HOW CHARACTER DEVELOPS, PART III: WHAT WE SERVE

Matthew chapter 15






Today we are walking in: How Character Develops, Part III: What We Serve






Today we look to the word-LEADER- H5057 nagiyd-- leader, ruler, captain, prince; excellent thing, (chief) governor, leader, noble, prince, (chief) ruler.







The Torah Testifies.............................

*****












The prophets proclaim...............







Isaiah 55:4 - Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader H5057 and commander to the people.


















The writings bear witness.............







2Chronicles 32:21 - And the LORD sent an angel, which cut off all the mighty men of valour, and the leaders H5057 and captains in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land. And when he was come into the house of his god, they that came forth of his own bowels slew him there with the sword








Chapter 5
How Character Develops, Part III: What We Serve


“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”1 —Yahusha of Nazareth


We’ve been exploring the process of character development, which we could also refer to as our “philosophical journey”—how our beliefs, convictions, and values develop, as well as where they take us in life. Once we formulate our values, we translate them into specific personal moral standards, or principles, that express in what manner we will commit to live. The combination of our values comprises our personal standpoint, from which our morals are derived.


Moral Standards, or Principles


One dictionary definition of moral is “of or relating to principles of right and wrong in behavior.” Principle can be defined as “a comprehensive and fundamental law, doctrine, or assumption.” Moral standards, therefore, have to do with our beliefs about right and wrong behavior, based on the fundamental assumptions, or laws, that we have adopted.


True leaders esteem time-honored moral standards. Many contemporary leaders may recognize moral standards, but they do not esteem them. They do not hold them in high regard. How many leaders truly ask themselves, “Is this decision or opportunity that is open to me moral?” or, “Is what I’m about to do ethical?”


Unfortunately, people’s concepts of “right” and “wrong” have become hazier today, contributing to the ethical crisis among our leaders. Yet, as we will see in teaching 7, this confusion often occurs as a mental or emotional response, more than as a response from the core of a person’s inner being— the seat of his conscience, which responds to moral absolutes.


We must make a commitment to follow honorable principles. Leaders of character live by standards, not by expediency. Many people today are under great pressure to be expedient—to serve the needs or demands of a given moment or situation, rather than to serve their unique purpose in life and to do so according to moral standards. In my view, what we call “political correctness” is often a contemporary form of expediency that leads people to compromise their values.


Leaders of character live by standards, not by expediency. Leaders are individuals who live by a set of principles that they will not compromise, even for the sake of expediency. They are able to do so because they have declared independence from the expectations of others. They are more concerned with manifesting their true selves than with “proving” themselves to others. In this regard, we could refer to a leader’s commitment to time-honored principles as “ethical correctness.” That should be the standard for twenty-first-century leaders.


Moral Standards Come from Within


Yahusha of Nazareth said,
Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man unclean. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.2


Immoral actions begin in the heart, or the subconscious mind. For example, individuals often practice lies before they tell them. People generally premeditate stealing, lying, committing adultery, or engaging in other unethical behavior. Then, they wait for an opportunity to do so, and when it arises, they take it. Some people may not specifically be “waiting” for an opportunity. However, they have imagined the act in their minds, and this weakens their willpower. Consequently, when the opportunity presents itself, they are much more likely to succumb, and actually do it.


In this sense, a thief was a thief before he stole something; a liar was a liar before he told an untruth. Everything a person does is rehearsed before it’s manifested, because it comes from the core values and morals he has constructed for himself.


Moral Standards Are Personal Decisions


Being intentional about the moral standards by which we will live always involves making personal decisions. Standards are not just principles we think are “good ideas” we would do well to follow. Why? Because we can live our entire lives thinking that something is a good idea—but never follow it. So, moral standards are not just what we intellectually affirm to be right and beneficial; they are principles that we have made an active decision to follow.


Our beliefs determine our actions as they become our standards for living. Whatever we truly believe in, we will serve. This is a crucial point that each of us needs to take to heart: We must determine beforehand what we will serve. If we don’t, we will allow our impulses, our circumstances, or other people’s opinions to control us. We will never fulfill our leadership purpose and convictions if we haven’t already decided to serve the values and moral standards that align with them and by which they can be accomplished.


