(Check out my sermon, "No Fear" by clicking here. This sermon is only accessible from this link.)
Chapter 12 of Luke’s Gospel begins with Jesus warning His disciples not to become like the Pharisees. The error and arrogance of these men led to some of Jesus' sharpest rebukes. He said that the yeast (infectious influence) of the Pharisees was hypocrisy. In public these men appeared to be pious and righteous, but Jesus knew the heart of man and He saw things in these religious people what others did not see. Jesus warns us that what we say in secret, words and deeds that are hidden from public view, will one day come to light and will be proclaimed from the roofs and the hypocrisy will be revealed.
This warning forms the background for what Jesus says next, beginning at verse 4:
“I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. 5 But I will show you whom you should fear; Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has the power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him.”
Great leaders know that if they do right, live right, treat others right, and live a life of integrity at all times, then they do not have to live in fear. Sometimes leaders become so fearful and anxious about the performance of their church or their organization that they are willing to be deceptive and to falsify numbers to appear to be more successful than they are. The problem with this—other than the obvious moral problem—is that they must then live in fear of being found out.
While attending seminary in Cleveland, Tennessee I worked in a factory and saw the shift managers dumping hundreds of pieces of damaged parts and doctoring the paperwork so that no one would find out. They were more afraid of being fired than of being honest enough to own up to their error. I refused to go along with any deception and as a result I got a promotion to a better paying position that was on the other side of the factory and where I worked alone. They knew they could trust me to work without supervision, and they knew that I would not be able to see them hiding their mistakes.
Jesus is telling His disciples that if they fear God, knowing that one day all the secrets will be revealed, then they don’t have to fear anyone else. This principle applies across the spectrum of the Christian life. If we fear God then we don’t ever have to live in fear of anyone else. This freedom from fear releases us to be the leader we should be. It also frees us to live the lives we have been called to live.
This morning the television is filled with reports of a terrorist attack on the mass-transit system in London, England. With the images of the terror attack in New York still fresh in our mind we might feel a little anxious. Will terrorists attack America next? If so, where? Will I be affected? Should I go to the major metropolitan areas or seek solitude in rural areas? But the words of Jesus are applicable here as well. If we fear God, if we seek to please Him first, if we trust God, then we should never allow fear to dictate our decisions.
After instructing us not to fear man but to fear only God, Jesus went on to say:
“6 Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. 7 Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”
William Barclay cited a study that estimated that a person with light hair has 140,000 hairs on their head, a person with dark hair 120,000 and a person with red hair 90,000. Jesus said that God knows exactly how many hairs are on our head. The point being that if He is aware of such mundane details about our lives, we can be assured that He is watching over us. Fear God, respect Him, be in awe of Him because we will all answer to Him and no one else. But remember that He isn't looking for an excuse to condemn our soul to hell. He cares for us. His goal is that we all live lives of holiness and purity and one day enter into the rest that has been prepared for us from the foundation of the earth.
We can trust that He has our best interest at heart. We can be assured that He will be watching over us. We can be what He calls us to be, speak what He gives us to speak and do what He tells us to do because we do not live in fear of any man or woman. We don’t have to try to impress anyone and try to look one way in front of them and then live another way at home. We need to live consistent lives that honor and please God at all times.
Great leaders are not afraid to have bold visions, to pursue challenging goals, or to go against the popular current of the times if those currents are not consistent with a Christian testimony. Great leaders are not afraid to speak the truth in love, even when it may cost them something. Great leaders set an example of integrity that is consistent and worth modeling. They can do this because they fear no one but God.
Thursday, July 07, 2005
Wednesday, July 06, 2005
XV) GREAT LEADERS SET A GOOD EXAMPLE
(Check out my newest book at The Third Level.)
In Luke 11:46 Jesus gives a scathing rebuke to the “experts in the law.” He chastises them for loading people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and yet these “experts” would not lift a finger to help them. In other words, these religious elite were more than willing to tell people what they should be doing, to explain in excruciating detail what a righteous person should do, but these elite did nothing to help the people carry out these demands. Furthermore, these leaders were guilty of weighing people down with religious burdens that they themselves could not carry.
I’ve seen leaders make demands of people that were unattainable. It is one thing to challenge people to do better and to try harder, but it is something else altogether to constantly set them up for failure and frustration. When people feel that their best efforts are never good enough then they will eventually stop trying.
Jesus saw people who were weary of religion and who were frustrated by the religious leaders who, it seems, could never affirm them, only judge them and tell them that their best efforts always fell short. The hypocrisy of it all was that these leaders were not able to keep their own laws. They too failed, but because they were the ones in positions of authority they felt they were above reproach.
