I am taking a break…perhaps you should too!
This blog will continue again on 2 September 2013.
“When you come to the edge of all the light you have known, and are about to step out into darkness, Faith is knowing one of two things will happen-there will be something to stand on, or you will be taught how to fly.”
Author unknown
Is assessment a Kingdom principle? Does God want His leadership to assess others? What’s the difference between assessment and judgment? How can we give assessment to those we lead in a positive, developmental way?
Jesus sent out the Twelve and then upon their return they reported what they had done (Mark 6:30-31). The parables of the Talents (Matthew 25) and the 10 Minas (Luke 19) teach that we will give an account to God for our stewardship. Hebrews 13:17 reminds us that leaders will give an account for their leadership. Paul gave feedback to the churches through his letters. Assessment is a Kingdom principle.
But we must not cross over from assessment to judgment. Jesus commands us not to judge others (Matthew 7) and Paul reminds us of the same (1 Corinthians 4). Judgment is passing a final, negative opinion on another. It focuses on final results and motives. It often involves assessing someone’s motives or matters of the heart that we cannot know for certain. It implies making personal standards normative for others. Only God can judge!
But as leaders who must give an account to God for our leadership, we are told to know well the condition of our flock. We must evaluate our flock to know if they are doing well or not. Assessment of those we lead focuses on their faithfulness to labor, not the results which are determined by God. Assessment is given to encourage growth and help measure progress and development. It has a desired positive impact on another with a willingness to be involved in helping to correct any shortcomings.
Assessment is more formal than feedback. It relates to mutually agreed upon standards or desired outcomes, deals with a process, involves a commitment to help, and provides accountability. Feedback in informal, does not need mutual goals, deals with an event, does not necessarily involve a commitment to help, and provides perspective. Leaders assess; facilitators give feedback.
For assessment to be positive, we must begin with agreed upon measuring marks. The one being assessed must know from the outset what will be evaluated at the end of the process. The leader bringing the assessment should seek to point out the positive outcomes initially. Negative assessment should be limited to one or two items at the most, focusing on those areas that are most important. As a leader you should offer to help them correct these in the future. Ask how you as a leader can help them succeed in their efforts. Get involved! Bring resources to help them become a success.
Remember to assess, not judge. Seek to apply the Golden Rule of Leadership in your assessment of others, “Lead others the way you want to be led” (Luke 6:31).
God is a God who works. In the very first verse of the Bible, we find God at work—creating. Jesus, being God in the flesh, also modeled a life of work and had a lot to say about it. He said, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work” (John 4:34). He added, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working” (John 5:17) and “As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work” (John 9:4).
Work is part of our God-given design. Because we are created in the image of God, and because God is a God of work, we too will work. Adam was given work to do while in the Garden, even before the Fall (Genesis 2:15). Only after the Fall did work become difficult (Genesis 3:17-19).
Leaders work hard and put in long hours. A leader’s work is never done. Expect it. Count on the fact that the easy work is done by others; it’s only the hard work that ends up on your desk or in your inbox. And because leaders work hard, that sense of calling is so important. I must know that God has asked me to assume this leadership in order to embrace the increased demands.
I find the example of Wesley very challenging: “John Wesley averaged three sermons a day for fifty-four years preaching all told more than 44,000 times. In doing this he traveled by horseback and carriage more than 200,000 miles or about 5,000 miles a year.
His published words include a four-volume commentary on the whole bible, a dictionary of the English language, a five-volume work on natural philosophy, a four-volume work on church history; histories of England and Rome; grammars on the Hebrew, Latin, Greek, French and English languages; three works on medicine, six volumes of church music; and seven volumes of sermons and controversial papers. He also edited a library of fifty volumes know as “The Christian Library.”
His daily schedule was as follows. He arose at 4:00 am and worked solidly through to 10:00 pm, allowing brief periods for meals. In the midst of all this work he declared, “I have more hours of private retirement than any man in England.”
At age 83, he was piqued to discover that he could not write more than 15 hours a day without hurting his eyes; and at the age of 86 he was ashamed to admit that he could not preach more than twice a day. In his 86th year, he preached to almost every shire in England and Wales and often rode thirty to fifty miles a day” (Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations by Paul Lee Tan).
Let’s work hard so that at the end of our lives we can say, along with Jesus, “I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do” (John 17:4).
Nothing so stifles a leader as an attitude of, “I already know that” or “Yes, I mastered that some time ago.” This attitude of “I’ve arrived” has its roots in pride and destroys one’s ability lead effectively.
