I’m going to take you down!

John 11: ⁴⁷ Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin.

   “What are we accomplishing?” they asked. “Here is this man performing many signs. ⁴⁸ If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation.”

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“It’s not personal, it’s business” was the lesson taught to me by many leaders. We purposefully excluded someone so we could discuss taking over their project. First the transition plan was built in secret then the communication as to why the leader of the project was no longer leading the project. It wasn’t personal as I effectively built a smear campaign to take the person down.

• It’s easy to hurl insults at others.
• It’s easy to get a group together to drag someone down.
• It’s easy to whine and moan about someone to get sympathy or to get my way.

The same tactics were used to eliminate our positions as well. In business and politics, credibility must be attacked and we were not excluded from this truth. Many would say it has made me a better leader and they are probably right, but I would say it has made me a better follower.

• Business says point out flaws, GOD says build people up.
• Business says keep attacking their weaknesses; GOD says strengthen those who can’t do for themselves.
• Business says make them look bad and me look good, GOD says whoever calls someone an idiot, they will have to deal with ME.

The Pharisees wanted to kill JESUS for helping people, healing people and mostly, raising people from the dead. Their wealthy lifestyle was at stake so they created the best smear campaign they could imagine. It wasn’t personal, just business! When I behave like this, GOD accounts for all my actions.

• Do you think your sin is smaller than someone else’s sin?
• Do you think that just because someone’s sins are in the news, your hidden sins are not being watched?
• Have you developed a smear campaign of your own for “that” person?
• Won’t you take GOD’s example and build “that” person up