Live Beyond Reproach

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Genesis 14:22-24

Abram said to the king of Sodom, "I have lifted up my hand to swear to the LORD, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, that I will not take a thread or sandal strap or anything that is yours, so that you cannot say, 'I have made Abram rich.'  I will take nothing except that which the young men have eaten and the share belonging to the men who went with me, namely, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre.  Let them take their share."

Abram is demonstrating a key leadership principle here.  "Live beyond reproach," or "Avoid even the illusion of sin."  What Abram is doing here is making sure that no one can make any claims against him at some future date.  He isn't going to take any of the spoils of his military victory so that the king of Sodom can't make any claims against him in the future.  There won't be a time later when the king of Sodom can take credit for making Abram rich.  Abram is very intentional about making sure that the only one who can lay claim to his blessings is God.

There are several lessons here for leaders today.  As a powerful leader in this region, Abram knew that anything that he took from this battle could be leveraged against him at some future date.  The kings of Sodom could have used this to try to create the illusion of alliance between Abram and themselves.  Abram wanted to make it clear there that there was no alliance between them.  They were not in fellowship.  Abram was simply fighting for his nephew, Lot, and his family.  What we know of the wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah, Abram did not want to create the perception that he agreed with what was going on in those cities.

Here's another application for today's leaders.  Don't put yourself in a position where someone can make an accusation about you.  It should go without saying to stay clear of situations where you could be tempted to sin, but don't even put yourself in a position where someone can make an accusation against you.  One of the biggest areas to guard yourself against is sexual misconduct, both real and perceived.

Here are a few general rules to keep yourself from these temptations and accusations:

• Never ride alone in an elevator with a person of the opposite sex who is not your spouse.
• Never have a closed door, 1-on-1 meeting with a child or a person of the opposite sex.
• Do not attend events where you know sinful activity will be happening.
• Guard your close associations.  Be mindful of who you allow into your inner circle.
• When traveling, never allow yourself to be alone in a hotel room with a person of the opposite sex.
• Avoid swimming pools and hot tubs when children or a person of the opposite sex are utilizing them.

These guidelines must be applied with some common sense, but it is important to be thinking of these things as you go through your life.  If you are a leader, people are watching.  If you are a leader, you are responsible for other people.  You will face enough temptations in life; don't willingly or thoughtlessly put yourself in a position to be tempted to sin or be accused of sin.  You have a responsibility to the people you are leading.

A leader must sacrifice his personal ease and desires for the sake of the community that he has been trusted with.  Sometimes it is really inconvenient to do the right thing.  The leader does the right thing anyways.  Sometimes you have to give up something that you really like to avoid temptation.  A leader gives it up anyways.  As leaders, we are responsible for other people.  We must not give them permission to sin by our thoughtless or sinful actions.

Godly leaders store up their treasures in heaven and live beyond reproach.

God bless

Jason Fredrick