God does not take the sin of arrogance lightly. Three times (Proverbs 3:34; James 4:6, 1 Peter 5:5) He says that He opposes (actively works against) the proud person. We will learn humility, either by humbling ourselves or having God humble us. The choice is ours as to the means.
The learning leader is humble enough to admit that one never arrives. Yes, we may gain altitude in some areas, but it’s all relative. Altitude compared to what or whom is what’s important. Comparing ourselves to others often leaves us feeling good about ourselves. But comparing ourselves to Christ should quickly remind us of how far we have to go. Look up, not around!
Good leaders are learners. They are not learned in the eyes of the world necessarily (Luke 10:21, 1 Corinthians 1:26), but they are ever striving to develop in areas of character, skills, and abilities; seeking to maximize their potential impact and for Christ. They set the pace for others in their personal pursuit of God and their service for Him, always sensing how far they need to go, not how far they’ve come.
From where do leaders learn? There are multiple sources, but let me suggest two. One primary source for learning is from those who are older. Job 8:8-9 says, “Ask the former generations and find out what their fathers learned, for we were born only yesterday and know nothing.” From what older person are you mining their years of experience and wisdom?
A second important source for a leader’s learning is from observing what goes on around us. In Proverbs 24:32 we read, “I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw.” Rushing from one thing to the next greatly hinders the learning one can do from observing. We must take the time to stop, think and reflect. When was the last time you just took some extended time to think about life, your family, your ministry or some other important issue?
Learning leaders are also passing on what they learn to others. Jesus and Paul modeled this well. Jesus learned and passed it on to his friends, “I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you” (John 15:15). Paul says to Timothy, “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others”( 2 Timothy 2:2). Are you passing along what you are learning? Who looks to you for coaching, mentoring or discipling help?
Maintaining a learning mode throughout life continually increases our effectiveness for Christ as leaders. But what we learn is not for us only. We can use it to help others. Let others benefit from the things God is teaching you. Perhaps we should begin by sharing more with our friends, spouses, and children.
Perhaps, like me, you have been amazed at the number of gifted leaders who have fallen into moral collapse. I ask myself how could this happen? Could this happen to me? I’m sure that, like me, you desire to finish the race well. How can we avoid this trap that has entangled so many?
Below are two summaries on the process of lust and immorality as seen from the man’s and woman’s perspective. The process for the man was outlined in an article by Phil Parshall titled, The Tiger of Lust – The Downward Path of Moral Ruin. The process for women was contributed by a missionary wife, Mrs. Fran Love. Study them and then do some self examination.
A Man’s Path of Moral Ruin
1. Enjoyment of another woman’s company
2. Appreciation of her body
3. Thoughts of physical lust
4. Emotional desire
5. Initiation of casual encounters
6. Mutual arrangement for frequent meetings
7. The first lustful touch
8. Total deceit with one’s wife
9. Intimacy without full sex
10. The physical act of adultery
A Woman’s Path of Moral Ruin
1. Enjoyment of another man’s personality
2. Attraction towards his status (he’s a leader, popular, etc.) and his looks (manly, sexy, etc.)
3. Trying to attract his attention by whatever means is considered appropriate (nothing overt, all done very smoothly and imperceptibly)
4. Flattered by his reciprocating interest
5. Development and expansion of a fantasy thought life – emotional desire
6. Initiation of casual encounters with great pains taken to ensure that you are made-up and dressed up as attractively as possible
7. Romantic desire – no physical touch even necessary; the “romance” of it all is stimulating enough
8. Total deceit with one’s husband
9. Intimacy without full sex
10. The physical act of adultery
The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it. Proverbs 27:12
May we learn from the mistakes of others and avoid the pitfall of immorality that has ruined many!
It’s hard to critique a leader of whom others said “he does all things well.” How do you select out what made Jesus great? He was perfect! Everything about Him is great!
Yet, when I think of Jesus’ leadership, what impresses me most are two things. He was a leader who brought value to those who interacted with Him. And he was a leader who developed other leaders to the point where they were able to lead in His place.
Jesus did many things in His ministry: redemption, the founding of a new movement, selection and development of leaders for this movement, a compassion ministry to felt needs, etc. But one thing seems to be consistent in all; Jesus brought added value to the lives of those He touched. He left people feeling grateful for His presence or interaction with them, whether a brief encounter or a ministry to them of several years.
I want my leadership be one where those impacted feel that there is added value because of my intervention in their lives. As a leader, I am called to add value (i.e. vision, motivation, encouragement, assessment, counsel, resources, development, etc.) to the lives of those I am leading. I want to leave those with whom I interact being desirous of more time together, rather than feeling grateful that I’m finally gone. They will want more if there is a sense that I add value to their lives.
