Joy of Repentance

The truly great are quick to own up to mistakes. "The buck stops here." They make much of the gospel and this truth captivates them more than anything else: "God loves me and has forgiven me."

Leaders who are evasive and defensive when confronted with mistakes and shortcomings, haven't learned this secret: There is joy in repentance! Instead of participating in this joy, they are short-changed, missing out on buckets of mercy and rivers of grace. 

I've included a quote below from respected pastor/leader Tim Keller (author of "The Prodigal God"). I'm making the following suggestion part of how we choose future leaders:
 

Most churches make the mistake of selecting as leaders the confident, the competent and the successful, but what you most need in a leader is someone whose been broken by his or her sin and even greater knowledge of Jesus costly grace. So the number one leaders in every church ought to be the people who repent the most fully without excuses ('cos you don't need any now), the most easily without bitterness, the most publicly and the most joyfully - they know their standing isn't based on their performance. And therefore all of life is repentance and repentance increases joy, in other words if you understand the gospel repentance isn't occasional and wounding but its constant and its healing.

Tim Keller, EMA 2007

Defining Immaturity

How do you know someone is stuck in immaturity? Choices all begin with self. Their view of the world, of life, of friends is all about how it impacts me, myself, and I. This is why marriages fall apart, why friends get at odds, and the largest reason behind most civil wars: people think, "My needs first."

"What is the cause of wars and fighting among you? Is it not in your desires which are at war in your bodies?" (James 4:1 BBE).

• Babies don't care if it's 3 a.m. or 10 a.m. "I want my diaper changed now!" Mature people consider others' need for rest.

• Babies don't care if their crying is disturbing worship. They want to disturb you! Grown-ups consider others' experience in worship.
• Babies don't say, "Thanks for feeding me." Mature people say, "Thank you. That means a lot." 
• Babies are jealous of your time with others. Grown-ups understand that there's enough love to go around. 
• Babies are hyper-sensitive. Mature people aren't. (Remember the quote: "I knew I had grown up the first day I had a good laugh at myself.")

Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature. (1 Cor. 14:20 ESV)

Your goal today: Try talking to someone for 5 minutes without the pronouns "I, me, myself, my, mine."