To some extent, we can know the nature of any man or woman by what they do – and we don’t have to wait to see, we can look at whatever they have already done, to project the kind of things they will do next.
With our world seemingly spinning out of control, God is the only one who can properly save us. Good leaders who follow God and have a good track record of actions are a distant second. But each of us should follow God, so we do what is right.
Saint Basil said
“A tree is known by its fruit; a man by his deeds. A good deed is never lost; he who sows courtesy reaps friendship, and he who plants kindness gathers love.”
Saint Basil was borrowing from Luke 6, which says
“For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thorns, nor are grapes picked from brambles. The good person out of the good treasury of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasury produces evil, for his mouth speaks from what fills his heart.”
What kind of “good things” would we look for in a person’s history? Well, if our person honors God, we will see these things (Galatians 5:22):
- love
- joy
- peace
- patience
- kindness
- goodness
- faithfulness
- gentleness
- self-control
And remember David, “the man after God’s own heart” who got so upset when he came across the Philistines and Goliath, saying bad things about God’s people? David loved God and was really devoted to him. When Goliath said bad things about God and his people, David wanted to defend their honor and assure their safety! My son once had a coach who said “Protect your house!” Every good leader should be doing that.
A good leader develops a good plan. What does God say? (Jeremiah 29:11) ‘”For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”‘ Those are important words – HOPE, and a FUTURE. The future is wrapped up in our children, and our children’s children. If our plans don’t “protect their house” too, a leader has failed. Some examples:
- protect our environment
- protect our finances
- protect our minds and spirits
- protect us from outside threats
- inspire us to exceed expectations and be full of meaningful life
As we live our own lives, and assess others who want to be leaders, I wonder how many of us are like clueless 3rd Graders jumping up and down yelling “Pick Me, Pick me!”, but who do not have good fruit in our own lives? Do we really care about those around us – our future – or are we just chasing the stardom of leadership?
The proof of who we are is in our recent past. Anyone can see it. And the wonderful thing about recent pasts is that you can start building yours today.
“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:28