Seeing the Big Picture

One of the main attributes of a leader is that they are able to peer into the future, while preparing their followers for the present.  The leaders are the ones that steer the rudder of the boat, fill with their followers, because they can see the shore ahead.  John, the disciples, says that Jesus knew who He was, where He came from and where He was going (John 13:3).  Jesus saw the big picture of humanity, where it is now and where it was going and why it is going in that direction.  Every alone time Jesus had with His Father was a time for preparation and encourage for what lay ahead.

Jesus understood not only what His mission was, but also the mission of His disciples.  He know His role in preparing them for their future.  All the time Jesus spent teaching and demonstrating the power of God to His disciples was meant for them to see the big picture the Fathers has for all humanity.

As leaders, we need to be conscientiously aware of the direction we are going and how our actions and words are leading those around us to the same place we are selves are going.  We need to see the big picture, the eternal plan and purposes of God.  This retention of the big picture will help focus our life and the lives of those we are leading towards fulfilling all of our destinies in Christ.

As followers of Jesus, you already have a glimpse of the big picture.  Now is a great time to take a moment to say out loud what that big picture is.  Faith comes by hearing.  Speak the words of the big picture so your ears can hear what your voice of faith is saying.  Spend some time thinking about your role in the big picture.  Start to expand the picture and give it details that include what God has gifted you with to fulfill your purpose in the big picture.  Keep pushing yourself by asking God for more wisdom and understanding of what His big picture is.  Remember, the really big picture is the same for each follower of Jesus Christ.  No follower of Jesus owns their own personal big picture.  Instead, we share the big picture Jesus has left for us.

Here are 3 ways that can encourage us to see and expand our own roles as followers of Jesus in participating in the big picture

Personal time.  You cannot be a follower, participating in the big picture, if you are not attached to the vine of Jesus Christ.  The fundamental root of this attachment is to spend time listening to the heart of Jesus through His word and His voice.  Let the situations of the day bring you back to remembering who you really are in Jesus.  Say amen to God when things work out or don’t work out, knowing that He is in control of your life.  Become an expert of hearing the voice of God by quieting your own thoughts in His presence.  Practice living in the presence of Jesus Christ.

I am a morning person, others of you are evening people.  So what I am going to say will have more meaning to people who start their day before the sun comes up.  It is great to have time in the morning when the house is quiet.  Listen to the Holy Spirit encouraging you, admonishing you and filling you.  How wonder it would be if we could regularly spend large portions of the day just sitting in His presence.  In reality, very few of us can do that. So we must guard the time we do have with Him.  This time doesn’t come easy actually, it comes at a great cost.  The cost is giving up what is good, for something that is better.

There is nothing wrong with sleeping, it is a God given blessing and requirement for life itself.  It’s not that we need to sleep less to have more personal time with God.  The issue is we need to be willing to rearrange our life so we can have the sleep we need to spend the time we desire with Him.

And here is what the cost is all about.  Is it about being willing to give up watching movies or TV at night, or reading books or doing other good and godly activities for something that is better.  It will be a sacrifice for your whole family, especially your spouse (if you are married).  Don’t make light of the sacrifice you will end up making.  It will change some of your relationships with friends and family.  Having personal time with God is about developing the habit of ordering your life during the evening hours so you can have order during your early morning hours.  Prepare yourself for the following morning by getting your beverage (coffee, tea or milk?), cloths and the quiet spot in the house.  You want to eliminate the early morning distractions so you can get right to the business of quieting your mind and emotions to listen and talk to God.

Be aware in every interaction.  So having personal time in the morning or evening is great, but it doesn’t have to stop there.  We can have unscheduled times to listen and speak to God throughout the day.  It is a matter of training our mind and heart to see God’s hand in every activity and interaction we have with people.   When we interact with people throughout the day try to see them as eternal souls that are in a mortal body, destined for an ageless duration with Christ or without Him.  When you walk down the hall way or at the mall, whisper a prayer for the person you are silently passing.  This is a great blessing for them and yourselves.

This habit starts with the awareness that God is moving in the hearts of all people.  He wants all to be saved.  He has called us to fulfill that role with the help of the Holy Spirit.  As we think about our thinking we can catch ourselves thinking about what we think others are thinking about us.  In that moment we can talk to God and ask to see ourselves as He sees us, putting a stop to that circular thought pattern.

When we think about our thinking we will do a better job monitoring our emotions.  When we are conversing with someone, we might sense our emotion shift in a negative way because of something they said or did.  We can use this awareness trigger to bless them in the name of Jesus. It is part of returning good for a perceived evil.

Know we all have a propensity for thinking, doing and saying stupid sinful things.  How can we ask for forgiveness if we are not aware of the thoughts or actions?  That is why getting into the habit of thinking about your thinking is so critical for your personal growth and the growth of those you are leading.

 Ultimately giving an account.  We will stand before Jesus Christ and give an account of our actions to Him.  Our salvation was freely given to us through faith in Christ, but our rewards and position in the kingdom are directly related to our actions here on earth. Knowing that we are believers with a unique role in the big picture will encourage us to remain faithful and diligent in leading ourselves and others towards Christ.

Some may ask if we will have a sense of fear about us standing at the Judgement Seat of Christ.  I believe each one of us will share times of shame when we have to give an account of our actions on earth.  Will we be in fear of our eternal destiny with Christ?. No, not at all, but we will wince when Jesus reveals the things that we did in this body that were “bad” (2 Cor 5:10). Each motive and action will be revealed.  Now does that motivate us to stay focused on the big picture?  It does for me.  Is it fear? Well, yes and no.  It is not a dread of standing in front of Jesus, it is the desire to please Him by doing what He has commanded, even though I know that in so many situations I have failed Him.

Jesus loves us and is in the process of making us clean and holy (Eph 5:26-27).  He wants us and commands us to understand and believe the Fathers bigger picture for all creation.  Our effectiveness to those that are following us depends on it

You already know in your head and your heart what the big picture is.  Keep repeating and reminding yourself.  Speak the big picture into your own life so it becomes the watch word that your follows know you as.

You can do this!  We can do this together!  Gird up your loins, stand up and move forward you Saints of the Most High God!!