It is easy for leaders to get caught in the trap of holding a double standard— not following the principles that they require or expect others to follow. For example, if parents are to exercise moral leadership in their homes, they must set an example for their children. Many young people today are frustrated because their parents expect them to behave according to ethical principles while the parents are engaging in unethical and immoral conduct— unsportsmanlike behavior, gossip, lying, cheating, abusing alcohol, and the like. Then parents wonder why, for instance, their daughter becomes pregnant at age thirteen, or their son gets arrested for drunk driving at age seventeen. They attempt to correct their children, when they themselves have allowed the children to become corrupted because they haven’t instructed them in values or set a clear example of what it means to be an ethical leader.


Moral leadership doesn’t always require many words. A principled leader can walk into a room of people and change the whole environment just by being there. Character has an atmosphere that goes with it. That is why I have said that character, or moral force, is the key to inspirational leadership. When you have moral force, you will inevitably inspire people. And that moral force comes from your convictions, which are translated into values and moral standards that set an example for others.


A principled leader can walk into a room of people and change the whole environment just by being there.


Examples of Personal Moral Standards


How can you establish moral standards for yourself? After you have developed a written statement of your values, you should also write down your personal principles for living. In the previous teaching, we discussed the example of a person who values the institution of marriage. Here is how that personal value could translate to a written moral standard for someone who is married: “I value the institution of marriage, so my corresponding personal moral standard, or principle for living, is that I will be faithful, and remain faithful, to my spouse.”


We also used the example of esteeming the quality of honesty. Here is how that value could translate to a moral standard for a businessperson: “I esteem the quality of honesty; therefore, my corresponding moral conviction, or principle, is that I will always tell the truth to my customers and never overcharge them or bill them for services that were not performed.”


Here is another example in relation to an individual who values the benefits of a strong and healthy physical body: “I value having a strong body that will enable me to live longer, be more productive, and enjoy life better. My corresponding moral conviction, or principle, is that I will maintain a fit body by regularly eating healthy foods and exercising, and by not abusing alcohol, drugs, or other addictive substances.”


Discipline


Once we have determined our moral standards, written them down, and declared them to others, what does it take to keep them? We will explore this theme in more depth in a later teaching on how character is tested. But first, to be intentional about our character—following through with our established standards—requires exercising personal discipline. If we have genuine convictions, we will be motivated to discipline ourselves for the purpose of remaining aligned with those convictions.


Setting Priorities and Making Choices


Just as moral standards begin with our thinking, discipline begins with our mind. Being disciplined involves setting priorities for yourself that determine your choices and direct your behavior. Two dictionary definitions for discipline are “a rule or system of rules governing conduct or activity,” or “orderly or prescribed conduct or pattern of behavior.” When you have a “rule” that governs your activity, or when you have “prescribed” conduct for yourself, it means that you previously made some choices that you have determined will guide your activities and behavior.


Priorities are the key to effective decision-making. You must identify priorities in relation to achieving your vision and establishing the principles by which you will conduct your entire life, including how you will spend your time and money. Prioritizing places useful limits on your decisions— limits that will enable you to become the leader you were meant to be. You first determine what is beneficial for you, and then you order your life in ways that train and prepare you, and provide for the fulfillment of your purpose.


Self-imposed Parameters


The key to being disciplined is to set self-imposed parameters for your life in relation to both your moral standards and your daily activities—what you will and will not accept for yourself, and what you will and will not participate in. Are the activities you are currently involved in beneficial to your leadership purpose and vision? The choices we must make are not always between what is good and what is bad. Sometimes, they are between what is “good” and what is “better” or “best.” Prioritizing protects you from trying to do everything. It keeps you from spending too much time on secondary pursuits.


Unless you establish moral standards and priorities for yourself, you will have no real beneficial restraints on your life. Therefore, ask yourself questions such as these:


On what am I expending my energies?


On what am I spending my money?


Where am I investing my finances?


