Titus Connection Volume 20, Number 2 February 2026
WISE INTENTIONAL LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
TITUS CONNECTION
Volume 20, Number 2 February 2026
Intentionally Developing Multigenerational Leaders
Throughout The World
Greetings. I trust you are doing well. This month we launch a series dealing with spiritual leadership paradoxes. I pray you will enjoy and be challenged by them. With the Youth Leaders’ article, we look at the difference between Intention versus Intentional. Thanks. Mike
Leadership Paradox – Confidence and Humility
In Matthew 10:39 (16:25), Jesus stated, “Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.”. Jesus also said, “The greatest among believers will be the servant of all (Matthew 23:11). Paul said that when he was weak, he was then strong (2 Corinthians 12:10). Additionally, Jesus is described as both God and man, the Lamb that was slain and the conquering Lion of Judah.
These statements and concepts are examples of what is called a paradox, something that seems to contradict itself, seems to go against common sense or logically impossible. Yet a paradox is a statement, idea, or situation that seems to contradict itself, go against common sense, or be logically impossible. But as you consider the paradox, it is valid.
Both Tim Elmore and Craig Groeshel have written quality work on leadership paradoxes. Elmore’s book, “Eight Paradoxes of Great Leadership” is a very good read.
Strong, developing spiritual leaders possess paradoxes. Try this one on for size. Solid, effective leaders are both confident and humble. You need both, otherwise you end up with an unhappy team and struggling leadership.
Having both allows you to listen more, continue to learn and add greater value to other team members. You inspire confidence and express that confidence with approachable humility.
Confidence encourages and motivates people to want to follow you because your leadership is believable due to your confidence. Additionally, confidence provides security to team members who are willing to follow you, and at the same time, members will take greater responsibility and ownership for the team.
Craig Groeschel says if you are overly confident, find something new you have not ever tried or done before and start at the bottom. This will humble you.
Jesus showed confidence and humility. Study Philippians 2:3-11. Observe both qualities in this passage. Consider also Proverbs 11:2 and 1 Peter 5:5-6. We follow Jesus because He is the Lion of Judah and the Lamb that was slain.
Humility or being humble is not weakness. Humbleness is not thinking less of yourself but thinking of yourself less (C.S. Lewis). You become transparent (vulnerable in good ways), causing you to be real or authentic, and approachable, which communicates trustworthiness to team members. Craig Groeshel says that people want leaders who are always real more than leaders who are always right.
When you create buy-in for yourself, team members become loyal and are willing to stick with you when times and situations get difficult. Being humble helps to keep you from becoming cocky, that your confidence in your leadership is believable. Humility is like a magnet as you attract rather than repel people. Let others speak well of you, keep yourself from “tooting your own horn”.
According to Jim Collins, author of “Good To Great” (another excellent read), have the attitude of, “How can I improve to lead this team better?”. Plus when things do go right, put the focus on the team and what the team has done. This encourages an attitude of excellence, 1 Corinthians 10:31, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”
An excellent example of the leadership paradox of confidence and humility comes from the Roman empire – Hominen Te Mento. “At the height of the Roman Empire, certain generals were honored with a triumph, a procession of honor through the city of Rome in which the general was preceded by marching legions, trumpeting heralds, and the enemies who had been conquered and captured in the victory. As the general rode in a chariot and was cheered by virtually everyone in the city, a slave held a laurel wreath above his head to signify his victory. But as the procession continued, the slave had one additional responsibility. He was to whisper the following words into the general’s ear: “Hominem te mento,” meaning, “Remember you are only a man.” (Good Leaders Ask Great Questions, John Maxwell).
This illustrates exactly what Jesus said in Luke 22:25-27, “Jesus said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.
YOUTH LEADERS – INTENTION VERSUS INTENTIONAL
At first glance you may think there is no difference between those two words. Most of both words are very similar, in fact over 80% of the words. But there is a world of difference when you think about those words.
Jesus dealt with counting the cost of following Him, being a disciple of His in Luke 14:25-33. Take a minute and read this passage. Basically, Jesus let people know that if you are not willing to surrender to Him, you cannot be His disciple. Think about the cost Jesus went on to indicate, if you are willing to pay the price of being a follower of His.
Jesus ran into many who had wonderful intentions of being a follower of His, provided there was little or no cost of do so. But He was letting people know that to follow Him, you needed to be intentional in your decision.
We have a lot of good INTENTIONS (ideas that you plan or intend to carry out). But how many good ideas never get carried out? For an idea to be carried out, you must be INTENTIONAL – living purposefully by making deliberate, carried out intentions. These intentions do not get carried out if they do not align with your core values and goals because carried out intentions take time, energy and purposeful action.
If I have an intention of finding a job and do nothing to pursue that goal, I will not find a job. I need to be intentional about gaining the correct education, getting in touch with the potential employer and filling out the application form. Just having the intention of finding a job gets you nowhere.
If someone has the intention of becoming a Christian after hearing their need to receive Jesus as Savior and Lord, he or she needs to be intentional about inviting Jesus to forgive you of your sins and believe in Jesus being the only way to be forgiven and have eternal life. You may have heard people say that someday they would get around to seriously consider becoming a Christian but not right now. Not being intentional about the intention of becoming a Christian can keep someone from having the faith of salvation.
Jesus told potential disciples that there is a cost involved in following Him and to count what possibly their cost would be. In the time of Jesus telling people to carry their cross to follow Jesus was asking them if they were willing to die symbolically to their own desires and needs and the possibility of literally dying being a disciple of Christ.
Working through that cost took a person from having a good intention to being intentional about their commitment to Jesus. That process has not changed over all the years. Are you and I intentional about our relationships with Jesus? Oh, someday soon I will begin reading my Bible. Someday in the not to distant future, I will get involved in my church and begin diligently serving Jesus and others.
Or how about this; I will get around to sharing my faith with a certain person I know that needs to hear the truth about salvation and Jesus. I know I am a Christian but I cannot commit to teaching another Christian how to grow in their own faith because it will take time out of my life’s activities…I just do not have time for that yet. Intention versus Intentional!
Something I have consistently shared with young people is someday when they look in the mirror and wonder why they could have, would have and should have done something with their lives or followed through on an intention that would have provided real purpose in their lives and did not, they simply need to look at the mirror and blame the person in that mirror! You and I have no one to blame other than ourselves.
That is a hard truth to swallow. So do not live your life simply with nice, well-spoken intentions. Rather, live your life with purposefully, intentionally becoming the person God created you to be, at this time and place in history. Intentionally pursue that challenge!!