A surprising way leaders can fight against sin
"...Love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins" (1 Pe 4:8).
#Leadership is not exempt from this activity.
Jesus' act of sacrifice was ultimate love, however it was anything but warm and fuzzy. It was grisly and dark. Painful and bloody.
His love was so powerful that for our sake he willingly submitted to the tidal wave of sin that rolled over him. He had never known sin within his own heart, yet the Father allowed him to be crushed by it.
As horrifying as it must have been to experience this taste of hell and separation from God, our Lord completely surrendered himself to it. He knew he would die a horrible death both physically and spiritually. Yet he also knew he would live again and be glorified in victory over sin, death and Satan!
As 1 Peter 4:8 says, the love of God through Jesus covered over a multitude of sins—the whole world's. Jesus himself told his disciples, "Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends" (John 15:13).
Love is a powerful force most leaders leave in their back pockets. We can show "leadership love" by being patient, merciful, sacrificing and forgiving. I'm not advocating sweeping people's wrongs under the carpet; rather we should filter our knee-jerk reactions through love.
"But he who has been forgiven little loves little." (Luke 7:47)
Concerned with organizational #culture? Mercy increases love!
A culture of love is an employee's ultimate working environment. When they feel a sense of dignity, when their leaders seek to understand before they berate or blame, when the staff feels cared for, organizational culture blossoms.
Mercy triumphs over judgment.
– James 2:13
Excerpted from Servant Leader Strong: Uniting Biblical Wisdom and High-Performance Leadership, by Tom Harper (DeepWater Books, 2019). Also available in Spanish and Amharic.
 | Tom Harper is publisher of BiblicalLeadership.com and executive chairman of Networld Media Group, a business-to-business publisher and event producer. He has written five books, including Servant Leader Strong: Uniting Biblical Wisdom and High-Performance Leadership (DeepWater Books, 2019) as well as the Christian business fable Through Colored Glasses and its sequel Inner Threat (DeepWater, 2022). Learn More » |
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