Justin Kawabori

38 of 52 Voices October 1, 2014

The C3 Leaders devotion is a peer weekly reflection from business leaders related to their journey with Christ. Each weekly devotion will be written by a different author from among the C3 Leaders community.

As we go through this next year together, we pray that these words and reflections will encourage you in your relationship with Jesus Christ.

By Justin Kawabori, Executive Director of Development and the Northwest University Foundation

Luke 18: 18-30 

The heart of a Spirit-led leader is to lead like Jesus—through service and by example—in all we do and say. Yet the value of the “doing” is in the motivation behind it. In other words, “what” we do is motivated by “why” we do it.

Why, for instance, do leaders offer praise to their teams for well-done projects, or publicly attribute credit for accomplishment or creativity? Because we want our teammates to understand their value and worth. We want to honor them, inspire them, and show them how much we care.

Sometimes that care comes with a challenge. That’s what happened when a rich young ruler came to Jesus asking a simple but profound question: “Good teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”

After some probing and acknowledgement by Jesus that the young man had done a fair job of keeping God’s commands (recognition/praise), Jesus challenges the young man to let go of the one thing still standing in his way—the idol of his wealth—and to follow Him. In essence, He says to this young man: let go of your idol, love on your neighbor, trust Me with My provision, and stay in close relationship with Me.

Why does Jesus do this? Let me suggest three reasons:  1) because He cares and doesn’t want anything standing in the way of our relationship with Him; 2) because He desires for us to receive the blessing associated with those things He has asked us to do; and 3) to make us wholly (holy) like Him.

What is God asking of you that has caught you off guard recently, or caused you some discomfort? And more importantly, “why” do you think He is asking?

Jesus responds later in the passage that anyone who sacrifices everything “for the sake of the kingdom of God shall receive many times as much now and in the age to come, eternal life.”

As a Spirit-led leader, how will you respond?

~Justin

Justin.Kawabori@northwestu.edu