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My wife and I teach a 4th and 5th grade Sunday School class at our church, and we’re looking today at “Earning Respect”, focusing on 1 Timothy 3. A kids’ translation in today’s language is something like this, “If a person wants to be a leader, he wants good work.”
Robert Rosen and Paul Brown, in Leading People, assert that “the character of an organization is established by the character of the people who work there. And that character is determined by the integrity of the leader.” They make the important observation that “the concept of integrity never changes.” I’m thankful that I learned at an early age the value of integrity (do what you say). It was both taught and modeled to me by my father and my grandfather. Thanks Dad & Paw Paw…I didn’t realize it then, but you were providing me with a foundation for leadership.
It’s important to note that people are not impressed by facades, but by authenticity and by those who are genuinely other-centered. Character is not a matter of outward technique but inner reality. We need to determine whether our love for Jesus Christ is strong enough to enable us to develop the 8 character qualities the Bible demands in 2 Peter 1 verses 5-8:
- Faith
- Goodness
- Knowledge
- Self-control
- Perseverance
- Godliness
- Mutual affection
- Love
These attributes flow from the life of a Christian, as he or she seeks daily to emulate Christ.
In the June 2010 issue of Leadership Excellence, Ken Shelton bemoans all the “plug-and-play, turn-key solutions to complicated leadership challenges.” He quotes Phil Eastman to offer a tough but essential alternative, “Becoming a great leader is hard work. The leadership development industry has softened the reality of leadership, boiling it down to formulas, tips and tricks. The ability to lead is built on character. Leadership is a lifelong pursuit in which time and experience matter greatly. Every leader leads from his or her character.”
Ultimately, lasting character is forged on the anvil of experience, self-discipline and dedication. If a person lacks integrity and character, the challenges of life will melt down and undermine any short-term successes.
Are you able to say what Paul said in Phillipians 4:9, “Whatever you may have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice”? Your own personal character will shout in their ears—either for better or for worse.
As you consider where you are in character development, honestly assess your progress on a scale of one (beginner) to ten (flawless). Since you’re probably neither a one nor a ten, thank God for building character in your life and then ask Him to help you continue to grow in this area as you shoot for the stars!
I’ll leave you with a poem (by an anonymous author) we shared with our 4th & 5th graders today:
“We are writing a gospel
A chapter a day
By the things that we do
And the things that we say.
Others read what we are
By the things that we do
So what is the Gospel
According to you?”