Session Eight
LAYING A GOOD FOUNDATION
THE IMPORTANCE OF GOOD FOUNDATIONS.
Foundations are hidden and unspectacular, yet they are the most important factor upon
which the strength of the whole building ultimately depends.
THE ESSENTIAL FACTORS FOR LEADERSHIP FOUNDATIONS ARE
Character, Gifting, and Personality. Let's briefly look at these :-
1. CHARACTER.
A person of character is someone of considerable inner strength, reliability, and consistency,
who maintains high standards of morality and integrity. Such a person will never compromise their principles, but does not look with disdain on others who may not be able to live up
to his personal standards. He is a fair and impartial person who treats everyone alike
without fear or favour.
Character is the combination of strong inner resources which comprise the true person. It is a fortified blending of honesty, integrity, moral strength, and consistency. True character is not flamboyant or showy. It is really the "hidden man of the heart." Character is what a person truly is inside. It includes such solid characteristics as integrity, humility, modesty, reliability, patience, justice, mercy, and a commitment to live by the Golden Rule of "Do unto others, as you would that they should do unto you."
Depth of character has its own rewards. As the Psalmist said, "Consider the perfect man,
and look at the upright, for the end of that man is peace." (Psa. 37:37)
God is always far more interested in what you Become, than in what you Accomplish.
Here is an interesting and important equation for all leaders to consider :-
CHARISMA minus CHARACTER = CHAOS.
Too many Christian leaders have fallen from their position because they had
too much Charisma, (personality and ego) and too little Character. God is far more
interested in our character, (the quality of our personal constitution) than in what
we accomplish.
Character is the passive aspect of our being, Who we REALLY are!
It is the collective qualities or characteristics which comprise our make up.
In the natural there are numerous influential factors :-
- Hereditary
The characteristics we inherit from our parents and forebears through genes, chromosomes and other character conveyors.
a. Upbringing.
The influence of our environment, the ethics and principles we are taught in our early life.
b. Education.
The sum of what we learn from our educational process.
c. Experience.
Those things we learn and imbibe from life experience.
These are the natural influences which helped form our character. When we become Christians, a whole new range of influences come into play :-
The "Christ In You" Factor. (Col 1:27) Christ came to change us from within.
- The Fruit Of His Spirit. (Gal 5: 22,23)
In the individual Christian. - Love, Joy, Peace.
In human relationships. - Patience, Goodness, Gentleness. Towards God. - Faithfulness, Meekness, Temperance.
b. The Living Word Factor.
God is in His Word. His Character is in it. We imbibe Him and His characteristics through His Word.
"Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom." (Col 3:16)
The Bible is infused with the character of God. Everything in it is consistent with God's character. As we feed on the Word the character of God is formed within us. The book of Proverbs is an excellent example of this. It is filled with practical statements of wisdom which are consistent with God's view on behavioural ethics. Every leader should read a chapter from Proverbs every day. Its practical wisdom and moral values would then be imprinted into the leaders' spirit and form the characteristics of God in him.