The Word for Today

by Bob and Debby Gass

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‘I, Tertius, the one writing this letter for Paul, send my greetings…’ Romans 16:22 NLT

Paul surrounded himself with people who were willing to lay down their lives for him (Romans 16:34). Some of them are virtually unknown. Ever heard of Tertius? He recorded Paul’s thoughts so we could read them. We all know about Timothy, but do you know about Gaius? ‘…He is my host and also serves as host to the whole church…’ (Romans 16:23 NLT) Many served in the shadows so Paul could work in the limelight. Sadly, when some leaders arrive at the top, they spend their time trying to push others off it. They play ‘king of the hill’ because of immaturity, insecurity and competitiveness. That may work for a while, but it doesn’t last long. When your goal is to knock others down, your time and energy is spent watching out for people you think would do the same to you. It’s a miserable way to live, and it’s no fun for those who have to work with you. Jules Ormont said, ‘A great leader never sets himself above his followers except in carrying responsibilities.’ If you’re in a leadership position, don’t rely on your title to convince people to follow you. Build relationships. Win people over. When you don’t love people, you’re only a few steps away from manipulating them. When that happens, you’ll have a high turnover. A few years ago the three great tenors – José Carreras, Plácido Domingo, and Luciano Pavarotti – were performing together. When a reporter tried to find out if there was any rivalry among the superstars, Domingo said, ‘No, you can’t be rivals when you’re together making music.’

SoulFood: 1 Ki 14-15, Matt 18:21-35 Ps 58, Pr 6:12-15

The Word for Today is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from UCB International Copyright 2012

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