It may be a blessing in disguise that most people are upset with the leadership choices we have for President this year! Yes, they both have serious character and leadership flaws, but it’s also true that every leader in history (except for Jesus) has had some character flaws to some degree or another! (And so do you and I!) That doesn’t excuse their weaknesses, but it should alert us to the fact that everyone craves honest, caring, servant-minded leaders that put the needs of their people above their own. This is true in every area of life, whether it be politics, business, churches, social institutions, schools, and especially our homes. Leadership expert John Maxwell is fond of saying “Everything rises and falls on leadership!”, and he is exactly right. The Bible, from cover to cover, is stories about various leaders and how their leadership was either a blessing or curse to their people. Even the best leaders, like King David, Moses, and the apostle Peter, had some epic failures in their early lives. But God didn’t throw them away; he gave them a chance to repent, humble themselves, and then he painstakingly worked on their character, heart, and leadership abilities until they were transformed into strong, effective, and caring servant-leaders.

The only perfect leader to walk the earth was Jesus, fully God and fully man! Even his enemies were never able to find a flaw in his motives or words, as much as they hated to admit it! John Maxwell looked at the total Bible from a leadership perspective and came up with a “Leadership Bible”, my favorite Bible to study. I would like to borrow some of his observations about both the tough and tender sides of Jesus’ leadership approach and his effect on early Christian leaders:
– Husband and Wife: A supportive, covenant relationship in which the leader shows love and commitment. 2 Corinthians 11:2 (NIV) – 2 I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him.
– Head & Body: A governing, protecting relationship in which the leader gives direction. Ephesians 4:15-16 (NIV) 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
– Vine & Branches: A picture of the leader as a source of nourishment. John 15:5 (NIV) 5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
– Potter & Clay: A picture of responsibility & surrender, as the leader develops the people. Romans 9:21 (NIV) 21 Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use?
Shepherd & Sheep: A picture of warmth and beauty. The leader guides & protects his sheep. John 10:11 (NIV) 11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
– King & Citizens: A picture of wisdom & influence. The leader guides the people. Ephesians 2:19 (NIV) 19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household,
– Priest & Worshipers: A picture of godliness & spiritual intimacy.The leader connects people to God. 1 Peter 2:9 (NIV) 9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

Of course, no human leader is going to perfectly live up to all those qualities. But ALL of us can improve and grow to become more like Jesus, and we need to start supporting and focusing on leaders who desire to become highly compassionate, competent, and committed leaders. How can we do this?
1) Start with yourself!
Everyone is a leader of some sort! Leadership is influence, and we ALL have influence over somebody. Are you disciplining yourself to grow and mature physically, mentally, and spiritually? Are you intentional about it, or does it just sound like a good idea that you never actually get around to doing? We can’t effectively lead anyone else if we can’t first lead ourselves!
2) Encourage and mentor younger people to grow in character and leadership ability!
Some of us baby-boomers, especially, have some wisdom and good experience to pass on to promising younger leaders. If we want a better life for people, we have to have better leaders! CJ and I just had the opportunity to attend the Global Leadership Summit, a world-wide event showcasing wonderful leaders from the business & faith community. Their purpose is to raise up powerful leaders of integrity, character, & vision in every country in the world, and thus change the world through strong, faithful leaders. It was amazing to hear the stories around the world of how God is using willing and humble leaders to change lives in marvelous ways! I believe God will use leaders like this probably much more than he will use our traditional and tired old government structures. If you’re interested, go the Willow Creek Association and look under the GLS information, and you’ll be inspired too! There is hope, in spite of what we often see on the news today.
3) PRAY for the leaders we have!
No matter who wins, nationally or locally, God can still touch their hearts and use them ( I know some of you have doubts about that!) Pray for humility and repentance for ALL leaders (starting with yourself), and expect God to do his thing in ways that we can’t see right now. After all , He IS sovereign over all the world, and the day will come when every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord! God will judge leaders of every generation, and no one will “get away” with corruption, deception, and evil deeds. So, don’t get bent out of shape about that stuff! Instead, remember that God is still looking for leaders of integrity to change the world! Will you and I be one of them? Will we pray for and mentor new young leaders? Will we even pray for the sometimes woefully inadequate leaders we have presently, knowing how Jesus offers them grace and a 2nd chance, just like he does us? Or, will we also be disobedient, and choose instead to sit on the sidelines and just complain? I hope not! God is calling all his leaders; it’s time to lead! Let’s go do it!

