Examine the Evidence

Good leadership displays many characteristics. We can look at a leader's history and find keys to the successes in their life. It is a fascinating and enlightening exercise to study the lives of influential people, and I recommend it.

I have discovered an attribute that is common to great leaders. These are people who have cultivated the ability to gather evidence and formulate decisions based upon reasoning derived from said evidence. This may seem like an understatement, after you think about it. But, amazingly enough, there are relatively few men and women that form their decisions and ideals based upon proven evidence. Most times, a person's direction comes from emotional need, peer pressure, or herd mentality. I am a watcher for those who are sound in their thinking and communication.

Jesus, during His time walking on the earth, was a master at discerning the thinking of men. I was reading Matthew 21:23-27. In this portion, the religious leaders asked Jesus to tell them from where he received His authority. His answer to them was that first they must answer a question for Him. Was the baptism of John from heaven or from men? The priests began to reason. The evidence took second place to reasoning which was based in suppositions of what might happen upon whichever answer they gave. Neither of the 2 possible answers would leave them in a postive light, so they said that they could not answer the question. These were leaders. Men who were influential in other's lives. Men who had the evidence. They were aware of the facts and they chose to ignore them for the cause of self-protection. Jesus revealed their wrong thinking for the ages to see. It is one of many examples for us to distinquish non-thinking rhetoric. It was prevelant in the 1st century, and is much more prevelent today.

God gives us information. He supplies all the evidence necessary to reason correctly in any situation.

My advice is to gather up the evidence that God has given us. His Word contains the evidence. Get it. Read it. Learn it. Love it.