Christian Leadership Foundations 3 - HeartSample

GROWING CHARACTER

Leadership Devotion

A godly character takes time to develop. Throughout our lifetime, the Spirit forges the life of Jesus in us. A young person won't usually have the same godly character as a seasoned follower of Jesus. God takes time to hone our character through the ups and downs of life. You can understand why Christians in the first century thought their leaders should be older. Probably today, our emphasis is on being young and relevant, but in Timothy's time, it was on being old and wise. Grey hair was a significant advantage for leaders.

So when Paul appointed "young" Timothy (he was probably in his late thirties) as interim leader of the Ephesian church, you can imagine a few eyebrows were raised. Some felt he was not mature enough to provide teaching and leadership to the congregation. They didn't respect him. He was just a kid.

Paul's advice to Timothy was to ignore the naysayers. He was to exercise his pastoral authority in preaching and teaching and use his gift – probably the gift of spiritual leadership. His position and gifting were not dependent on his age but God's calling. Paul didn't see Timothy's youth as a disadvantage for him but as an opportunity for God.

God uses leaders of all ages. I was leading prayer meetings at 15 and youth camps at 17. Was I immature? Certainly, but God loves forging young leaders, and the way he does it best is through experience. Don't let your age hold you back from leadership.

What about Timothy's character? Well, Paul felt it was sufficient for his calling. He could still set an example for the church family "in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity" (4:12). Like Timothy, your character should be sufficient for the responsibility God has given you. If you have significant character flaws, please don't try to lead. You will do damage to those who follow.

The big issue for Timothy was not so much the strength of his character but its growth. As he gave himself to living and leading for Jesus, everyone would be able to see his progress (4:15). The sign of your godly heart is growth in your character, which should be obvious to those who follow you. As you grow more mature, your character growth may not be as apparent because the changes are often more refined. When you are younger, your clear character growth will be a cause of celebration for all who follow.

To Contemplate

How has your character changed over the last 12 months? How is God's Spirit working on your character at the moment?

Leadership Reflection

Godly character comes from the work of God's Spirit within us. His role is to produce fruit in our lives (Gal. 5:22-23). As the Spirit works and Jesus rules in our hearts, our character inevitably changes to reflect more of Jesus' character. Growing godly character lets God's Spirit do his work in our hearts and lives. Ultimately, it's God's job to change our character. It's not something we can do ourselves.

So, if we can't grow our own character, does this let us off the hook? Well, yes and no. We certainly can't develop godly character by self-discipline alone. In Romans 7:14-20, Paul describes his struggle to do what God wants. He can't do it. There is debate whether Paul writes this passage as a non-Christian ("I am unspiritual sold as a slave to sin") or a Christian ("I have a desire to do what is good"). My understanding is that Paul is not describing the normative life of either a Christian or a non-Christian, but the frustration of trying to live God's way through your effort (in the "flesh"). He uses personal pronouns over 25 times in these seven verses. If we try to grow godly character on our own, we end up in the guilt, self-recrimination, and frustration Paul describes here. We can't and don't have to grow godly character. This is what the Spirit does, as Paul says in Romans 8.

While we can't grow godly characters ourselves, we do have a part to play. We can cooperate with God's Spirit, or we can resist him. We can let him have all our heart for his work, or we can keep parts of our heart off-limits to his power. We can "live by the Spirit" or "gratify our sinful desires" (Gal. 5:16).

While I'm reticent to give too much advice on how to cooperate with the Spirit in case it becomes another list of legalisms for you to feel guilty about, here are a few things that have helped me:

1. Be honest about your character flaws. It's almost impossible to allow God's Spirit to work on character flaws you won't acknowledge. For example, if you tend to twist the truth, admit it. You don't necessarily have to tell everyone, but you must recognize it is an issue for you. If you are unaware of your character flaws, ask people you trust.

2. Repent and receive forgiveness. Tell God your character flaws are wrong and you are sorry for how you act. The trouble with character problems is they often continue for a long time, so we get tired of confessing them. Don't stop. Receive God's forgiveness again and again and again (1 John 1:9).

3. Ask God's Spirit to work in you. If you believe character change is the Spirit's work, you need to keep asking him to do his work and not take all the responsibility yourself.

4. Look for accountability and support. We were never meant to do Christian life alone. It's so much easier to change when we do it with others. Accountability could be provided by a good friend, a small support group, or a mentor, but get help from those you trust because they love you.

5. Deal well with your failures. A lot of Spirit-empowered character growth comes through significant failures and problems. Dealing with failure may mean publicly acknowledging your failure, apologizing to those you have hurt, making amends, and/or putting new safeguards in place. Don't waste your failures. They can produce significant personal character growth.

6. Thank God for the personal character change you (or others) see. One problem with growing godly character is we feel we can never get there. No matter how much we grow, we're still so far short of where we would like to be. This easily produces disillusionment. The fact is, if your heart is open to God, the Spirit is changing you. Watch for what he is doing and celebrate it. Sometimes the evidence of change comes through comments from others. When you receive encouragement concerning your character, stop and thank God.

Character growth is especially important in the early years of Christian leadership. God will test your heart (through character checks) to ensure it reaches the standard needed to entrust you with influence over the lives of others. Don't seek to grow your sphere of influence if your character is not up to it. Don't be too hard on yourself. If you are unsure, check with a trusted mentor.