“I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains [just one grain; it never becomes more but lives] by itself alone. But if it dies, it produces many others and yields a rich harvest.”
John 12:24 (AMP)
At the core of every leadership is influence, which translates, imparts experience, culture or values in others. You are not leading if all you have sticks with you, all you know sticks with you and all you do is done alone. True leadership goes beyond lone-living to living with others. Until your burden becomes a shared burden, you are not yet leading. If your knowledge does not increase in others, you are also not leading. True leadership is about increasing yourself in others, multiplying yourself in others.
“Fear not, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel. I will help you,” says the Lord and your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. Behold, I will make you into a new threshing sledge with sharp teeth; you shall thresh the mountains and beat them small, and make the hills like chaff. You shall winnow them, the wind shall carry them away, and the whirlwind shall scatter them; you shall rejoice in the Lord and glory in the Holy One of Israel.”
Isaiah 41:14-16 (NKJV)
At the moment, you may see yourself as a worm, or even a seed; there is no problem with that. However, you must never forget that God has a grand plan for your life. He is willing and able to enlarge your heart and extend your influence beyond yourself. Already, we know that self-leadership is the foundation of leadership; we must also know that there is a capacity inside of us – securely planted by God that can influence nations and cultures.
Your influence may be small right now, however; if you allow God to plant you as a seed or grain, and abandon your own ambitions, passion and pursuits for His grand agenda for your birth; receiving insight from His word and fellowshipping with His Spirit; you can be sure of greatness and increase in a short time from now. You see, as every seed that is planted needs steady watering and sufficient sunlight for growth and fruitfulness; you will also require a steady inflow of revelation, insight and wisdom from the word of God and a sufficient infilling of the Holy Spirit to grow your life and multiply the same life on others.
Did you see that! A seed could refuse to be sown into the ground; it could also choose not to be sown. However, it is only a sown seed that can become a fruitful vine or tree. You do not stand the chance for influence in your generation if you refuse to be sown. You must submit yourself first to the leadership of the word and the Spirit of God for people and circumstances to submit to you.
So many people consider this to be true only for spiritual leaders or ministers of God – however, what is good for the goose is good for the gander. The same power and wisdom at work in the lives and leaderships of those men and women of God can also make you influential in your own industry and profession. Remember, until a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies – it remains alone!
