There are millions of leaders around the world. They exist in every sphere of society. Sadly, many of our leaders are not the strong, influential leaders we need. And worse, most of our leaders, whether strong or weak, are not Biblical leaders.
What we desperately need as a society is strong, powerful Biblical leaders.
Jesus Is Our Biblical Leader Model
Jesus never led a Jerusalem 100 company. He never sought a position as a priest or leader of the ruling party. Also, he never sought political office as Jerusalem’s mayor or Judea’s governor.
Yet, despite his relatively thin resume, Jesus assembled a rag-tag group of followers, who, along with him as their leader, started a movement that changed the world.
Jesus is the model of the leader we, as Christians, should all emulate.
It’s All About Your Biblical Leader Wardrobe
In his letter to the Colossians, the apostle Paul said we believers should set our hearts on being like Christ. Paul used the metaphor of getting dressed to describe a faithful Christian who clothes themselves with eight specific attributes. He said,
“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” (Colossians 3:12-14).
Let’s look at each item of “clothing” as we put them on:
1. Compassion
Compassion means mercy and tender-heartedness. God shows us compassion beyond what we deserve and calls on us to reflect that compassion to others.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy” (Matthew 5:7).
Clothed with compassion, we reach out to those who are lost, lonely, hurting, diseased, poor, homeless, and hungry. The list of people who need our compassion goes on and on.
2. Kindness
Being kind means being good, useful, helpful, gentle, considerate, and gracious in every situation.
A man who is kind benefits himself, but a cruel man hurts himself” (Proverbs 11:17)
A person clothed with kindness is not harsh, indifferent, unconcerned, or bitter. Being kind benefits the other person, but it also benefits us!
3. Humility
The person clothed with humility denies himself for the sake of Christ in order to help others.
“When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom” (Proverbs 11:4)
A prideful person flaunts their power, position, and prestige. A humble person may have great power, position, and prestige, but they present themselves in humility, knowing we are all creations equal in God’s eyes.
4. Meekness
Meekness is strength under control. The meek person is gentle, tender, and considerate but strong at the same time.
“But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace” (Psalm 37:11).
The person clothed in meekness is self-controlled and has a humble yet strong state of mind.
5. Patience
A patient person is long-suffering, perseverant, and steadfast.
“Whoever is patient has great understanding, but one who is quick-tempered displays folly” (Proverbs 14:29)
The person clothed in patience is not quick-tempered but patiently seeks to understand others.
6. Forbearance
Forbearing means to put up with or to bear with weakness, mistreatment, neglect, failure, and the irritating bad habits of others.
“We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak” (Romans 15:1)
The person clothed in forbearance has the strength of character to put up with the irritating behaviors of others.
7. Forgiveness
The forgiving person is gracious and willing to pardon those who wrong us.
For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins” (Matthew 6:14-15).
The person clothed in forgiveness knows they have been forgiven by the Father and is willing to forgive others in the same way the Father forgives us.
8. Love
Paul summarizes the attributes by saying love is the most important. It holds all the other qualities together. Jesus told the disciples that the most important commandments are to love God and our neighbor.
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:30-31).
The person who has put on love knows it is like the final piece of clothing we put on that completes the outfit. When we have love, then compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, forbearance, and forgiveness complete our ensemble.
We all make choices about the quality and type of clothes we wear. In the same way, we make choices about the qualities we exhibit in our lives. To be an influential Biblical leader, we must “put on” compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, forbearance, forgiveness, and love every day!
More Articles
I have written several articles recently on a leader’s character. You can find them by typing “Character” in the search bar. Meanwhile, here are a few of my favorites.
- #491: Biblical Leadership Is Serious Business Not to Be Entered into Lightly!
- #487: Wise Workplace Disciples Have These 5 Character Traits in Common
- #484: Do You Recognize These 9 Warning Signs of a Failing Leader?
- #473: Are All Leaders Prone to Failure?
- #471: 7 Behavioral Do’s of Incredibly Effective Christian Leaders
Join the Conversation
As always, questions and comments are welcome. Which attributes of powerful Biblical leaders do you think are most lacking among Christian leaders you know?
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Category: Personal Development | Character
When I was a police chief I attended county chief’s meetings. You can imagine, most of us were strong willed types. But I recall one chief who was soft spoken. Meek, for lack of a better word. But meek in a positive way. While the rest of us would debate, and interrupt, he’d listen. Inevitably, when it was his turn to speak, everyone listened closely. Because in his quiet and thoughtful way, his words and opinions held greater impact. He seemed to be above the fray. On a higher plane. I think we need more leaders like that. Less chest ego chest thumping, and more depth.
I’ve met a few leaders like the soft-spoken chief you mentioned. When I was a young leader, an older, wiser co-worker suggested I become more “reserved.” It took me a while and some hard-learned lessons to realize being soft-spoken and the last to speak often wins the day!