What am I feeding my mind and heart (TV shows, movies, books, music, Web sites) as a steady diet?


Is what I am watching, reading, or listening to helping or hindering me in the pursuit of my purpose and vision?


(All of the above types of resources are value-neutral—it is how they are used by others, and how we prioritize their use in our own lives, that makes the difference from a moral standpoint.)


What hobbies am I pursuing?


What food and other substances am I taking into my body?


What am I risking by my attitudes and behavior?


What am I neglecting to do that I should be doing?


Since personal discipline will enable you to remain aligned with your convictions, the above questions will help you to prioritize and to make good decisions for how to live your life.


Training Yourself and Setting the Pattern for Your Life


Let’s look at two additional definitions of discipline that apply directly to our topic: “training that corrects, molds, or perfects the mental faculties or moral character,” and “self-control.” In teaching 1, I asked, “If you were tried in the court of your belief, would there be enough evidence to convict you?” I asked that question because, when you have faith in an idea or a moral standard to the point that you are willing to sacrifice for it, then we could say that you are a “convict” of it. Your belief system creates self-imposed parameters for your life, so that you will adhere to your principles.


A person of character “polices” himself, exercising self-control in accordance with his beliefs. When you have genuine conviction, you make sure you don’t diverge from your chosen path. Once you have established strong standards, you don’t permit your beliefs to stage a “jail break” and escape—no matter how much money someone offers you to compromise your convictions, or no matter what other short-term gain you might receive as a result.


There are many examples of leaders who became “convicts” of their philosophical ideas—whose belief systems created their convictions, which became the source of their moral positions and conduct. Rick Hodes, an American medical doctor, first went to Ethiopia in 1984 as a famine relief worker. While he was there, he developed the strong conviction that he belonged in that nation to serve the Ethiopian people through his skills as a physician. He moved to Ethiopia and, many years later, is still committed to that vision. Hodes reportedly “has served tens of thousands of people through immunization, family planning, community health, nutritional support and his specialist field—spine deformities.” He has also adopted five Ethiopian children.3


Once you have established moral parameters for your life, you don’t permit your beliefs to stage a “jail break” and escape.


Therefore, as a leader, you must protect your morals, because morals produce discipline in keeping with your convictions. They prompt you to impose constraints on yourself for the sake of a greater purpose. When you are committed to your beliefs and standards, no one else needs to put restrictions on you—you restrict yourself from what will hinder or harm you. You understand that there are purposes and goals in life that are immeasurably greater than temporary pleasures, secondary objectives, and everyday distractions.


True leaders live a very narrow life in relation to their purpose. They don’t make room for much slackness; they are tough on themselves. Paul of Tarsus, the first-century leader, wrote to his Corinthian audience, In a race all the runners run. But only one gets the prize. You know that, don’t you? So run in a way that will get you the prize. All who take part in the games train hard. They do it to get a crown that will not last. But we do it to get a crown that will last forever. So I do not run like someone who doesn’t run toward the finish line. I do not fight like a boxer who hits nothing but air. No, I train my body and bring it under control. Then after I have preached to others, I myself will not break the rules and fail to win the prize.4


Paul exercised self-discipline, and he encouraged those whom he was leading to do the same. He spoke of being intentional about “training hard.” Notice that he did so for the purpose of reaching his goal, which he described as “the prize.” He knew he would not fulfill his purpose unless he disciplined his life. Accordingly, I encourage you to add a statement of your priorities, choices, and self-imposed parameters to your written record of your beliefs, convictions, values, and moral standards.


Remember that one of the definitions of discipline is “prescribed pattern of behavior.” Personal discipline in line with moral standards manifests in a pattern of ethical conduct. Similarly, immoral or unethical conduct by an individual—in which, for example, an individual ignores his convictions for the sake of temporary pleasure—is evidence of a lack of discipline in his life. When an absence of discipline becomes a negative pattern in a leader’s life, he is in danger of such consequences as constant frustration, ineffectiveness, personal and financial setbacks, and moral failure. Our moral standards, or principles, can’t become established within us unless we discipline ourselves, so that they become a positive pattern of behavior in our lives.


