ONE: Week Four Devotional

Workshop Four focuses on high level communication as leaders seek to implement changes in their organizations.  Doing so requires everyone to be on the same page across departmental boundaries.  Everyone must understand the nature of the change and why it must happen.  There are many obstacles to leading an organization through this type of change, and not surprisingly, many of these obstacles result from sinful heart attitudes. 

Before communication can resolve the differences in perception, humility and grace are needed for everyone involved.  Rather than assuming that people in a different department or position of leadership are complete and utter buffoons, the first assumption should be that they see a piece to the puzzle that we do not.  Rather than allowing the lies of sinful motives to poison our perceptions of others, we must be like Christ in our organizations and not allow any negative words to come out of our mouths towards and about others.  We destroy and upbraid others with our words because ultimately, we fail to realize that we ourselves have been spared from the hateful attacks of the enemy through the work of Christ.  If we would remember and cling to the grace that has been extended to us through Christ, we would be less apt to participate with the Enemy as he hurls out accusations against others.

Matthew 5:44-48

2 Corinthians 5:17-20

The ministry of reconciliation: Our first call as Christians is to serve as ambassadors for Christ.  Ambassadors do not involve themselves in petty disputes in a host nation, and they don’t seek to offend or bear offense.  In representing their home nation, they seek above all to reconcile differences and cast their home nation in the best possible light while at the same time seeking the best for their host nation.  So it is for us.  We must not and cannot involve ourselves in petty disputes in the workplace or elsewhere.  We must seek to bring differing sides together, to build consensus.  It is part of our witness that we love others, whether they be friends or our enemies.  If the world doesn’t see this in us, how will they believe that what Christ has done is of any merit?  If they see us respond in anger and hatred when we are attacked, how do we demonstrate anything different from anything else that anyone else would do? 

2 Corinthians 5:6-10

One of the best ways to avoid strife and quarreling in this life is to remember that we do not seek our own agenda, nor would we want to, since our true prize and hope is eternity with Christ.  This puts a perspective on all of the trying times we walk through in life, including organizational disputes.

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