Secondly, Jesus selected and developed other leaders to continue on past His life on earth. All leaders have a ‘life span’ of power and influence. This will quickly pass. What is it that will last when our leadership is finished? I desire to leave behind a new generation of leaders who will carry on long after I have left the scene.
Some call this “leading with a developmental bias.” We always lead with a eye on the next generation, seeking to identify those whom God has gifted to lead the work for that generation. We then begin to build into their lives, helping to develop them to their potential in Christ, so that they are well prepared to lead when we are gone.
Bringing value to the lives of those He led and developing the next generation of leaders is what made Jesus a great leader.
Sacrifice means, “to give something up for the sake of something of higher value.” Sacrificial living (and leading) is to give up our own lives for the purpose of following Christ. Jesus modeled the perfect sacrificial life by giving His very life for the sins of mankind. It is this type of lifestyle, one that chooses to live for others instead of self, that models real love for people (John 15:12-14).
Sacrificial living is a daily decision, not a one time event. Paul urges us to, “….offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God–this is your spiritual act of worship (Romans 12:1).” We are to continually offer ourselves to God as living sacrifices as an act of worship to God for all He has done for us. He died for us! Living for Him is the least we can do!
Jesus reminds us that being His disciple means, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23). To follow Christ means that we must first deny ourselves. That is, give up all rights to our own plans, desires, dreams and hopes for our lives and let God determine our future. It is an abandonment of self into the loving hands of God. Secondly, we must take up our cross daily. To the first century audience, the picture of a person carrying a cross meant that they were condemned to death by the Roman government. They had no future – only death. Jesus uses this picture to illustrate that this death to self is to be daily, not just a one time decision. Each and every day we must choose to live for Christ and die to self.
Sacrificial living goes against the wisdom of this world. The world says to seek self-gratification. “If it feels good do it!” The implication being, if it doesn’t feel good, then it should not be acted upon. To choose to deny self in order to gain the opportunity to serve God is something that will be hard for others to understand.
Sacrifice is painful! It cost God’s Son His life! There are no guarantees we will live a pain-free life. God does not apologize for asking much of His followers. It is His right. He owns us. He bought us with His own blood. “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body” (1 Cor. 6:19-20).
But God also promises us that whatever cost we are asked to pay in denying self and following Him He will repay multiple times over. “I tell you the truth,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields–and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life” (Mark 10:29-30). Therefore, whatever has been sacrificed for Christ, when compared with what has been gained in return, will not seem to be too great a cost to pay.
Leaders who model this type of sacrificial leadership entrust themselves and their leadership impact to God. They will model the same type of leadership that Nehemiah did in Nehemiah 5:14-19: Moreover, from the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, until his thirty-second year—twelve years—neither I nor my brothers ate the food allotted to the governor. But the earlier governors—those preceding me—placed a heavy burden on the people and took forty shekels[a] of silver from them in addition to food and wine. Their assistants also lorded it over the people. But out of reverence for God I did not act like that. Instead, I devoted myself to the work on this wall…In spite of all this, I never demanded the food allotted to the governor, because the demands were heavy on these people.
And these type of sacrificing leaders will pray as Nehemiah did, “Remember me with favor, my God, for all I have done for these people.”
The world is in crisis today. It is not a political crisis, though it has political implications. It is not an economic crisis, though economics are affected. It is not a social crisis, though all levels of society are impacted. It is a spiritual crisis brought on by the people of God themselves. There is a spiritual poverty, a lack of vitality in the believer’s walk and talk that has led to mediocrity in the Christian world today. This mediocre life of the believer has left the Christian world with a muted witness and an emasculated impact on society. What is needed is a transformation in the Christian world. What is needed is a generation of believers who will live a radical life (radical in the eyes of the world, but not to God); a life that seeks the world to come, not this world.
The word “mediocre” finds its origin in two Latin words meaning “half way” and “mountain.” Mediocre means to only get half way up the mountain. A mediocre Christian life is one that begins its journey aiming for the top of the mountain, but then settles for only half way to the summit. What is needed today is a generation of young people who will decide to reach for the summit in the Christian life and settle for nothing less until they reach it. There will be no compromise along the way. There will be opportunities to bow out, to give in to the tide of the world, but this generation will set their face like a flint and go for broke. They will be satisfied with nothing less than God’s best—serving Him with their whole heart!
Hippolomy was a mythical, Greek young man who was in love with the beautiful Atlanta. Atlanta, in addition to her striking beauty, was also a gifted runner, but she had a cruel, sadistic character. Many young men became infatuated with her beauty and desired to marry her. These men were challenged to a foot race with two conditions. If the man won the race, he could marry Atlanta. But if he lost, he would pay with his life. Many a man tried and paid the ultimate price for his second place finish.
