What a wonderful privilege it is to serve Him. The joy of watching others grow in Him due to our influence is so satisfying. At the same time, it is a sobering responsibility that we carry and it affects every aspect of our lives. I have been re-reading through the books of Timothy looking for the wisdom Paul shared with Timothy on how to be a good leader. These books are filled with guidelines, standards and encouragement on how to function as good leaders.

We are instructed in I Timothy 6:11 to, “pursue righteousness, godliness, faithfulness, love, endurance, and gentleness.” The Amplified Bible expands it to say: But as for you, O man of God, flee from all these things; aim at and pursue righteousness (right standing with God and true goodness), godliness (which is the loving fear of God and being Christlike), faith, love, steadfastness (patience), and gentleness of heart.

It is our responsibility as leaders to actively pursue these virtues in our lives. Paul exhorts Timothy to pursue these virtues. Examine your heart. When was the last time you actively pursued righteousness? Godliness? Faithfulness? Love? Endurance? Or gentleness? For most leaders, there is a strong desire to have these qualities at work in their lives. But, I am afraid, many of us get a bit lazy in their active pursuit. These are the very virtues that will take us from being a good leader to a great leader. If we desire to truly influence others for Christ, we must take the time to seek after God in these areas.

Unfortunately, as leaders we can maintain our position without aggressively working in these areas. In the extreme, some leaders expect their followers to “put up with” their own shortcomings in these soul holes, while urging perfection with those they lead. This disconnect leads to frustration and discouragement, in both the leaders and those they lead.

The difference between a good art piece and a great art piece is often in the attention to details. It is the same with leadership. Taking the time to seek or pursue God in these important areas is crucial. Too often leaders “shoot themselves in the foot” because they haven’t taken the time to allow the Lord to sand off the rough places of their personality and work in adding patience and longsuffering to their lives. We cannot grow in our leadership skills without paying attention to these fruits of the Spirit.

I believe most every leader we know would agree with the need to pursue righteousness—the seeking of conforming our way and walk with Him by His power and grace. What about godliness? If I am seeking righteousness doesn’t that automatically mean that I would be pursuing godliness? Apparently not, because Paul tells us to seek both righteousness and godliness. The best definition that I could find for “godliness” is: a God-honoring manner of life, issuing from a true knowledge of God and his grace in Jesus Christ . A genuine devotion to God transforms relationships and behavior in every context.

To chase a life of godliness is to seek to be God honoring in every area of our life…something we can only do as we allow His Spirit to conform us to His ways. We cannot become “godly” on our own, but neither can we shrug our shoulders and say, “Well that’s just the way I am,” when something less than God honoring comes forth from our mouths or actions. Prayerfully seeking and practicing godliness is not an option, according to Paul, it is a requirement. If we continue to pursue faithfulness (to our God as well as our relationships and responsibilities) we will grow in our influence as well. The rest of the list: love, endurance and gentleness must be also developed.

Adding these qualities to leadership will open the doors of influence many are seeking. These virtues give us the keys to others hearts and when we have their hearts, we can ask for their hands to work together to accomplish the goals of ministry.

As Darryl and I travel through the various streams of the church the main issues of concerns and frustration of “followers” has to do with a leader’s real or perceived personality struggles. These are not areas of sin, per se, but areas in which the Holy Spirit is still working to bring into conformity to Christ likeness. Let us be careful that after walking with Him and getting much of the basics down, we don’t become forgetful and sloppy in our responses to others.

If we take the time to add courtesy to our lives—to pursue or seek after each of these virtues, our influence will increase monumentally.

Remember:

But as for you, O man of God, flee from all these things; aim at and pursue righteousness (right standing with God and true goodness), godliness (which is the loving fear of God and being Christlike), faith, love, steadfastness (patience), and gentleness of heart. I Timothy 6:11