The Best: Part 2Sample

Prayer: Lord help me to love the right things that you love so I may do the right things you do.

Leading: Do the right thing.

Every year, Forbes magazine has a list of 30 under 30. Forbes looks for the top upcoming leaders who are under 30 years of age to celebrate and promote. I love young leaders, especially young Christian leaders. Seeing Christian teenagers, college students, and young adults initiating significant movements continually inspires me with hope. 

However, for every sparkling young leadership talent, we regularly see many established leaders “flake out” or “flame out” because their character did not pan out. More important than a great start is a great finish. We need leaders to do the right things for a lifetime. Proverbs gives leaders guidance in this area. As we looked at earlier, wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord. When we rightly honor God in our lives, we submit all of ourselves to Him, including our leadership. 

God then gives us guidance in what great leaders do. They live righteously. Meaning, they do the right things. In other words, they live by a higher standard than the shifting cultural trends. Additionally, great leaders do not compromise morally. Great leaders live a life according to God’s standards and let God’s morals shape every decision. Cracks in a leader’s character will widen to crevices that will grow to craters, then become canyons. Following God’s standards keeps leaders doing the right things consistently. 

Questions to Ask Yourself:

1. Have I ever been frustrated with a leader who did not do the right things morally? Why did he/she fail in this way?
2. Do I find myself compromising morally in my leadership responsibilities by playing favorites or not addressing problems? How so?

What’s Next? 

1. Since character in leadership is so important, what character flaws do you currently possess? Sometimes these are hard to assess by ourselves, so ask a trusted friend to help you see these in yourself.
2. Make a list of these character flaws and spend some time praying to ask the Lord to give you strategies to overcome them. This may include running decisions by more people or inviting more accountability into your life.