Did you ever notice that one of the numerous amazing things Jesus could do as the Son of God was to discern exactly what people were thinking? He could see into the deep,inner recesses of a person’s heart ( the biblical concept of heart is the center of our thoughts, emotions, and will). In John ch.2 it says: 23 Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many people saw the miraculous signs he was doing and believed in his name. 24 But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men. 25 He did not need man’s testimony about man, for he knew what was in a man. John 2:23-25 (NIV)
In the Old Testament, when God was leading the priest Samuel to anoint the next King, he lead him to David, the “runt of the litter” in his family, much to his surprise. It says in I Samuel 16:7 But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him (their present King, Saul). The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7 (NIV)

What does this mean for you and me? It means that Jesus (God) knows every thought you and I have ever had… from the best, most loving and selfless thoughts to the worst, most evil, conniving, and self-centered thoughts! Yes, we are all flawed (sinful), and even when we do good things we sometimes do them for the wrong or at least mixed motives. Even when we think we will be totally faithful to God, he knows us better than we know ourselves, and he recognizes we will fail at times due to doubt or fear. (Remember Peter, the most courageous follower of Jesus? On the night Jesus was arrested, Peter swore he would never desert Jesus. But Jesus knew his heart, and rightly predicted Peter would deny him 3 times that very night, which he did!)
Fortunately, no one fully knows our hearts like God does, and he loves us immensely and forgives our destructive thoughts and works through the Holy Spirit to transform our broken minds and hearts so that we can actually have the mind of Jesus! How would you feel if you worst thoughts were emails, and someone was able to hack into your thought accounts and share them with the world over the internet? It could be pretty embarrassing for me, and I think for you as well!

So, why are we in our culture so quick to “pre-judge” others and use labels to define them, rather than actually take the time and effort to actually discern what is really in their heart? If our goal as Christians is to continually grow and mature to become more like Jesus, then we also need to learn to better discern the true heart of the person we talk about. Most people have the same desires for their life and family, but our divisive, politically-driven culture seeks to divide us and put us into categories and labels so we can easily dismiss the other person, falsely believing that it is somehow good for me to win and you to lose! Jesus came to offer forgiveness, redemption, and abundant life to ALL who believe in Him, desiring for everyone to accept this offer of Good News.

As Christians, we need to be leaders in changing the conversation away from divisive political labels and focus instead on how Jesus can bring us forgiveness and reconciliation. Maybe the disgust over politics today is a blessing in disguise: rather than spend our time, energy, and money on political interests, we can re-focus on the Kingdom of God and how Jesus can use US to change the world! How can we do this?

1) Stop pre-judging others, labeling them, and instead try to get to know them and seek their real heart and motives! Jesus warned us in Luke 6:
41 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 42 How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. 43 “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44 Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. 45 The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks. Luke 6:41-45 (NIV)
God is calling us to humble ourselves and offer his forgiveness and hope to non-believers, not focus on the external things we dislike about them. Seek to look deeper than the surface of those you disagree with, and look for the good intentions that might be in their heart. When we see good thoughts and actions, point them out, and that might lead to future conversations where we might have an opportunity to more fully share about Jesus and what he offers us all.

2) PRAY! Pray for God to make you more sensitive to see others’ true hearts. Pray for opportunities for God to use you each day to touch others through your attitudes and actions!
Political parties, economic systems, and even our government cannot give us what we all ultimately need. That can only be found in a personal relationship with God, through His Son, Jesus. We Christians already know that. God is doing amazing things around the world through his servants who humbly submit to his plan. He will give us the ability to discern what he is calling us to do, and the power to do it. But we need to stop looking to external political corruption for answers, and instead focus on the heart of God and then discern the heart of those he calls us to love. I’m going to try to re-focus (again) my time, effort, and resources toward Kingdom building. Will you join me?