Ethics


This leads us to the next stage of character development, in which our conduct and/or disciplined actions manifest as our ethics. Let’s look at several dictionary definitions of ethics, in which I have emphasized certain words in boldface type: “a set of moral principles: a theory or system of moral values,” “the principles of conduct governing an individual or a group,” or “a guiding philosophy.”


In previous teachings, we’ve talked about leaders establishing a “code of ethics.” A code of ethics brings together what we’ve discussed over the past three teachings. It is the synthesis of a leader’s beliefs, convictions, values, and moral standards, as well as the priorities and choices that determine his personal discipline. A code of ethics is a clearly delineated guiding philosophy and system of moral principles to which he commits in order to exercise effective, ethical leadership.


An individual’s experience of exercising leadership will be much easier— and more fulfilling—if he establishes strong beliefs and convictions, and determines his values, moral standards, and priorities at the beginning of the process of his leadership development. Yet all of us must continually work to strengthen the areas of ethical weakness in our lives, and to develop the qualities of principled leaders. Our code of ethics is like a compass, pointing us to the goal we are moving toward. In the end, the quality of our character depends on the nature and durability of our ethical code.


Our code of ethics is the synthesis of our beliefs, convictions, values, moral standards, priorities, and discipline.


Character Controls Lifestyle


Lastly, the conduct that we manifest, as a result of our commitment to our code of ethics (or our lack of such), defines our character. And our character controls our lifestyle. That is where our philosophical journey ultimately leads—it determines the entire shape and scope of our lives. In this sense, we could say that our character is our life.


Addressing Deficiencies in Character Development


Now that we’ve explored the process of character development, let’s discuss what can be done when we realize that we’ve allowed certain negative character traits to become established in our lives. If we have flaws in our belief system (and we all have them), some of our convictions and values will be faulty, resulting in gaps or failings in the course of our personal development. As we have seen, none of us “receives” character issues from someone or something outside of us. They come from within us—from our heart, or subconscious mind.


Once you have identified character flaws in your life, you must immediately begin to correct them. To identify the source of a character flaw, you need to discover where the defect occurred in the process of your development. Usually, this means rebuilding areas of your philosophy, substituting your faulty beliefs and convictions with solid ones.


Ideally, defects that appear during the process of an individual’s character development should be corrected lovingly but firmly by his parents or grandparents, or perhaps teachers or other mature adults in his community. If these defects are not addressed, they will magnify in the person’s life, and they may eventually manifest as a massive character disaster. The sooner a person learns how to intentionally develop strong values, moral standards, and discipline, the better—for his own sake, and for the benefit of society.


As I wrote earlier, a leader’s character defects will frequently manifest when he is given power, position, and/or wealth. At any level of leadership, most leaders have one or more of these resources, to some degree. The saying “Absolute power corrupts absolutely” is not entirely correct. It is not the power itself but something within a person that corrupts him and causes him to misuse his power and abuse other people.


If a person had absolute power, he could use it to be a blessing to other people. Some leaders who have had great power have used it for that purpose. Power is not a problem unless it is used by someone who lacks character. The same principle applies to wealth. There’s nothing wrong with money itself— the problem is the manner in which a person handles and controls it, which is tied to his character. Power, authority, position, money, influence, and so forth are meant to be tools that enable a leader to achieve a noble purpose— not to serve selfish or dishonorable ends.


A Paradox of Strengths and Weaknesses


I mentioned previously that most people have certain positive traits and certain negative traits—strengths and weaknesses of character. The Bible provides some very interesting character studies in this regard. The life of King David is a fascinating paradox that manifests moral strengths and weaknesses alike. As a young man, David held strong convictions that lifted him into the highest position of leadership and made him into a great ruler. However, after he received power, certain character defects manifested in the way he used that power.


Let’s first look at an incident that reveals one of David’s convictions, which led to his exercising ethical leadership. David had been anointed to be the next king of Israel. He had once been close to the current king, Saul, but the king had become increasingly jealous of him and sought to kill him. David had been forced to flee for his life.