Hippolomy also became mesmerized by Atlanta’s beauty and challenged her to a race. Shortly after the race began he fell behind. Reaching into his tunic, he withdrew a golden apple and threw it in front of the streaking Atlanta. The flash of gold caught her eye and she stopped to pick up the golden fruit as Hippolomy raced by. She soon recovered and again moved ahead of him. Hippolomy pulled a second golden apple from his tunic and threw it in front of Atlanta who once again stopped to pick it up. As Hippolomy passed the crouching Atlanta, she realized that the race was nearing the finish, and she recovered soon enough to regain a comfortable lead with a short distance to go.
Hippolomy retrieved the last of his golden apples from his tunic and threw it ahead of Atlanta as she approached the finish. Atlanta was in a quandary; should she stop and pick up the apple or press for the finish line She reasoned that she certainly could do both, so she stopped to place the golden fruit in her robe just as Hippolomy raced passed her towards the finish. She recovered, but now with such a short distance to the finish line, she was not able to beat him. Hippolomy had won!
This is not an illustration on how to find a life partner! Rather, as we race through life, we will find the enemy of our souls rolling “golden apples” of opportunity, compromise, and temptation in our path. These golden fruits will be attractive, and we will be tempted to believe that they will not impact our life’s race. We will think that we can have it all and still finish well. It will only be near the end of our life’s race that we’ll find that we can’t reach the finish, the summit, God’s best, because we chose to stop our race along the way. We thought it was only for a moment, that no one would know or care, but a moment’s compromise will lead to a mediocre, half way life.
What the world needs today is a new generation of believers who will say “no” to this world’s values and live for the unseen world promised by Christ. The reality of heaven will so impact the lives of this generation that they will not compromise or settle for anything less that than God’s best for themselves and those around them. They will give themselves unreservedly to Christ–a generation whose watchword will be, “Anything, anywhere, anytime–for Christ!”
Living for the World to Come Copyright 1996 by Thomas R. Yeakley pg 1
When our children were born, actually even before they were born, we began to pray for them daily (sometimes it was multiple times a day, especially if they were not having a good day). We prayed many things for them, but the main thing was that they would come to know Christ at an early age, never experiencing a time of rebellion or walking away from Him, and that they would serve Him with their whole heart in whatever calling He would have for them. As we got to know them and their personality / temperament, we were also able to add specific prayer requests related to their character needs.
The lists grew longer as time passed and I began to re-think what I was praying for each of the kids. What was it that was really important for me to pray into their life? What were the essentials that would see them through life’s trials and challenges? After much thought and reflection, I boiled it down to just four things that were needed. Yes, there were (are) still other things that I prayed (and still pray) for each of them, but these four things are the foundation stones that I (we) have prayed into their lives for many years. Now, these four qualities have also become core qualities for myself as a leader and for other emerging leaders that I coach. I remember them with the acronym, “PEWC” (rhymes with ‘hurl’). 🙂
“P” stands for Purity of Life. Many have made shipwrecks of their lives by failing in this area. Certainly the challenges of moral purity are greater today than when I was younger. For young men in particular, with the pervasiveness of pornography on the Internet and other media, sexual purity is a growing challenge. But, purity of life is more than just sexual holiness.
Purity relates to our heart and what grips it. It means we are wholly devoted to one Master. It relates to integrity, being a person of our word who can be counted on to do what we say. It means we are transparent in our life, not playing games with our relationships or wearing masks that hide who we truly are. What you see is what you get.
“E” stands for Eternal Values. There is much pressure, especially in the American culture, to become a massive consumer and accumulate all we can. The mantra seems to be, “He who dies with the most toys wins.” While I’m not one who would feel guilty for being born and now living in a prosperous culture, I do have a sense of stewardship of whatever resources God places under my care. We already have much compared to others. And, “To whom much is given, much is required.”
Having eternal values ultimately means that we are living for a world to come, not this present one. These values direct our daily choices, lifestyles, spending, consuming, giving, investing, etc. Our lives are lived in the context of eternity, knowing that we will have to give an account one day of what we did with the resources God entrusted to us. Our lives are lived out knowing that 70 years will come and go quickly, and we are but a vapor that soon disappears. And when we exit this planet, we will leave all we have accumulated to others, taking nothing with us.
“W” stands for Wisdom. Here is the secret to much of the challenge of parenting and leading. God entrusts children and people to us without an instruction manual on how to raise or lead them. Yes, we have the Bible with great principles (Proverbs is especially helpful) and we have our own upbringing (which can have it’s strengths and weaknesses). What our children and those we lead need is “instant” wisdom that enables them to make wise choices that honor God.
