I remember many years ago going to one of my favorite steak restaurants only to discover they had introduced a new item on the menu – the salad bar. At first, the idea seemed almost silly to me – who would want to make a meal out of leaves? As a young man, a salad was just what mom made me eat so I could get something green into my diet. It was a necessary evil in order to enjoy the meat and potatoes of life. I thought to myself, “what an interesting but silly idea.... it will never last.”
Today, the salad is such an enjoyable delight. Although, if you are on a diet, the salad bar is a place of major danger. The plate loaded with the choices from the salad bar can have more calories than the entrée. Lots of things are made into a salad that don a spot on the salad bar – chicken salad, macaroni salad, potato salad, tuna salad, broccoli salad. And the dressings can be killers as far as their calorie count.
The making of a salad has become such an art. Just the different kinds of lettuce are amazing. There is my personal favorite – Iceberg Lettuce – that has little nutritional value, but I love the crunch and moisture content. Then there is Butter or Boston Lettuce, Red Tip Lettuce, Romaine Lettuce, and Oak Leaf Lettuce, just to mention a few..
But the salad for today is the leadership salad. It seems like there are special aspects for leaders everywhere you turn – conferences, training sessions, workshops, ties, shoes, briefcases, iPad apps, and pens. So, why not a leadership salad? I would recommend this salad for those who desire to improve their leadership effectiveness. The salad consists of five different kinds of lettuce blended together in a powerful mixture that will change your diet forever.
The salad is actually found in the Bible – in the New Testament: Hebrews 10:19-25. We will come back to verses 19-21 in a few paragraphs because they set up the context for understanding the salad bar. Beginning in verse 22 we read about the salad itself:
“Let us (lettuce #1) draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith. Let us (lettuce #2) hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us (lettuce #3) consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us (lettuce #4) not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us (lettuce #5) encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
These five exhortations of “Let Us” comprise the lettuce of the leadership salad. Each exhortation is rich with leadership significance and life changing principles. The salad bar is an attempt at being cute, but the exhortations shout out sobering reality aimed at very serious concepts. This posting will explore only the first of these five different types of lettuce.
“Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith.” In many leadership circles, God and leadership are not compatible. Leadership is often seen as a man-centered activity and the effectiveness of the leader is based upon the traits and characteristics of man. Personal authenticity and professional ethics are seen as building blocks of good leadership, but these are often discussed outside the context of religiosity. But the author of Hebrews begins with God as he exhorts his readers to draw near to God with a sincere heart.
The book of Hebrews is couched in the concepts of the Old Testament and in particular in the context of the Day of Atonement. Much of the writing concerns the fulfillment of the Jewish sacrificial system in the person of Jesus. Jesus is presented as the perfect blood sacrifice that is offered once for all time and for the sin of all. The death of Jesus on the cross and His bodily resurrection from the dead has removed the barrier that has separated man from a personal relationship with God. Jesus is described as the ultimate High Priest worthy to enter the Holy of Holies as the true Mediator between God and man, worthy to offer the sacrifice (himself) as the means for the atonement of sin; worthy to provide the way (the path) for man to come before the throne of God Himself. With this in mind, Hebrews 10:19-21 reads “Since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God...”
Let us draw near to God – Let us approach God as we have never been able to before... let us come close. God has not moved, but now, in Christ, we have access to His presence, His listening ear, His grace and mercy. Notice the exhortation of movement – we must come, we must approach, we must draw near – it is an act of our will to move. This passage does not describe it in these terms, but I see the drawing as a warm invitation to bask in the presence of the One who loves me more than I love myself; to enter into the arms of the Father who has wonderful plans for my day; to spend some time with the Creator of my inmost being and the One who knows my every thought. Spending time with God - soaking up energy, encouragement, strength, perspective, comfort, forgiveness, and the spiritual/emotional power needed for the moment - fills this exhortation with personal health and vitality.
Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart of love. In order to draw near it is imperative that I empty myself of selfish ambition. My agenda, my authority, my position of leadership, my pride, my plans must be left behind as I enter into His loving arms with a sincere heart (a true heart, a pure heart). I appreciate the idea that we enter with a sincere heart and not just an open mind or a clear conscience. The emotions, the passions, and the dreams of the leader need to draw near to God. We no longer come with animal sacrifices and we certainly do not come in a half-hearted manner – rather the total leader moves toward God in complete humility and utter dependence.
Finally, note that we draw near in full assurance of faith. Faith is such a vital key to effective leadership. Faith in Jesus' sacrifice...faith in the mercy and grace of God... faith in the call of God on our lives...faith in the power and promises and character of God. There certainly is a mental/cognitive aspect to this salad. We draw near in full assurance of faith. Mentally, we must understand and affirm that God is in control and that He is sufficient for all our needs. The author defines faith for us in Chapter 11:1, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”
Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith. Lettuce #2 coming up....
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