John Stanko

"About noon, King Agrippa, as I was on the road, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, blazing around me and my companions. We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads'" - Acts 26:13-14.

In today's passage, the Apostle Paul stood before the king and other Roman officials describing his encounter with the Lord on the Damascus Road. That encounter launched his ministry to the Gentiles, which was the foundation for his leadership of the early and modern church. Notice the clarity with which Paul spoke about something that had happened a few decades earlier. Leadership's mandate to lead should emanate from their call or purpose, and that purpose should be easy for the leaders to explain and for others to understand. Without purpose, leaders are simply "hired guns" (the biblical term is hirelings), doing a job for money and benefits, often without passion and creative energy.

LEADERSHIP STEP: Do you know your purpose? Can you describe it in one simple sentence or short phrase? Are you fulfilling your purpose in your current leadership role? Your Step today is to take the purpose assessment found at www.purposequest.com. The assessment is made up of 20 statements to which you will respond and receive back an evaluation of where you are in your quest for purpose. The follow up will have advice to help you be more purposeful, and thus a better, more effective leader.