipality even in times when there is no natural disaster pending or upon us---society- as-a-whole wants to keep the streets of America (United States of America) cleared as if God could move upon the streets as he moved upon the waters, in the beginning or is it the movement of the devil that goes about looking to see whom he can get even though the movement of Christ Jesus watches to defend his own sheep, some lost, not knowing to whom they belong [I Peter 5:8-11, KJV “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. A –men.” (Faith and good works)] Jesus is the light of the world. [John 8:12, KJV “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life.” (Christ justifieth his doctrine)]

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More importantly, the understanding of leadership at birth is observed by the folks around us. Folks say, he or she is an old soul because of the gestures of movement and of the face, hands, legs or how the baby moves his body in facial expressions. Hence, an old soul represents wisdom of age, of experiences had, of life lived, ---to guide us to avoid the pitfalls of life:

“For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.” [John 3: 17-21, KJV (The witness of John)]

For when Joseph told his brethren about his dream, they said: “And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh. Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams.” [Genesis 37:19-20] To that end, accordingly THE PROVERBS which says the true source of wisdom is the fear of the Lord when the pithy sayings with practical implications teach us about chastity, control of the tongue, laziness, knowledge, relations with others, and justice, we find:

“My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not. If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause. Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit: We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil: