Genesis chapter 1
Today we are walking in: The Power of Principles
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 8
The Power of Principles
“Change your opinions, keep to your principles; change your leaves, keep intact your roots.”
—Victor Hugo, writer
When a consumer product is developed and produced, its manufacturer often publishes important information about it in a user’s manual that is packaged with the item. The manual is actually a book of “principles” indicating how the item functions, how to properly operate it, and how to make it last longer. Some of these principles might be: “Keep away from heat.” “Always clean appliance after using.” “Do not use near or place in water.” “Not intended to bear weight exceeding 10 pounds.” “Observe recommended maintenance schedule.”
Similarly, after creating the first human beings, the “Manufacturer” gave them valuable information about how they “functioned,” how to properly “operate” their lives, and how to ensure that their leadership would have longevity. He conveyed specific principles so they could understand the nature by which they had been designed to live. Later on in human history, He made sure these principles, and additional instructions, were put into writing as a vital reference for all of humanity.
Earlier, we discussed the fact that the values of an organization or community should always be conveyed clearly to its members. And we are all members of the largest community on earth—the human race. The Creator has “published” His principles and values in various ways in the Bible, which is, in effect, a “Corporate User’s Manual” for human beings. Some of these principles and values are included in compilations of moral standards, two of which are commonly known as the Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes. But many more may be discovered in its pages—some of which we explored in the previous teaching.
In teaching 7, I wrote that the principles contained in the biblical record are time-tested, stable, and civically sound. They can secure true human development and enable us to rebuild our societies and nations on a foundation of sound values and ethics. In addition, if an individual who has suppressed his conscience, or moral compass, becomes aware of the Creator’s principles, and responds to them, his conscience can be reawakened, so that he will regain a conviction of right and wrong. For all these reasons, I have designed this teaching as an overview of the key properties and benefits of the principles the Creator has established for us.
The Key to Leading Effectively
The power of principles has been among the greatest discoveries of my life, and I believe the same can be true for you. The key to living effectively on this earth is to know, accept, and apply the Manufacturer’s principles. Comprehending these principles will give us wisdom, and following them will make us leaders of character.
The Manufacturer—Not the Product— Sets the Principles
The first key property to understand about principles is that a manufactured product does not establish the principles by which it functions—the creator/manufacturer does. As we have noted, everything our Creator/Manufacturer made was designed to operate according to principles He had determined in advance. That includes us human beings. So, the principles by which we function have already been defined by our Creator; they are not defined by us.
The Purpose of Principles
These principles are not arbitrary but are specific to our purpose: We were meant to operate according to principles that can uphold our moral nature in Yah’s image and likeness. Therefore, it is in our best interest to understand and follow them.
“First Laws”
We have previously defined a principle as “a comprehensive and fundamental law, doctrine, or assumption,” “a rule or code of conduct,” and “a primary source.” The word principle is derived from two Latin words meaning “beginning” and “initiator.” Accordingly, principles refer to “first laws.”
The Creator’s “first laws” for life on earth pertain to both the physical and the moral (spiritual) realms. Yah instituted physical laws, such as the force of gravity, to govern our earthly environment, giving us the parameters for how we may function in the natural world. Likewise, He instituted moral laws for the conduct of our lives, giving us parameters for how we may live in an ethical way with respect to Him, ourselves, and other people.
Comprehending principles will make us wise, and following them will make us leaders of character.
Principles Are Permanent
Another key property of Yah’s principles is that they are unchanging, or permanent. We can resist them, but that does not alter them or the consequences of rejecting them. To use a familiar example, you could try to defy the law of gravity by jumping off a building, believing that you would float down to safety, simply by wanting it to happen. Yet gravity would still pull you down to the ground—in effect, saying, “I’m going to prove to you that physics works!” Fixed laws apply to everyone.
All of life relates to physical and/or moral principles. We are concerned in this book with exploring moral principles, which lead to character, as well as the consequences of disregarding them. Therefore, let’s look at some benefits of learning, and adhering to, the Creator’s eternal principles.
Benefits of Knowing and Following the Creator’s Principles
Principles Safeguard Us from Substitutes
Principles enable us to build and maintain personal character as they govern and safeguard our lives. While the “first laws” are those the Manufacturer instituted and stated in His User’s Manual, there are other moral laws we must view with caution because they are substitutes for the originals. These were invented by some of the Manufacturer’s “products.”
For example, many people today are advancing their own principles regarding what conduct is morally and ethically acceptable. The reason many of our nations are experiencing decline is that they are being led by influential people whose philosophies are based on other “manuals.” These cultural leaders claim that the revised principles are better than the ones the Manufacturer established. Yet the new principles are not recognized by the Manufacturer and will not lead to lasting success, according to the laws He has established for the world. We cannot institute “new” natural laws. And we cannot alter the inherent principles by which human beings have been created to function.
Perhaps you’ve had the experience of preparing for a week-long trip and trying to decide what to pack. In such a situation, many people tend to overpack, so they have to sit on top of their suitcase in an attempt to shut it. The suitcase’s sides bulge, and its zipper becomes strained. Often, after several unsuccessful attempts, people end up taking out some of their items because the case wasn’t designed to hold that much volume. Sometimes, however, people succeed in shutting the lid, and then they have to lug around a heavy suitcase. If they’re traveling by plane, they may have to pay an extra fee due to the extra weight of their luggage. Then, by the time they return home, the seams of the suitcase have started to pull apart, and the fabric is fraying.
This scenario is similar to what happens when we try to add “new” principles that don’t fit in with the Creator’s original design—they become burdensome and damaging to us. Some people claim that shifting morals indicate social progress—leading the way for human development and reengineering. However, they fail to recognize the consequences to human development of tampering with, or rejecting, integral principles. Such new laws may garner popular support, but they won’t cancel first laws, which, again, are as fixed, morally speaking, as physical laws are.
Here’s another simple illustration. Suppose an individual decided he wanted to forgo using gasoline to run his car, so he filled his tank with orange juice, instead. He had the will to do this, and he had the ability to do it, but his action didn’t alter the principle of how an internal combustion engine works. As originally designed, his car won’t run unless he puts fuel in it. And putting orange juice in his tank will damage the engine.
In this regard, let’s look at some statements found in the User’s Manual, in the book called the “Psalms,” in which the biblical writer is addressing the Creator:
You have laid down precepts that are to be fully obeyed.1
The word “precepts” refers to first laws. The writer was saying, in effect, “Creator, You’ve laid down principles that are not optional; they are not open for discussion.” Although they are permanent, first laws are not stagnant. On the contrary, they are applicable to all people, in all eras of history, and they are life-giving. Later on in the passage, we read,
I will never forget your precepts,
for by them you have preserved my life.2
Next, let’s look at the opening lines of another psalm, written by King David, about leaders who try to function according to principles contrary to those the Creator has set:
Why do the nations conspire
and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth take their stand
and the rulers gather together
against the Lord and against his Anointed One. “Let us break their chains,” they say,
“and throw off their fetters.”3
The next part says,
The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them.4
Why does the Creator “laugh” at this conspiracy? Since His principles are already set, any plots against them are in vain. People are inventing their own laws, but they won’t work. Yah has already determined the best way for us to function.
The Creator isn’t impressed by any governmental leader or legislative body that creates laws contrary to the ones He has built into life. Neither is He threatened by them. He is our ultimate Leader, and His authority cannot be supplanted by those whom He has created.
Though we can’t invent principles that will cancel the Manufacturer’s first laws, that doesn’t mean that people won’t attempt to create them and live according to them. But if they do, they won’t be living in harmony with themselves, with others, or with their Creator. They won’t function as they were designed to.
Following Yah’s established standards is the only way human beings can live productively and peacefully. Yet many people seem to fight against these principles. I believe that if they understood the essential purposes of Yah’s first laws, they would stop fighting them and benefit from their life-giving power.
Principles Simplify Our Lives and Decision-Making
Another reason the Creator’s principles are eminently valuable is that they simplify life. When you understand His principles, you know how to respond in a variety of situations—especially those that involve ethical questions. You must take time to learn Yah’s laws, but when you do, they will make many of your decisions clearer and easier.
The first psalmist I quoted in the previous section also made this statement: I will walk about in freedom,
for I have sought out your precepts.5
The writer was saying that because he had “sought out” the Creator’s principles, he knew he would “walk about in freedom.” When we follow Yah’s first laws, we are liberated. We are, as we discussed, set free to make decisions about various issues and dilemmas without having to wonder what to do. And we are also free from the negative consequences that come from making poor ethical decisions. Thus, observing foundational principles enables us to walk with a new confidence.
Let’s look at one more excerpt from the passage quoted above: I have more insight than all my teachers,
for I meditate on your statutes.
I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey your precepts.6
If you study the Creator’s principles, you’ll become much wiser than many leaders today. I frequently interact with powerful, influential people, and when I’m asked to present my ideas for solving certain societal or corporate issues, the leaders often comment on the wisdom contained in those ideas. What many of them don’t realize—especially at first—is that I have studied many of Yah’s integral principles. I can’t take credit for the wisdom. As a consultant, my role is to explain and expound upon these principles to them. When they first hear the principles, they think they are new and remarkable.
They are remarkable—but they are not new. Once more, they are long- established and time-tested.
If you study the Creator’s principles, you’ll become much wiser than many leaders today.
Consequently, if someone is having a problem with his company, and he asks me to serve as a consultant to address the issue, I often know exactly what to advise right away, because most problems involve violations of first laws—principles of ethics, principles of right relationships, principles of sound financial practices, and so forth. At times, I can identify most problems within a company in a matter of hours. Why? I’m not looking at personalities or agendas—I’m looking for the key principles the leaders and their employees are ignoring or rejecting.
If you understand principles, therefore, discovering solutions to a variety of concerns will become second nature. To return to the automobile analogy, suppose the fuel gauge of your car was below “E.” You wouldn’t have to wonder what to do in order to get your car to continue to function. The decision would be simple, because you would know the “principle.” Even if you didn’t know much about engines, you would know the most important law to apply in order to make your car run again: Put some gas in it. Likewise, in the moral arena, you don’t have to question how to respond when someone asks you to do something dishonest, reckless, vengeful, and so forth. When you know first laws, or principles, you know exactly what to do—and what not to do.
In the Corporate User’s Manual, the book of Proverbs gives much practical wisdom that we can apply in a number of situations. One passage, using an illustration from the natural world, addresses the perils of laziness and the rewards of working to provide for your own needs:
Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest. How long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest—and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man.7
In another section of the User’s Manual, Yahusha of Nazareth discusses our need to address our own shortcomings before trying to correct others’ faults:
Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, “Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,” when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.8
Principles Enable Us to Fulfill Our Potential
Violating the Creator’s principles will also prevent us from reaching our full potential. If we follow His laws, we can fulfill our destiny. If we don’t, we will never reach it. For instance, the “destiny” of your car is to mobilize you and transport you safely to your destination. Yet, if you were to violate a key principle related to the vehicle—for example, if you were to continue operating the car after allowing the oil pan to run dry, so that you ruined the engine—you would have nullified the manufacturer’s promises about its functioning. Similarly, the success of your future depends on your obedience to key principles established by your Manufacturer—the Creator.
Obedience is not a negative word. In this sense, to obey merely means to follow proven principles. Suppose you were to place grain seeds on a clean tile floor. When you came back after a few days, you would see that they had not sprouted or taken root. They need to be planted in soil to do that. So, every time you plant seeds in the ground, you are submitting to the principle of growth established by the Creator. Likewise, when you adhere to His moral principles, you are submitting to a vital standard for fulfilling your personal potential as a leader. Remember that character ensures the longevity of leadership, and men and women of principle will leave important legacies and be remembered by future generations.
As we saw earlier, the process of applying a principle requires that you must first know what the principle is (for example, you have to know that your car requires fuel to function). Second, you must value, or accept, the principle (you become convinced of the need to put fuel into your car). Third, you must act on the principle (by actually putting fuel into your car’s gas tank). You would barely think about the process described in this illustration if you’d been around automobiles from the time you were a child, so that the process had become second nature. Nevertheless, each step is necessary, and we must realize that the process applies to the implementation of principles in many contexts.
Without First Laws, Life Is an Experiment
When people don’t know or obey first laws, they begin to experiment with foundational elements of human life, including values and morals. These substitute laws are “experiments” because the people promoting them have little understanding of what is going to happen to individuals and society if the new laws are promoted and practiced. Experimentation is beneficial and necessary in relation to scientific inquiry, creative endeavors, and so forth. But experimentation in moral matters is a dangerous practice.
Experimentation Leads to Distrust and Disillusionment
The average leader in the world today has not been trained in the Manufacturer’s principles, so he often has to make up his responses when confronted with societal issues and problems. This means that many of the leaders of your country are merely guessing about how to deal with national problems. So, your country’s future is, in essence, an experiment for them. They keep trying this policy and that policy, but few of them work.
One outcome of society’s experimentation with ethics has been people’s growing distrust of authority, leading to their disillusionment. When leaders of all walks of life lack character and experiment with principles, their constituents don’t have anyone they can really trust. By and large, in our society today, the younger generations don’t trust the older generations, and the older generations don’t trust the younger generations—or even themselves. Citizens don’t have confidence in their politicians, and politicians don’t have regard for the citizens. Parishioners don’t respect their priests and ministers, and the priests and ministers don’t esteem the parishioners. Likewise, students don’t respect their teachers, and the teachers don’t esteem their students.
This widespread distrust has resulted in varying degrees of apathy, compromise, permissiveness, sexual confusion, a devaluation of human life, and a culture of violence and death. Our experimentation must be replaced with the application of first laws in regard to the fundamental values of human life. Experimentation in moral matters is a dangerous practice.
Experimentation Leads to Lawlessness
We have seen that, in the optimal scenario, a country’s laws are based on values and standards by which the citizens in the national community have agreed to live. This is why a nation can reflect a national ethic. If the citizens value a certain standard, it becomes a law to them. If the individual citizens agree to abide by that law, they become moral. Their conduct, then, becomes ethical.
Yet this process has broken down today. Values and standards are often considered relative. People say things such as, “What’s right for you isn’t necessarily what’s right for me. Therefore, you can’t impose your standards on me.” This viewpoint can apply only so far, because our world was designed with fixed principles and moral absolutes, without which a society can’t function in a healthy way. And individuals must exercise personal responsibility in relation to these fixed principles and moral absolutes.
Experimentation in ethical issues results from not having—or acknowledging—moral references or parameters, so that nothing is “settled.” Instead, relativism and license take over. License contrasts with the freedom that is gained from following sound principles; it leads to lawlessness, which is a rejection of natural laws and standards. I believe that a spirit of lawlessness has affected every level of society today.
The only way to solve lawlessness is to restore character. Principled leaders are those who establish moral boundaries and set ethical “stakes.” We need people who will say, “This is what I believe,” and “This is the boundary. This is where we stand.”
Leaders who have not comprehended moral principles, or who have rejected them, have led us into lawlessness. It will take leaders who understand moral principles, who live by them, and who establish ethical policies to lead us back to lawfulness. Laws can help to create character as people adhere to them.
Many people say, “Governments cannot legislate morality.” I believe the opposite. Let us not be fooled into believing that political decisions and policies are morally neutral. Why? Because all decisions have moral implications, and therefore all governmental policies and laws are “moral”— they reflect the values and ethics of those who institute them. You can’t create a law that doesn’t reflect a moral code. And codes regulate conduct.
Yet, as we know, a society can be only as strong as the number of its members who value its laws and adhere to them personally.
Moral principles can be promoted in the context of any form of “government,” not just political entities. Such standards can be set by all types of leaders, on all levels—whether leaders of a family, a civic group, a university, a business, a nation, or another entity. Implementing some form of rules, policies, or codes of acceptable behavior is what all “governments” do.
