The Plumbline

"A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way." (John C. Maxwell) Can unjust leaders claim that God is on their side—leaders whose decrees permit injustice? (Psalm 94:20) The more we attempt to justify 'bad leadership' in any form, the more we will slip into all manner of injustice, impurity, and unwholesomeness. How is it possible for a leader to create such a mess in the lives of so many? Easy - people get behind the leader because of charisma or popularity, without even looking deeper into the integrity of the leader's heart. Unjust leaders might declare that God is on their side, but when the heart of a man has never really submitted to the authority and leadership of the Lord Jesus Christ, he is charismatic at best. As Maxwell points out, a leader with integrity will not only know the way to walk, but he will also consistently go that way, and is able to show others how to find that way themselves.  To know, one must be exposed to truth....

Someone once told me if you have to tell someone how smart you are, you probably aren't all that smart. Those who rise to positions of power, whether it be in terms of job or perhaps leadership within government, need not tell us of their intellect, but should model it in their actions. I believe it was Bruce Lee who said, "Knowledge will give you power, but character respect." Those who seek to lead don't need power as much as they need the respect of those they are leading! A nation without wise leaders will fall. Many good advisors make a nation safe. (Proverbs 11:14 ERV) In today's news, we will likely catch wind of one or more controversies in government stemming from policy to practice, or privilege to poverty. All of the world's eyes will be directed for just a moment or two to some sound-byte that was likely taken out of context and is then sensationalized for all to hear over and over again. Leaders today have a great responsibility - but I wonde...

Don’t fall in love with this corrupt world or worship the things it can offer. Those who love its corrupt ways don’t have the Father’s love living within them. All the things the world can offer to you—the allure of pleasure, the passion to have things, and the pompous sense of superiority—do not come from the Father. These are the rotten fruits of this world.  (1 John 2:15-16 VOICE) There are all kinds of reasons why we are enticed to move toward certain behaviors or attitudes which are pervasive in our culture today, but none quite so strong as that of fulfilling some pleasure, gaining some possession, or thinking we have been able to "one up" someone else. It seems to be at the center of much of what was said by one "side", shown, and/or spoken about in this past political campaign season. Now, in the wake of the aftermath of what has been called the "ugliest" of campaigns in history, the fall-out of evil is pervasive everywhere we look.  I watc...