Putting Love into Action

Before, Jesus restored Peter to the leadership role he was to play among His followers; he had only one qualifying question: “Do you truly love me?” (John 21:15). To lead like Jesus is always to seek to do the loving thing in the use of our influence on the thinking, behavior, development of others.

This may seem an impossible, impractical standard to apply in lives lived in constant motion and never-ending value choices we make every day. But that is exactly what we are called to do!

Even if we momentarily overcome the demons of pride and fear and seek to serve rather than be served, we are still left with the question - “What is the most loving thing I can do in this leadership moment?”

Doing the loving thing as a leader requires wisdom, patience, courage, sacrifice, humility and hard work. But if we can’t describe it in behavioral terms we won’t be able to measure our success and failures in a meaningful way.

At the behavioral level, the loving thing will vary widely from acting and speaking, to refraining from acting and remaining silent. At the level of intention, it should remain the ever-present constant. Jesus provided us with a vast treasure of example of what it means to do the loving thing as a leader.

Consider the following:
Jesus healed with a touch. He comforted with a word. He fed the hungry. He counseled the mistaken and the downhearted. He mourned with the grieving. He calmed the terrified. He confronted falsehood and spoke the truth. He listened with compassion and discernment. He took time with the weak and powerless. He went to The Cross for us all.

In his Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians, first-century church historian Jerome wrote this about the apostle John: “When he tarried at Ephesus to extreme old age, and could only with difficulty be carried to the church in the arms of his disciples, and was unable to give utterance to many words, he used to say no more at their several meetings than this, ‘Little children, love one another.’

At length the disciples and fathers who were there, wearied with always hearing the same words, said, ‘Master, why dost thou always say this?’ ‘It is the Lord’s command,’ was his worthy reply, ‘and if this alone be done, it is enough.’”

By Ken Blanchard & Phil Hodges - LLJ