INTEGRITY OF HEART AS AN IMPORTANT KEY FOR EFFECTIVE SPIRITUAL LEADERSHIP

Leadership is influencing others toward an identifiable goal. It includes motivating and inspiring people to accomplish certain organizational objectives. It is the process through which leaders accomplish their goals or get things done through people. Leadership therefore cannot be divorced from the responsibility to achieve particular ends using available resources whether material or human. This responsibility is a critical principle of leadership. Leaders cannot lead if they lack that sense of responsibility to accomplish things through others for the common good.

As Peter Drucker observes leadership is primarily the art delivering on performance. It is therefore clear that without responsible leadership nothing gets done and woe to the people who serve under irresponsible leaders their path will be dogged with frustrations and may end up accomplishing nothing of significance. Responsibility is inherent but can also be learnt.

Skill versus the Integrity of Heart

Effective leadership skills to move people from point A to point B and deliver on certain planned objectives are critical in any form or level of leadership. Integrity of heart however is much more important than skillfulness in getting the job done. While most would pragmatically focus on the skills and ignore the all-important sphere of character development for integrity of heart, the truth is that this misnomer doesn’t produce effective leaders for the long haul, especially from the spiritual perspective. According to George Barna (1997) its is the predisposition of human being to spend time tweaking systems than prioritizing honest–to-God introspection and to be constantly available for transformation. While wrestling with systems, methods and technologies remains a valid demand for leadership, there are things that don’t change. According to him, a godly character alone, assures true fruit, lasting influence and durable leadership (Barna, 1997).

 Building from this perspective, its clear that a bad character has the potential to sabotage a leader’s vision no matter how big it is. Skill cannot compensate for lack of integrity. In essence people are most likely to follow someone who has character than the one who has great skill but grossly lacks integrity. The depth and height of success of a leader as it were centers on the issues of the heart (Barn, 1997). The writer of Proverbs 4:23 had this in mind when he said, “Above all else, guard your heart,
   for everything you do flows from it.”

It is important to note that those practicing leadership from the secular front operate in the public rather than the private venue. For spiritual leaders however, their leadership is anchored from the private venue and is actualized in the public arena. In answering the call to leadership the spiritual leader answers to a call from the highest source—divine source—and this call has potential to shape him or her in the deepest and most personal corners of his or her soul. The most critical introspective question for such leaders according to Barna is "am I maintaining integrity of heart?"

With this perspective in mind we can deduce that a leader is not only someone who has followers behind him but one who has the ability to lead himself. From the ability of the leader to lead himself the leader acquires the permission from the people to lead them.King David could provide a great example of a leader who embraced both skill and integrity of heart (Psalm 78:72).

TO BE CONTINUED...

Tithing

While the Old Testament concept of tithing was clearly commanded, its not so in the New Testament. Due to lack of clarity in this matter many people have contested whether tithing applies in the New Testament. Some scholars take tithing as an oppressive ecclesiastical order that lacks clear biblical backing. They question whether this practice is to be continued in the New Testament or not.

As Wright says the payment of tithe was a kind of comprehensive welfare program for those in the service of the Lords Temple and those who were truly destitute like the landless and familyless. It was expected that Israel would be excited about this divine program but this was not the case as we see it early in Israel’s history (Judges17:7-13, 18:19-20) and later in Mal 3:8-10). Besides tithing other measures that had been instituted to take care of the poor included the annual gleanings (Exo. 23:10-11, Deut. 24:18-22), the sabbatical year arrangements which included all that grew by itself on the fallow land (exod23:10-11),  the cancelation of debts (Deut 15:1-11) and the freeing of Hebrew slaves (Deut 15:12-18).

The triennial tithe also ensured that the Israelites would bring 10% of all their produce to create a store where the social fund would help support the needy thus making sure they are all covered and cushioned from abject poverty. In this case the law had built a broad moral and emotional ethos. The Old Testament emphasis on gratitude to and imitation of  God as a motivation and compassion and generosity as key virtues[1] the care for the poor and Levites then could be considered a legitimate test of obedience  to the rest of the law and in extension to God. And thus when Jesus said that justice, mercy and faith are weightier matters (Matt23:23) that deserve prominence in our quest to do His will he was referring to this expected outcome of Israel’s obedience.

Just as there was a temptation for the religious leaders at Jesus’ time to substitute one for the other, so it is for Christians to emphasis grace without paying attention to the tangible indicators of our obedience to God. God expected an alignment between the Israelites outward works and their inner spiritual disposition. This was lacking then and still lacking today. There’s indeed need for congruence between our outward actions and our inner spiritual disposition. As Jesus indicated justice, mercy and faith are weighty matters of the law[2] because they cannot be done casually or routinely. To reflect justice, mercy and faith requires our emotional entanglement, a crisis on our personal opinion and what is Gods will for us in relation to others, the poor and the Levitical priesthood then and the church’s mission, its workers and the poor, windows and orphans. If the believers who are the body of Christ fail to reflect justice, mercy and faith then their faith is empty, filled only with rituals and  showmanship, a botched kind of religion which lacks depth of character, the qualities’ that fan the flames of our practice of the principle of tithing and giving (Jas 1:27).

For an Israelite to give an offering to the Lord with gratitude  was to declare that he had indeed met his obligation  by giving the sacred portion to the Lord  and the poor as required by the tithing law(Deut 14:28-29). “Only on that basis could he claim to have not forgotten any of Gods commands.”[3] The giving to the needy was not only a sacred duty but the only way to define their obedience to the law. [4]

It is my firm believe that by practicing tithing the church  levels the playing field to all believers who as the body of Christ equally contribute to its well being (Eph 4:16) and purpose. All gave ten percent. In other words obedience to God is not grievous for either category. When it comes to other offerings there the spirit of gratitude now set the boundaries for each believer.

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[1]Christopher J H Wright, Old Testament Ethics for the People of God, (Leicester: InterVarsity Press, 2004), 173-174.

[2] Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1993), 109.

[3] (Wright, 2004), 174

[4] Wright Deuteronomy, 271-272

Random Thoughts on Forgiveness

Our minds work like computers with huge memories which don’t need a lot of prompting to recall all the work previously done on them and open files fast. We can easily review the history of our dealings with others especially if those encounters were wounding.  Our encounter with those who have hurt us in the past is like conducting a search. Very fast all the negative experiences pop up. Once on the screen we begin in simple arithmetic’s to count all the faults and the wrongs that each person has ever done against us and soon the calculation evolves from a simple arithmetic to a really complex equation.

 Every number identified and counted triggers another memory of what this person has done to us and as we calculate, the figures we arrive at are exponential, mind boggling, emotionally destabilizing and spiritually lethal. The victim of our calculations are critically analyzed, all his trespasses, sins, mistakes and inadequacies numbered. He is therefore consequently presented before the judge of our own hearts and condemned as a criminal without being given an opportunity to argue their case. In the courts of our own hearts with our emotions as the prosecutor the person may be sentenced to life imprisonment or even to death and emotionally blocked out of our hearts for any future dealings or involvement. We not only block them but also others who might present similar characteristics regardless of how genuine they are.

As we make these judgments, we convince ourselves that that the sentences we make are deserving and no one can persuade us otherwise. We resist every voice of reason that may try to argue otherwise and may even open new files for others citing interference and complicity and we judge these guilty as well for challenging our judgment.

Failure to forgive wears us out and complicates our lives. Forgiveness frees us to live to the fullest. what do you think?