There are two important lessons on leadership here. First, good leaders should never load people down with unattainable goals. This demoralizes those we lead and after a while failure becomes familiar and frequent. Second, good leaders know how to affirm others.
When I was in the Air Force I worked as a surgery technician and in central sterile supply. During my time there we had several OIC’s (Officer in Command) and NCOIC’s (Non-Commissioned Officer in Command) rotate through our department. Under their command were three of us airmen. It seemed each new OIC or NCOIC had to try to outdo his or her predecessor. So each time a new one came into the department we three airmen had to change everything around to satisfy the new person in command. Regardless of how much we cleaned or how hard we tried, it just wasn’t clean enough or good enough. It was a frustrating cycle for all of us. It began to affect moral and to fragment the entire department. What we needed was some affirmation, some “ataboy’s” and “good job’s”.
The truth was that we were working out of a hospital that was old, had sustained earthquake damage and was never, despite our best efforts, going to be as good as or as clean as the newer hospitals that these leaders had cycled out of. The year after I was honorably discharged the Air Force opened a brand new hospital there.
I’ve seen leaders who expected more from those they mentored than they did from themselves. They were critical of others while they failed to model the same level excellence they demanded. Great leaders are not afraid to roll up their sleeves and lead by example. Great leaders may have high expectations, but they are more than willing to teach, mentor, and model the behavior and skills they are looking for in others.
Great leaders don’t look for behavior to criticize, but they look for good work to affirm to recognize and to applaud. If we give an employee a tower to build, we celebrate each floor of the building as it goes up. We recognize and reward smaller achievements on the road to completion. Jesus criticized these religious leaders for burdening people down with unrealistic goals and for not helping them to achieve these goals. We can learn a lesson here that will help us to assist others in becoming happy and motivated in their respective roles.
In Luke 11:46 Jesus gives a scathing rebuke to the “experts in the law.” He chastises them for loading people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and yet these “experts” would not lift a finger to help them. In other words, these religious elite were more than willing to tell people what they should be doing, to explain in excruciating detail what a righteous person should do, but these elite did nothing to help the people carry out these demands. Furthermore, these leaders were guilty of weighing people down with religious burdens that they themselves could not carry.
I’ve seen leaders make demands of people that were unattainable. It is one thing to challenge people to do better and to try harder, but it is something else altogether to constantly set them up for failure and frustration. When people feel that their best efforts are never good enough then they will eventually stop trying.
Jesus saw people who were weary of religion and who were frustrated by the religious leaders who, it seems, could never affirm them, only judge them and tell them that their best efforts always fell short. The hypocrisy of it all was that these leaders were not able to keep their own laws. They too failed, but because they were the ones in positions of authority they felt they were above reproach.
There are two important lessons on leadership here. First, good leaders should never load people down with unattainable goals. This demoralizes those we lead and after a while failure becomes familiar and frequent. Second, good leaders know how to affirm others.
When I was in the Air Force I worked as a surgery technician and in central sterile supply. During my time there we had several OIC’s (Officer in Command) and NCOIC’s (Non-Commissioned Officer in Command) rotate through our department. Under their command were three of us airmen. It seemed each new OIC or NCOIC had to try to outdo his or her predecessor. So each time a new one came into the department we three airmen had to change everything around to satisfy the new person in command. Regardless of how much we cleaned or how hard we tried, it just wasn’t clean enough or good enough. It was a frustrating cycle for all of us. It began to affect moral and to fragment the entire department. What we needed was some affirmation, some “ataboy’s” and “good job’s”.
The truth was that we were working out of a hospital that was old, had sustained earthquake damage and was never, despite our best efforts, going to be as good as or as clean as the newer hospitals that these leaders had cycled out of. The year after I was honorably discharged the Air Force opened a brand new hospital there.
I’ve seen leaders who expected more from those they mentored than they did from themselves. They were critical of others while they failed to model the same level excellence they demanded. Great leaders are not afraid to roll up their sleeves and lead by example. Great leaders may have high expectations, but they are more than willing to teach, mentor, and model the behavior and skills they are looking for in others.
Great leaders don’t look for behavior to criticize, but they look for good work to affirm to recognize and to applaud. If we give an employee a tower to build, we celebrate each floor of the building as it goes up. We recognize and reward smaller achievements on the road to completion. Jesus criticized these religious leaders for burdening people down with unrealistic goals and for not helping them to achieve these goals. We can learn a lesson here that will help us to assist others in becoming happy and motivated in their respective roles.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
