Keep your heart with all vigilance,
for from it flow the springs of life.
Proverbs 4:11
GOOD TEAPOT GUIDE
A) We need to guard our hearts carefully and with hyper vigilant radars. (Proverbs 4:11) The state of our hearts (What we allow our lives to be driven by, motivated by, what we feed our lives on, what we allow to interfere and influence with our core beings) matters. We need new hearts of flesh from the God who specialises in redeemed heart transplants. The heart is corrupt above all things, and therefore we need him not only to remake us in new birth, but to help us grow daily in strength conditioning of our new hearts after our transplant. Biblical wisdom is more than mental clarity. It is not just about us thinking His thoughts after Him (it is that), but also instinctively feeling and being motivated in the same manner that the Living God is in His character and core being. This can only happen through (daily, repeated) humble dependent prayer and seeking first His Kingdom and Lordship over our lives.
B) We need to be aware of wrong (unbiblical) contemporary evaluations of people when something is described as "good". The thinking of our world can infect our judgement and wisdom.
"He has a good heart" can mean / be used for all sorts of things in lazy evaluation...(He is totally useless but intended well), or (He causes mayhem and destruction in relationships but is too oblivious and self obsessed to realise the multiplied damage caused to others). In this second instance the core being and behavioural drivers are not good at all. I've heard of too many people excused of core sinful behaviour in churches and mission teams by a spiritual leader who should know better. They may say something like, "I am just looking to see the good in people... like Paul's evaluation parameters (Phil 4:4-9)", which is a noble ambition, but ultimately there is a huge difference between looking for good in believers where it encourages growth, and simply making an opposite judgement to the reality of a situation which is the definition of foolish thinking. (Note also Christ's words in Matthew 12:33-35 about rotten fruit)
MAKE BIBLICAL JUDGMENTS NOT EXTERNALLY DRIVEN ONES:
Be careful of "political movers and manoeuvres" in Christian organisations / cultures which evaluate people with a world driven (human ambition) mindset. Far too often I hear of upcoming / potential leaders who are gaining influence that "He is a good guy" when what the intended influencer really means of a young leader is that he is gifted to their liking on the outside (capable, talented, "a mover and shaker" (dreadful and foolish way to evaluate spiritual leadership) or that he has potential as an influencer in line with denominational, hierarchy/ their personal thinking). In reality, biblical evaluations for leadership are always based on character, and in accordance with God's character not our preferences. Whether we are talking about potential or historical issues with young leaders, the only thing of great significance we should be interested in is spiritual Character, and whether they have a heart after God's own heart. Key characteristics such as compassionate and gentle leadership are often seminal factors. The renovation heart training blogs will unpack this more.
Where does this kind of wrong thinking / wrong driver for evaluation of spiritual leadership come from though ? We are taught in contemporary thinking to evaluate by personality, talent, ability, style or looks... (ie from what we see on the outside). How can some people define Boris Johnson for example (Note: no politics just an interesting observation case) by saying "he was a good prime minister" when others say " he is morally corrupt, an expert liar, and has a trail of destroyed broken relationships in his wake, due to repeated duplicity". The truth is that two people are evaluating from opposite criteria - one from their understanding of outward personality and ability to be a politician in the contemporary world, and the other looking at morality and the state of his heart relationally towards other people.
C) Model Christ: Judge others with caution, care, humility and grace, with a desire to restore (like God's heart towards us). If it is not your role and you are not needed to pass judgement on others, don't. Private evaluations of people for wisdom calls of friendship and public expressions of evaluations are quite different dynamics. If your leadership or relational role involves guiding others on the assessment of others, do it lovingly and with compassion without losing clarity. What would Jesus do? This is helpful in so many ways when we are considering His Character. However, we do need to remember that He is LORD of all things and all peoples, and whilst the risen Christ is judge of the living and the dead... we are not. Therefore we look to keep a balance as we guard our hearts, from the extremes of being overly judgemental and blind trust or carelessly living without wisdom or alertness.
The bible reminds us that as we point the finger at others, a greater observance simultaneously occurs on our hearts and core being. Our hearts are an open book to God. Like David (1 Sam 16:7), God looks at our hearts not our performance or personality (Luke 16:15) . Even if our world is evaluating us as "a good egg" or when people ask us how we are we say "I'm good thanks", the objective reality of our core being is not changed an iota, and we stand before a Holy God who sees all things without any impairment or inaccuracy. He has however treated us with incomprehensible grace in Christ. This doesn't mean that we never make wisdom calls and judgements about others ( a contemporary misunderstanding which doesn't stand up with scriptural thinking), but it does mean we should only talk about such when motivated by grace, and love and kindness permeate all our verbalisation of these things. For Christian leaders following Christ, this is a super sensitive and pivotal issue. Work on it dependant on His help, It really matters that we are alert to this. Talk rightly of others and people will trust your wisdom, and respond to your grace, talk wrongly and your "good influence" can be destroyed in a moment. (Proverbs 18:21, James 3:1-11)
D) Cry to GOD for help:
2 Timothy 2:22:
So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart
James 1:5
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.
The older we get, and the closer we get to God / understand His heart, the more we know our sin and our capacity for corruption. Our china TeaPots have a great tendency to be very stained. He, however is faithful, and his mercy towards us is new every morning. He has a fresh heart of compassion for all those who transparently cry to Him and ask Him for help. He is faithful and just (1 John 1:9), and will forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. This is the magnitude of our great Father, and He is ready and waiting for us to come for help. Through Christ we can pray on the basis of His purity. In the very act of going to Him with honestly like this, the act of heart transformation begins and ends... His power and the life of HIS SPIRIT in us is effective to change, and HIS GRACE to receive us despite our unworthiness to come, transforms our reflected and instinctive attitudes to others.
Lord change my heart, and make it more like yours.
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