When our children were young and disobedient we would correct them. One of the statements that we would say again and again was, “That was not a wise thing to do.” Or when we would talk about a decision or someone’s decision and the consequences, we would point out wise choices and not so wise ones, labeling it as such. The point was to reinforce in many ways that a goal in life was to become wise. To obey God and your parents was a wise thing for them as a child and brought reward. But, to disobey God and your parents was an unwise (foolish) thing and it brought punishment and pain. Ouch!
“C” stands for Courage. If our children and we as leaders are to apply the above three things, Purity, Eternal Values, and Wisdom, then that would mean that we would not be following the norms of the day. We would be swimming against that cultural tide and standing out as different from the crowd. There would be much pressure brought to bear on us to conform to the norms of the day, especially by our friends and peers. Knowing this pressure, it will take great courage to stand for what is pure, eternal, and wise in God’s eyes, and not simply go along with the crowd and do what’s easy, instead of what’s right.
Courage, moral backbone, to say and do what’s right is never easy. Sometimes there are real consequences for standing up for right. Some have even had to pay with their lives for this kind of stand. I pray that we would never have to make that kind of choice, but should it come, may we have the courage to stand, knowing that eternity waits.
These four areas have formed that foundation of what I (we) have prayed for our children since they were very young. I have also made them a foundation of qualities that I have prayed for myself as a leader. I’m pleased to say that we have seen these areas demonstrated in our children’s lives over and over again. God has been and continues to be faithful to build these things into my life as well as theirs. And now there is the next generation—our grandchildren. They too are now coming under this prayer covering of PEWC.
But for myself and those emerging leaders who I coach and mentor these core qualities are also the foundation of my prayers. I pray that we will grow and mature as leaders who demonstrate these qualities in our personal lives, families, and leadership. For if we do, we will be change agents who the Lord will use to bring hope and help to many.
Some time ago I did a study on the great, bold prayers of the bible. Two prayers stood out to me. The first request was Solomon’s prayer for wisdom ( 1 Kings 3:1-15). As Solomon began his reign as king, he soon realized that the demands upon him were beyond his ability. When God spoke to him in a dream, he was given permission to ask for anything (3:5). How would you like to have that permission given you from God Himself? What would you have asked for? Now Solomon was already a wise young man (see David, his father’s comment in 1 Kings 2:9), but he knew enough to realize that wisdom was the secret to life and success for him as a leader, and so he asked for a wise and discerning heart (3:6-12). Note that God was “pleased that Solomon asked for this” (3:10), and granted his request and in addition granted him much more as a result of his wisdom (3:12-14). What a wise young man!
The second prayer request that impressed me was that of Moses in Exodus 33:12-23. Moses too was in a position of leadership and was stretched beyond his ability, looking for some help in how to make wise decisions. Note that Moses asked for the ability to understand the ways of God (33:13) in order to continue to find favor with God. This request also pleased God (33:17) and it was granted to Him. David comments on this in Psalm 103:7, where he contrasts Moses who knew the ways of God with Israel who knew the deeds of God. Moses understood why God acted the way He did, but Israel only knew the acts of God. They did not understand His ways.
As a result of this study, I began to pray and ask God to grant me the same things that these men asked for—that He would grant me wisdom and that I would understand His ways. I can do this knowing that God does not show favoritism and therefore, will grant me the same as what others asked and knowing that He will be pleased by my asking for these things. I do so want to please Him with my life, and here’s a simple way to move towards that goal.
Wisdom is the key to a life that is pleasing to God. We must pursue it and we begin by asking for it. That request begins the process of the pursuit of wisdom for life’s decisions. Often, this request arises from our sense of inadequacy on how to handle our current situation (like Solomon and Moses). But, we don’t have to be a leader of a nation to need wisdom. We all need it to fulfill our God-given roles; whether it is as an organizational leader or a husband, wife, father, mother, grandfather, or grandmother, in addition to the other demands of life that constantly press upon us, that we may live a life pleasing to Him.
Wisdom is not a product of age or experience. There are many older people who are very unwise. One can obtain wisdom at a young age. Solomon was young when he asked for wisdom and was given it, even while young. Rather, wisdom is something to be pursued and sought after. It is a life-long pursuit. It is my desire to continue to grow in God’s wisdom and knowledge and understanding of the ways of God. I pray that for myself and for other leaders that I know and mentor. May it be your pursuit as well!
Developing Kingdom Leaders - Tom Yeakley 