Many negatives can distract leaders daily. Consequently, they may fall prey to these external influences, lose their vision and become spiritually powerless. But leaders can regain power over their lives by focusing on their main goals and ordering everything else around those goals. Then they can succeed in their ministries or personal lives. But that is only the beginning. To truly be influential, leaders should duplicate their successes in church members’ lives by improving their “serve.” Serving may cause leaders to feel like slaves, not realizing how church members perceive them. But, often, church members perceive such leaders as heroes. It is the art of serving that makes leaders out of ordinary people. Spiritual leadership teaches the art of serving, which is really the art of helping others succeed and fulfill their dreams.

Servanthood begins with identifying customers and then attending to them. Leaders should see, not only church members, but also everyone within their spheres of influence as their customers. A customer is anyone with whom a leader comes into contact. This outlook facilitates these three things: expanding one’s sphere of influence for Christ, being charismatic, and developing a spiritual edge. These things attract new church members and opportunities to serve. The best customers are repeat customers. And the best church services are those that attract repeat customers. Spiritual leadership empowers church members to develop their own customer base through offering outstanding services to those within their own sphere of influence and expanding their sphere of influence in the body of Christ.

When I attended Southern California College from 1975-1979, Mario Murillo was our guest chapel speaker one morning. Afterward, as he greeted students outside the chapel doors, I asked him, “What is the greatest way one can glorify God—through witnessing, or other ways?” Mario replies, “The greatest way to glorify God is in your heart.” I took this to heart. I believed and received it, and have been acting on it to this day. That truth impacted my life and made a difference in me, my ministries, and all I do.

So, I would like to challenge spiritual leaders to deepen their walk with the Holy Spirit, and see what Christ will do for you and those you impact.

A devotional exhortation for leaders from Pastor Mur.

I was just about out the door the other day when I heard my wife ask, ‘Could you come in here and help me for a minute?’ I said, ‘Sure,’ and made a U-turn. I walked into the bedroom to find the bed in total disarray and my wife holding a new bed ruffle in her hands. Jean had bought some new ruffles to cover the box spring and to install them meant that someone had to lift that heavy king-sized mattress off its resting place. My wife mistakenly believes I was born for such moments as these.

Well, I grunted and groaned and got that unwieldy heavy mattress standing by the side of the bed, and then my gal proceeded to get the new ruffles perfectly placed so they were just where all ruffles should be. Then it was my turn and I quickly learned that replacing the mattress was far more difficult than raising it for bed ruffles can not be disturbed lest they get out of place. I also learned it is impossible to put a king size mattress back without disturbing those ruffles. I grunted and groaned anew with the chore made much worse by Jean’s lack of understanding of the pain and difficulty I was enduring. I quickly realized that bed ruffles and their position were far more important than me and my position. I was unhappy but even so I kept my mouth shut, and suddenly I received a thank you kiss and gracious permission to go about my day. The bed ruffles were in place and they met my gal’s expectations.

When I joined the pastoral staff of a large church in California many years ago, I had visions of doing great things for God. I soon learned that church was more about moving furniture than doing what I had thought of as ‘great things.’ Those of us on the staff got to set up and take down chairs and tables as a constant part of our pastoral duties. I also learned that pastoring included giving up your Saturday nights to come down to the church and pray over each empty chair in the Sanctuary. There were thousand of chairs, and we would faithfully stand at each one and ask God to touch those that would sit there the next day. Pastoral duties also included policing the grounds to pick up discarded cigarette butts, pieces of paper, and unbelievable numbers of discarded cups and bottles.

‘Great’ moments are few and far between for most of us. The Apostle Paul wrote that success is being content with your circumstances. I have learned that my Godliness is not determined by my status, my title, or what I own. Rather, Godliness is a reflection of my attitude towards picking up mattresses and putting them back so as not to disturb a ruffle, or picking up debris others have discarded, or giving up my Saturday night to minister to an empty chair where no one will see me or ever know what I did. Character has more to do with what only our Father in heaven sees. Godliness is what others have called a long obedience in the same direction. You too can be Godly. It starts and ends with attitude. My daughter calls people with the right attitude a ‘keeper.’ Are you a ‘keeper’?