G-TRAX Devo's-What’s in a Leader Part 1: Treasure Hunt Read online

What’s in a Leader

  Part 1 – Treasure Hunt

  Ron Fast

  [email protected]

  Copyright 2002 by Ron Fast

  Intro

  It was the beginning of another day. The stars disappeared as night gave way to day. The horizon looked like as if it was on fire with brilliant colors of gold, yellows, and deep shades of blue.

  You had spent the night out under the stars on a hill a short distance away from the town you grew up in. It was a sleepy, little town nestled in a lush, green valley. The grass on the hill was glistening with dew as if there were diamonds on the tips of each blade of grass.

  As you went down into the valley, the town was still. There were a few lights on in the houses of those who had to get up early to get to work. There was smoke lazily rising from the brick chimneys. The air was brisk. Autumn was beginning to make its mark on the trees surrounding the town and covering the hillsides. You loved this time of year because the hillsides were speckled with the colors of autumn. You loved the slight chill in the air that marked the beginning of the season.

  Very soon now, the rains would set in and outdoor activities would cease for a season. You had to make the most of the last few days of good weather. Clearly, this was going to be another remarkable day. The sun peeked it’s big, orange head above the horizon.

  The day was upon you and you needed to get started. Your backpack was sitting beside you, filled with the things you needed for a long hike. It was a heavy pack, but you were no stranger to hiking with a fully-loaded backpack.

  You were off on a trek to explore the deep caverns at the base of the hills north of town. You had been to the caverns many times but had never ventured too deep into the dark, ominous caverns. Today you were determined to explore them and go deeper than you had ever gone before. You had been warned not to venture too deep into the caverns because of the dangers that lurked inside of them but you ignored the warnings. You had been in there many times without any problems, besides you always had a radio transmitter with which you could contact officials in town in case of an emergency.

  The sun was high in the sky by now so you rolled up your sleeping bag, picked up your pack and slung it over your shoulder. You were well-equipped for this journey.

  So you set off on your journey and soon settled in a steady, rhythmic pace. In order to get back to the town by nightfall, you figured you had to make it to the caverns by noon. That gave you about 3 hours to get to the entrance of the caverns.

  After walking for about two hours, you stopped for a break. Grabbing your canteen and a power bar, you sat down for a short rest. Having been on many hikes, you were in great shape, which you needed to be able to keep up the quick pace that was required to make this trek.

  After resting for about a half hour, you picked up the pace. You loved to hike because that was when you felt most alive.

  Off in the distance you could barely see the entrance to the caverns at the base of the hills. The hills loomed over the entrance like giants.

  As you neared the entrance to the caverns your pulse began to quicken. Large beads of sweat appeared on your forehead.

  Finally, you reached the mouth of the caverns. Taking your backpack off, you opened it and retrieved a smaller pack with just the essentials in it. Because some places in the cavern were barely wide enough for you to squeeze through, you needed to travel light so you only took along what was absolutely necessary.

  You slung a coil of rope around your neck and shoulder, put a mining lamp on your head and set out into the mouth of the cave.

  You waited just inside the mouth of the cave to allow your eyes to adjust to the darkness. The cave was black, so black that it was almost suffocating. You had learned not to think about the darkness and to focus on the task at hand.

  Water was dripping off the sides of the cave walls. As the drops of water hit the floor of the cave, the sound echoed through the cave.

  As your eyes adjusted to the change of light, you could see moss draped on the sides of the cave like a giant, green beard. You walked quietly as not to disturb the giant bats slumbering in the cracks in the cave ceiling. Occasionally, one of the bats would wake up, swoop down and then disappear in the deep recesses of the cave.

  Deeper and deeper into the cave you went, carefully picking your steps as the floor of the cave became more treacherous with every step. The light from the mouth of the tunnel was just a speck in the distance.

  About 100 yards into the cave, you came upon a place where the cave forked into two tunnels. You had been this deep before and knew to take the left tunnel. But because you had never been in the right tunnel, you thought it would be something new and different.

  Rounding a bend in the tunnel, it opened up into a large open space. The ceiling towered above you as if you were in a cathedral. At the far end of the “cathedral” was an enormous door. As you headed toward the door, you thought to yourself, “I wonder what’s on the other side of the door.” Reaching the door you noticed faint writing etched into it. Driven by your desire for adventure, you scraped away the years of dirt and moss that had obscured the message.

  Finally, you managed to scrape off most of the moss and dirt which exposed most of the writing.

  It read, “This is a warning to those who would dare enter the realm of the Bogra. Only those with pure motives and a servant heart can enter.”