At one point, circumstances gave David an opportunity to kill Saul when the king entered a cave, not realizing that David and his men were hidden in the shadows at the very back of the cavern. David’s men urged him to kill Saul, and David crept up quietly to the king and cut off a corner of his robe (perhaps as a symbol of taking over Saul’s reign). Immediately, David regretted his action. The idea that he had even considered killing the king caused him to be conscience-stricken—despite the fact that Saul was trying to kill him. This was because David held a deep conviction that Saul was the “anointed of the Lord,” and David was still Saul’s subject.


When Saul left the cave, David followed and called out to him, telling him that he had spared his life and that he meant him no harm. He quoted an old saying to the king as he explained, “‘From evildoers come evil deeds,’ so my hand will not touch you.”5 Saul continued to pursue David, and David had a second opportunity to kill him one night when the king and his men were sound asleep in their camp. Yet he again spared Saul’s life.


Saul was eventually killed in battle against the Philistine nation. David then became king over all of Israel—without forcing his way into the position, which would have established his kingship on the wrong foundation from the start.6 To quote a proverb later written by Solomon, David’s son and successor, “Such is the end of all who go after ill-gotten gain; it takes away the lives of those who get it.”7


David’s response to Saul is in striking contrast to the subsequent behavior of David’s son Absalom, who was hungry for power and attempted to overthrow his father’s throne. Absalom was eventually killed (contrary to David’s orders), and David mourned the loss of his son.8
“Ill-gotten gain...takes away the lives of those who get it.”


Because of his convictions and moral standards, David had exercised personal restraint in preserving Saul’s life. Yet, sometime after he had been established as king, he compromised his moral standards for the sake of temporary pleasure one evening when he became enamored of a beautiful woman. Even though he knew she was married to one of his loyal soldiers, he sent messengers to bring her to his palace, and he had sexual relations with her. Later, when she sent him a message saying that she was pregnant, he arranged to have her husband killed in battle. Then, he brought her to the palace permanently as his wife.9


Somewhere along the way of his character development, he allowed a flaw to form that manifested in adultery when he was in a position to arrange to indulge in it—and then to commit murder to cover it up—thinking that his actions could be kept secret. But they eventually came to light. When David was confronted about his actions, he fully admitted to them, acknowledging the path that had led to his immoral conduct. While he remained king, he suffered consequences.10


As we saw earlier, a similar defect occurred at some point during President Clinton’s philosophical journey that influenced his values and resulted in a flaw in his character. He had not committed to the principle that adultery is a moral violation, and even afterward, he continued to justify his unethical actions in his own mind.


When Sleeping Snakes Are Awakened


Character defects are like sleeping snakes that awaken and strike people when they enter positions of leadership and receive the trappings of power. As I wrote earlier, character failure often occurs when a person is in the midst of success. In many ways, success is the greatest test of character. This is because most people cannot handle success—they are not prepared for it, and the weight of it becomes too heavy for them. As a result, some area of their character collapses. Many wonderful, gifted people have crumbled under the burden of success.


Yet when a leader has committed to a code of ethics, it will protect him by eliminating “sleeping snakes.” It will become a continual reminder of his prescribed conduct and self-imposed parameters, which he has determined to abide by for the sake of achieving and preserving his vision.


You’re Not Finished Yet!


The concepts of these last few teachings, and of this entire series, are ones that I have thought about and researched for more than thirty years. I urge you not to take what I’ve written lightly. It could save your leadership and your life over the next ten or twenty years. Remember that no matter how great a leader you become, you could lose everything that you’ve gained due to a lack of character.


Regardless of what you’ve already accomplished, you’re not finished yet. Never become impressed by your prior accomplishments, because they can hold you back from achieving even higher ones. The greatest enemy of progress is your last success. Rejoice over it for a few days, and then move on. Press on to new heights, holding fast to your principles, so that your leadership will not be cut short by moral or ethical failure.


Don’t forfeit your leadership in the midst of your growth and success as a leader. Make sure you prepare yourself by developing morally and ethically as a human being. Success is part of leadership, but it must be carried by character.