I had the great pleasure of attending the Global Leadership Summit hosted by Willow Creek Church again this year.
Among the incredible speakers was Jossy Chacko, founder and president of Empart, Inc, a global church planting ministry.
Jossy’s talk entitled, “Unquestionable Ways to Expand Your Leadership Reach” was based on the Parable of the Talents recorded in Matthew 25:14-30.
As He teaches the disciples this parable, Jesus described the master who is going on a journey and called his three servants together to entrust his property to them. To one servant he gave five talents of money, to the second servant he gave two talents, and to the third servant he gave one talent.
The man who received five talents and the man who received two talents both put the money to work and doubled it. The man who received one talent was afraid of his master, so he just took the talent and buried it in the ground.
When the master returned, he held his servants accountable for their results. The man with five talents and the man with two talents who had doubled what they were given were commended by the master and invited to share his happiness.
The man with one talent who was afraid and hid the talent in the ground was reprimanded for not at least investing the talent, so what he had was taken from him since he was a worthless servant.
In God’s economy, the two men who multiplied what they were given were rewarded, while the man who just returned what he was given was not rewarded.
What talent has God entrusted to you? If God has entrusted you with leadership responsibility, how you are multiplying and expanding your leadership?
The 3E’s of Expanded Leadership
1) Enlarge Your Vision
- One man with a small vision played it safe by burying his talent in the ground. If your vision is only to keep what you have, you’ll never see the opportunities all around you.
- Your vision is directly related to your view of God. If you have a small vision, you have a small view of God. If you have a large vision, you have a large view of God.
2) Empower Your People
- The master gave the money to the three servants and left! He went on his journey without giving specific instructions of what each person was to do—he left that decision to them individually.
- People’s character is built through being held accountable for their actions. People often fail for lack of character.
3) Embrace Risk
- See risk as a friend. The third servant said, “I was afraid,” but Paul, writing to Timothy said, “God has not given us a spirit of fear” (2 Timothy 1:7).
- Don’t let the fear of losing what you have, keep you from getting what God has for you.
[shareable cite=”Jossy Chacko”]Don’t let earthly practicalities keep you from heavenly possibilities.[/shareable]
Perfection is Not Required or Expected
When Jesus selected the apostles, He knew they would all be weak and abandon Him in His darkest hour. He knew Peter would deny Him three times. He knew Judas would betray Him.
Jesus didn’t expect the apostles to be perfect. In fact, knew they weren’t! He selected them anyway. What He expected was they would come back to Him in faith to fulfill the Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20).
Jesus doesn’t expect us to be perfect either. In fact, He knows we’re not but He has called us anyway. The question is, will you be a servant who answers the call and multiplies the talents you have received?
Join the Conversation
As always, questions and comments are welcome. Has God entrusted you with the responsibility of being a leader? If so, how are you multiplying and expanding that talent to others for the benefit of the Kingdom?
I’d love your help. This blog is read primarily because people like you share it with friends. Would you share it by pressing one of the share buttons below?
Category: Personal Development | Character
Nothing is sadder than seeing someone who has been given a unique talent or gift and he/she doesn’t take advantage of it. The world would be a better place if more people unearthed their unique blessings upon the world.
So true John! My father was a prime example. He was incredibly talented as an artist – he dabbled designing and making jewelry, architectural rendering, oil painting, and pencil sketches over time but never followed his passions. He never let what he loved to do fill his life.
I shared this devotional with my men’s group this past Saturday. Great stuff here that encouraged some great thought and comments from the guys in attendance. One of my guys made the comment that “There are really four E’s. I think we need to add Encourage Your Team to this list as well!” I kind of liked that and thought I would share it with everybody. I guess we could go with the verse in Proverbs that says “The tongue has the power of life and death” – we want to be life giving (encouragers). Thanks Ron, as always, for these great devotionals!