Our Daily Bread: Character-Driven LeadershipPavyzdys
The Soup
Be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. -Ephesians 4:32
I used to work with a leader named Madge, who was an amazing cook. “You should taste my pea and ham soup!” she said one day. After replying that I really didn’t like peas, Madge smiled and said, “You will after you try my soup.” The next day she handed me a container of her soup, made especially for me.
“Did you try my soup?” Madge asked me a couple of days later. “I will—soon!” I said, hoping she wouldn’t ask me again. But she did—the next day, and the next. “Don’t leave it too long or it’ll spoil,” she added on the fourth day.
A week later, Madge’s uneaten soup had spoiled and I threw it away. I felt dread as she approached me. “You did try my soup, didn’t you?” she asked.
“Yes,” I said. “It was . . . delicious.”
In Ephesians 4, Paul calls us to deal with speech-related sins like controlling anger (V. 26), “foul or abusive language” (V. 29), and slander (V. 31). But before these comes a more basic call to “tell our neighbors the truth” (V. 25). I had looked at Madge and told her a lie. I knew what I needed to do.
I walked into Madge’s office, confessed my lie, and sheepishly asked for her forgiveness. Madge walked to me and gave me a hug. “Of course I forgive you,” she said. “How could I not, when I know how much God’s forgiven me?”
SHERIDAN VOYSEY
How many sinful words or actions has God forgiven you for? How as a leader can you forgive someone today, with the Holy Spirit’s strength?
Forgiving God, enable me to forgive others to the degree that You have forgiven me.
Šventasis Raštas
Apie šį planą
Unsure of how to lead effectively? Inspired by World Vision President Emeritus Richard Stearns’ book Lead Like It Matters to God, this 10-day reading plan highlights Christlike traits that can empower us to lead well, whether you’re the head of your family or a Fortune 500 company.
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