  “Well, that’s odd.” you thought to yourself. “Who are the Bogra and why is there a warning posted on the door? It must be a prank. There is no such thing as a Bogra. Besides, how could they tell if you have a pure heart? What do they do, pull it out of your chest, place it on a ‘Pure Heart’ tester and then put it back in when they are done?” A chill suddenly ran up your spine as you thought, “What if this warning is actually true? What if there was this scary race of monsters beyond this door waiting to rip out your heart? AHHHHHHH!!!!!!”

  For a moment you hesitate, but then your sense of adventure and curiosity get the better of you. You searched the door for a latch or something that would open the door. Finally, you find a latch. It was obvious that it hadn’t been used for years, maybe even hundreds of years. You slowly lift the latch. The rust breaks off as you lift it. It was easier than you thought. It was as though the touch of your hand melted off years of corrosion and rust like butter.

  You heard the door latch click. The door was unlocked. Again you began to sweat as you imagined large beastie-type creatures pouncing down on you as you crossed the threshold of the giant door.

  The door was so large and old you couldn’t imagine opening it on your own. It had to weigh several tons. But to your surprise, the door gave way to your push. The door creaked and groaned as if it was complaining of being moved after so many years in a slumber.

  Finally the door was open. A rush of warm, moist air came through the door opening. The smell of old, stale air wafted up your nostrils. You stood in the doorway daring yourself to take another step.

  Your eyes caught a glimpse of another sign about 10 yards from the doorway. Once again, your sense of adventure and curiosity got the better of you. You stepped over the threshold of the door and stepped into the tunnel. You slowly walked over to the sign. The writing could scarcely be made out. “You have passed the first test. You were tested and found to have a pure heart. You may continue to the next test.”

  Monday

  What Do You Think?

  When you think of a leader, who comes to mind?

  What kind of attribute does that person have that makes him or her a leader-type-person?
br />   What do you think is the most important attribute a leader should have?

  What are the things you possess that might be qualities of a leader?

  Tuesday

  Focusing on Others?

  In this world, the word “servant” and the word “leader” are considered total opposites. Unfortunately, the word “servant” has sort of a bad image associated with it. A servant is someone who gets walked on. Most leaders would not even think about being a servant to others. This was true even back in Jesus’ time. The Pharisees and Teachers of the Law would never consider being a servant to those around them. In fact, they expected others to serve them.

  But Jesus came to earth to show them and us how a real leader should act. Everything about Him revolved around serving others. He was never focused on Himself.

  What does Jesus say about being the greatest in Luke 9:46-48?

  Probably the most difficult thing about being a leader is to get out of the normal “selfish” mode in which us human-type-peeples tend to be stuck. In order to become an effective leader-type person, you need to begin thinking about others, not just when it’s convenient or when you have to, but all of the time. It needs to become a part of you. It must be such a part of you that you don’t think twice about it.

  We all look to Jesus as the ultimate example of what a servant looks like.

  Read John 13:1-17

  Jesus was nearing the end of His earthly mission. He knew He was going to die the most gruesome death known to man in just a couple of days. But what was He doing in these verses?

  Now put yourself in His place. How would your servant heart be if you knew you were going to die in a couple of days?

  What does Jesus’ example say to us about our servant hearts?

  Wednesday

  The Root of a Servant Heart

  Jesus talked about something you have to possess in order to be a true servant.

  Read Matt 22:34-40. In these verses one of the Teachers of the Law asked Jesus what the greatest commandment was. What was Jesus’ reply?

  What did Jesus say was the second greatest commandment?

  Why do you suppose these are the two greatest commandments?

  Read Gal 5:21-23. Why is love the root of a servant heart?

  Thursday

  Where the Rubber Meets the Road!!

  Read Matt 25:37-40 and then list the things that are marks of a truly godly servant.

  1.

  2.

  3.

  4.

  5.

  Now read verse 41. What does this verse mean in light of the previous verses?

  Does verse 41 mean that you have to do the things in verses 37-40 in order to get to heaven?

  Why or why not?

  Friday

  Serving in the Church

  List a couple of things you can start doing or you are already doing in your youth group that shows your love for others in the group.

  1.

  2.

  Saturday

  Serving at Home

  Today’s study is going to be easy . . . well . . . kind-a . . . sort-a. I want you to write down a couple of things you can do for the next couple of months at home that exercise your servant heart.

  1.

  2.

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  Ron Fast is the author of G-TRAX Devo's, Biblical devotionals for youth. G-TRAX Devo’s are now available online at www.youthministrydevotionals.com in an interactive form. He has over 9 years of experience working with Junior High and Middle School students. His personal mission is “to make the Bible relevant to today’s youth”.