Experimentation Leads to Loss and Destruction
When leaders try to implement principles that they have fabricated, and that are in opposition to the Manufacturer’s first laws, “malfunctions” will occur. To act in a way contrary to the User’s Manual is to risk damage to the “product.” Picture a lighthouse in a storm, with waves crashing high against it. The waves are in motion, but the lighthouse is stable; it is grounded. The principles given to us by the Creator are like lighthouses—they remain constant, and they provide light that guides us to solid ground.
To act in a way contrary to the Corporate User’s Manual is to risk damage to the “product.”
I was born in a very poor neighborhood in the Bahamas. My ten brothers and sisters and I slept on the floor of our two-bedroom wood house, the corners of which rested on four stones. In my neighborhood, questionable characters were always present, exerting a negative influence. But when I discovered the Creator’s principles, they not only changed the way I thought about myself, but they altered the course of my life. I recognized the potential within me and gained a vision for my life that has stayed with me to this day.
A number of my fellow classmates had great potential. However, many of our teachers would tell the students, “You are a failure. You’ll always be a failure, and nothing but a failure.” After some time, a lot of the students would finally believe it, and say, “There’s no use in trying. I’m just going to fail this exam, anyway, so I might as well not study.” Sadly, many did fail in school and never fulfilled their potential.
Other classmates’ lives went off track because they violated moral principles and laws. Some of them are in prison now. When I visit them, they say, “You’ve done well.” I reply, “I’ve just made some decisions that were different, that’s all.”
Whether a person consciously or unconsciously violates first laws, the result is decline and destruction. Most things in life aren’t killed; they die on their own. The Creator did not say to the first human beings, “If you disobey Me, I will kill you.” He said, in effect, “If you disobey this first principle, you will certainly die.”9 He knew the inevitable consequences of violating bedrock principles.
Destruction from within—whether it is within an individual, a family, a business, a church, a volunteer organization, a local community, or a country —is a sign of either a lack of awareness of first laws, a rejection of them, or both. Similarly, no matter what kind of crime someone may commit—a misdemeanor, a white-collar crime, or a violent crime—it is the result of a denial of principles.
If a leader does not know first laws and implement them, I can predict the future of his organization. You may be a leader who has been ignoring time- honored principles. Perhaps, by using your charisma and exhibiting enthusiasm, you have gotten people excited about following you and your vision. But, underneath, your foundation is not secure.
Your organization may grow at first. Yet when it gets to a certain size, it will stop expanding, because you haven’t applied the principles necessary for it to grow beyond that point. Corporate growth is not all about business plans, investments, and top-notch employees. You also have to conduct business honestly; make wise decisions; and hire people who have integrity, who have a passion for the corporate vision, and who value and support the contributions of all their coworkers.
Recommit to the Principles in the Corporate User’s Manual
It doesn’t make a difference what the current issues, trends, and fads may be —if you know and follow first laws, you will outlast temporal matters. Leaders of character do not live by transient movements or emotions but by solid principles. Again, emotions are part of the human makeup. However, leaders of character are not guided by how they feel on a particular day; they are guided by the principles that form their lifelong convictions and values.
No matter what type of leadership you exercise, don’t forget first laws! Perhaps you are a leader in a local, regional, or national government who is in a position to tackle contemporary problems and to help develop laws and civic programs. Or, maybe you are a leader in your business or organization who is in a position to develop corporate plans and to set policies. If you violate the Manufacturer’s principles, you will contribute to the weakening of your nation, your company, or your organization.
Leaders of character are guided by the principles that form their lifelong convictions and values.
Recommitting to first laws is like rebooting a stalled computer by pushing the reset button—it allows us to return to the “original mode” where we can function as we were intended to. By studying and implementing the principles in the User’s Manual, you will avoid moral compromise and ethical missteps. You will protect yourself from the negative effects that such mistakes inevitably have on other aspects of your life, including the exercise of your gifts and the realization of your potential. You will also gain much practical wisdom for leadership. You will be able to say, with the biblical writer, “I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts.”10
No comments:
Post a Comment