Leadership Lessons from Charles Swindoll

Some really good insights from the latest email newsletter of PreachingNow. Just something for all of God's servants to consider:

SWINDOLL'S LEADERSHIP LESSONS

Chuck Swindoll was given a Lifetime Achievement Award at last week's Catalyst '09 Conference. During his presentation, he described "10 Things I Have Learned During Nearly 50 Years in Leadership." Here's the list:

1) It's lonely to lead. Leadership involves tough decisions. The tougher the decision, the lonelier it is.

2) It's dangerous to succeed. I'm most concerned for those who aren't even 30 and are very gifted and successful. Sometimes God uses someone right out of youth, but usually He uses leaders who have been crushed.

3) It's hardest at home. No one ever told me this in seminary.

4) It's essential to be real. If there's one realm where phoniness is common, it's among leaders. Stay real.

5) It's painful to obey. The Lord will direct you to do some things that won't be your choice. Invariably you will give up what you want to do for the cross.

6) Brokenness and failure are necessary.

7) Attitude is more important than actions. Your family may not have told you: Some of you are hard to be around. A bad attitude overshadows good actions.

8) Integrity eclipses image. Today we highlight image, but it's what you're doing behind the scenes.

9) God's way is better than my way.

10) Christ-likeness begins and ends with humility.

Blessed Are The Merciful

Am I merciful? Am I forgiving? These are extremely important questions. In fact, how we answer these questions has huge implications for the state of our souls. Listen to some words from the book of Matthew.

"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy." (5:7)

"For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions." (6:14-15)

"It is not the healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,' for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners." (9:12-13)

"And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him. My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart." (18:34-35)

Why is it that we can not receive mercy unless we have first been merciful? So that we don't misunderstand the text and think that God's forgiveness of us is based on our forgiving others, let's restate the point. Only those who know how much they have been forgiven are able to forgive others. And if this is true, then the inverse must be as well, which is, if we do not know how to forgive others, then we have not known forgiveness.

What a scary thing to consider. Are you able to forgive and let go of a grudge? Are you able to love the unloveable? Consider God's mercy in Jesus Christ. How rich, full, wide, and deep that mercy and forgiveness is. That while you were still yet a sinner Christ died for you. Not based on how good you are or what you have accomplished. Rather because of your lust, your lying, your hatefulness, your pride, your vanity, your dirty little secret, Jesus died for you. And yet we as "Christians" can be so merciless, so unforgiving. We get upset about another church's style. We get upset because we were slighted by a friend. We get upset because someone didn't like our ideas. We upset because that person caused us personal emotional injury.

What did you expect? They are forgiven, just like you. And if they are forgiven, it means they have sinned. And if they have sinned, until they become fully mature in Christ, they will continue to battle sin. But on the other hand, they are forgiven, just like you. And if you are forgiven, then you should in turn find it quite easy to forgive an equally sinful, equally forgiven brother or sister. I am praying that I can learn what real mercy is all about. That I could know the forgiveness that God offers so that I may extend that same forgiveness to all those who I come into contact with.