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<\/a>The tag line for this book is \u201cHow Effective Leaders Motivate Themselves and Others.\u201d Yes, I think I could learn quite a bit from Mr. Swindoll and Nehemiah.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
And of course, I didn\u2019t get too far into the book without having to stop and think about a question.<\/p>\n
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\u201cIn twenty-five words or less, how would you summarize your primary mission, the most important task you\u2019re trying to accomplish in your realms of leadership?\u201d[i]<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n I have worked up a mission statement for different ministries, for my blog, for my book publishing, but never a personal mission statement. So this idea really intrigued me.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I\u2019m sure you can think of some mission statements from Scripture. Here are a few I recall. See if you know who said them (answers will be at the bottom).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n #1<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cIf serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the god of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n #2<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n #3<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cForgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n #4<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cI am the Lord\u2019s servant. May it be to me as you have said.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n #5<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cRemember me with favor, O my God.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n #6<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cLet my people go.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n #7<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cDo not think that because you are in the king\u2019s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father\u2019s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n #8<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cMeaningless! Meaningless!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n #9<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cI thank and praise you, O God of my fathers: You have given me wisdom and power, you have made known to me what we asked of you, you have made known to us the dream of the king.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n #10<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cFor the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n #11<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cWhat good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n #12<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cGrow in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n #13<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cAnd so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n #14<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cHe believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n #15<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cThe Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n What fun to find words used by some of our favorite biblical believers that could be used as their mission statements! Maybe they aren\u2019t the words they would have chosen, but they are words we\u2019ll remember them by. Maybe you feel there are other words that might be better. If so, let me know. I\u2019d love to hear them.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n But now the hard part. Coming up with my own mission statement. One that describes me and that when others hear it will know it belonged to me. So here goes. My personal mission statement.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWith God\u2019s Spirit leading me, I will direct others to Jesus through my words, actions, writing, teaching, prayer, and example. Love God and love others.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Phew! 25 words don\u2019t seem adequate for a mission statement\u2026especially for a writer! But I suspect I could take each element in the above statement and clarify it. That might satisfy my desire to elaborate.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Do you have a mission statement? If so, I\u2019d love to hear it if you\u2019re willing to share it. If not, maybe it is something you\u2019d be interested in pursuing. It was a good exercise and one that took a bit of thought on my part. It can remain personal. No one would ever have to know you\u2019ve done it. But like our biblical friends listed below, if you\u2019ve lived your life loving Jesus and others, you already have a mission statement!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I\u2019ll go back to my reading now and see how far I can get today. Until tomorrow\u2026<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Grace and peace be yours in abundance,<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Donna<\/p>\n <\/p>\n #1 \u2013 JOSHUA (Joshua 24:15 \u2013 NIV); #2 \u2013 RUTH (Ruth 1:16 \u2013 NIV); #3 \u2013 PAUL (Philippians 3:13b-14 \u2013 NIV); #4 \u2013 MARY (Luke 1:38 \u2013 NIV); #5 – NEHEMIAH (Nehemiah 13:31b \u2013 NIV); #6 \u2013 MOSES (Exodus 5:1 \u2013 NIV); #7 \u2013 ESTHER (Esther 4:13-14 \u2013 NIV); #8 \u2013 SOLOMON (Ecclesiastes 1:2 \u2013 NIV); #9 \u2013 DANIEL (Daniel 2:23 \u2013 NIV); #10 – JESUS (Luke 19:10 \u2013 NIV); #11 \u2013 JAMES (James 2:14 \u2013 NIV); #12 \u2013 PETER (2 Peter 3:18 \u2013 NIV); #13 \u2013 JOHN (1 John 4:16-17 \u2013 NIV); #14 \u2013 ABRAHAM (Genesis 15:6 \u2013 NIV); #15 \u2013 DAVID (1 Samuel 17:37 \u2013 NIV).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n If you\u2019d like to leave a comment, please click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n