It’s hard to write hard letters if you are good leader. If you don’t care, it’s easy. But Paul cared for the people he served, and he had written them a hard letter. Then others came in and tried to make themselves to be better. That made it harder.
Look at what is before your eyes. If anyone is confident that he is Christ’s, let him remind himself that just as he is Christ’s, so also are we. For even if I boast a little too much of our authority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for destroying you, I will not be ashamed. I do not want to appear to be frightening you with my letters. For they say, “His letters are weighty and strong, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech of no account.” Let such a person understand that what we say by letter when absent, we do when present. Not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are commending themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding.
Let’s skip their particular situation and frustration for a moment so we can see something Paul says that we need to hear: Authority is for building people up, not destroying them.
That sounds obvious, but it isn’t always clear to some. Authority is for strengthening people.
Here’s the catch: It doesn’t always mean saying sweet, kind things. Sometimes it means telling people the truth that they don’t want to hear. It means risking the relationship in order for them to grow. Sin was not their friend, and they. needed to hear it in firm truth, but also relentless love.
At the core of leadership is care and concern for those leaders serve. It’s for building them up and strengthening them, even when truth is required. This is what Godly leadership looks like.