Effort Is Needed To Develop Good Character

Ecclesiastes 12

We are walking in today: Effort Is Needed To Develop Good Character

Witness establish throughout the Bible:  H6965--quwm-- to rise, arise, stand, rise up, stand up, to cause to arise, raise

Genesis 9:9 And I, behold, I establish H6965 my covenant with you, and with your seed after you;

The Torah testifies...............
Genesis 17:7 And I will establish H6965 my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.



The prophets proclaim..................
Isaiah 49:8 Thus saith the LORD, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to establish H6965 the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages;


The writings bear witness...........................
1 Chronicles 17:11 And it shall come to pass, when thy days be expired that thou must go to be with thy fathers, that I will raise up H6965 thy seed after thee, which shall be of thy sons; and I will establish his kingdom.

Psalm 78:5 For he established H6965 a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children:

Ecclesiastes 12 in its entirety key verses13-14

11 The sayings of the wise are as sharp as goads, and those given by leaders of assemblies are like well-fixed nails; [in this case,] they are presented by a single shepherd. 12 In addition, my son, take heed: one can write many books — there’s no end to it; and one can study so much that it wearies the flesh.

Core Qualities of Principled Leaders

“Good character is not formed in a week or a month. It is created little by little, day by day. Protracted and patient effort is needed to develop good character.” —Heraclitus, Greek philosopher

To be effective leaders, we must cultivate many important attitudes and characteristics, such as courage, passion, initiative, patience, teamwork, wisdom, and persistence. But there are several core qualities that we must focus on as we make character our priority in leadership.

Strong Convictions

As I wrote earlier, we can learn all the skills, methods, and styles of leadership, but they won’t mean much if we have no real convictions that guide our lives, or if we sell out those convictions.
As we have seen, convictions refer to two aspects of leadership:

(1) A leader’s certainty that he has a unique purpose in life, and

(2) His wholehearted personal commitment to a vision worth sacrificing for.

Accountability

This core quality helps us to remain fixed, set, predictable, and stable in character. We have a responsibility to be accountable on three levels— to ourselves, to other people, and to our Creator.

A Commitment to Self-evaluation

First, we are responsible for regularly examining our own conduct to assess if we are living according to the moral principles that we value highly and have established as standards for ourselves.

2 Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves to see whether you are living the life of trust. Test yourselves. Don’t you realize that Yeshua the Messiah is in you? — unless you fail to pass the test.

A Commitment to Evaluation by Others

Second, to be accountable means to submit the evaluation of our attitudes and actions to another individual or group of individuals qualified to examine them in light of the principles to which we have committed.

We all sometimes need a different perspective on our lives to show us our weaknesses and our strengths alike. We should make ourselves accountable only to someone of proven character who has demonstrated that he has our best interests at heart.

He should be someone who is able to clearly assess our progress in character development and show us how to get back on track when we have strayed. When we are able to take an honest look at our character, and commit to work on our areas of weakness, we will strengthen our integrity. We will integrate our thoughts, words, and actions even further, so they can become “one.”

A principled leader truly welcomes this process of accountability. In contrast, unprincipled leaders are afraid of being held accountable, so they avoid evaluation whenever possible. As a result, many of them become “lone wolves.” They think, I’m accountable only to myself.

A Commitment to Evaluation by the Creator

Third, a principled leader recognizes that his ultimate accountability is to God. That is why he has made a commitment to follow the Creator’s first laws. He knows that even when he is alone, everything he says and does is observed by his Higher Authority.

We each have gifts and talents, but we did not create ourselves, and this fact should cause us to put our accomplishments into perspective and to express gratitude to our Creator for them.

A leader’s willingness to be accountable reflects his commitment to always be consistent in what he says, what he does, and who he is. Accountability— in all three realms we’ve just discussed— protects a leader from being hypocritical, or two-faced, enabling him to align his life with his standards and principles and to establish his character.

Monitoring Your Associations

Let me mention one other subject related to accountability. When we do not exercise discernment about those whom we choose to be our close friends and associates, we can inadvertently become answerable to people who don’t have our best interests in mind, and whose immature character may have a negative effect on us. Consequently, we may end up following unwise advice and false principles.

2 Corinthians 6:14 Do not yoke yourselves together in a team with unbelievers. For how can righteousness and lawlessness be partners? What fellowship does light have with darkness?

Humility

The next core quality is humility. The word humble is derived from the Latin word humus, meaning “earth.” To be humble, then, means to be “down-to-earth.” In the context of character, this means to express and manifest your true self in accordance with your unique, inherent purpose.

If an individual “tries” to be humble, he has missed the true meaning of humility. If we’re not manifesting our true selves, we cannot be humble. We have inadvertently put on a mask that hides what we are meant to express and reveal to the world.

The quality of humility in a leader is manifested through “servant leadership.” The Romans leaders liked to lord it over people, ordering them around. But Jesus said that whoever wants to become great must serve other people. Ordering people around is not the spirit of a true leader. When a leader is humble, he also has a healthy attitude toward the areas of his life in which he still needs to grow in character.

Leaders who don’t understand their inherent purpose and worth have difficulty being humble because they often need reassurance through the praise of others. But leaders of principle have found something greater than other people’s accolades— they have found a personal “assignment,” or vision, and they are busy pursuing it.

Integrity

One definition of integrity is “incorruptibility.” If you are incorruptible, you will not be enticed by your own desires or the pressure of other people to violate your moral standards or to operate on the basis of self-interest.

1 Corinthians 15:58
58 So, my dear brothers, stand firm and immovable, always doing the Lord’s work as vigorously as you can, knowing that united with the Lord your efforts are not in vain.

Responsibleness

Leaders of principle also act responsibly, and they eagerly accept responsibility. One of the Creator’s first laws is that if we are faithful over the smaller jobs and tasks we have been given, we will be granted even greater ones. 4 This is the process by which leaders grow into increasingly responsible positions.

Luke 16:10 Someone who is trustworthy in a small matter is also trustworthy in large ones, and someone who is dishonest in a small matter is also dishonest in large ones.

Discipline and Sacrifice

Leaders of principle have learned to govern themselves. They exercise self-control without needing to be disciplined externally. As we, too, progress in character development, we will learn to govern and discipline each area of our lives in order to protect it from ethical lapses and prepare it for maximum productivity.

We will train ourselves to do this regardless of whether other people are present, and regardless of whether other people ever find out about it. Many people have a certain awe about those who sacrifice and suffer in order to do extraordinary acts that will aid humanity, or to accomplish a demanding goal.

And that awe is translated into inspiration. In this way, as we have seen, sacrifice based on conviction leads to inspiration. And inspiration is what leads other people to join in fulfilling our vision.

Shema Selah  part 1 part 2 what is it that the Most High is showing you in your character development to be a principled leader?!?! https://www.facebook.com/fiveam.prayer/videos/1596120523799391/?=3038937828627773848

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