Do you speak the truth even when it is painful and unpleasent? (159-4)
There are times when leaders need to speak the hard truth without compromise. Read Jeremiah 8:1-13.
In notes in The Maxwell Leadership Bible, John Maxwell looks at Jeremiah’s leadership assignment from God with understanding and empathy:
Jeremiah did not receive a pleasant message from God to deliver to his people. The Lord ordered him to declare judgment and destruction on Judah. God told the prophet that He was about to destroy a sinful generation, a group of stubborn men and women who had turned to idolatry.
The Lord had patiently borne with these people. For many years He had issued stern warnings about their sin – yet they refused to surrender to Him. They had grown so depraved and shameless that God told Jeremiah they could no longer even blush over their vile conduct (Jeremiah 8:12).
The truly godly leader takes no pleasure in announcing divine judgment. It is a grievous thing to have to announce that the time for retribution has come. God Himself grieves when His people’s sin sinks to the point of no return. On the other hand, a truly godly leader never shrinks from confronting sin or from declaring the message of God. Effective leaders faithfully confront sin and call the sinner to repentance.
It could not have been easy for Jeremiah to communicate God’s words of judgment. Neither is it easy to communicate today with people who need to be confronted over their sin. But leadership means speaking all the truth – sometimes unpleasant and painful truth – that God has entrusted to us.
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