A Christian Leadership Litmus Test

By Dr. Brian Simmons

As a child I played with a chemistry set, so it should be no surprise that I loved chemistry class in high school! Thank you Barry Smith and Ron Myers!

Do you remember the litmus test?

Litmus test strips are used to determine the acidity or alkalinity (pH) of a solution. When a strip of litmus paper is dipped into a liquid, it changes color based on the pH level. Typically:

Red litmus paper turns blue in a basic (alkaline) solution.
Blue litmus paper turns red in an acidic solution.

The color change is a quick and simple way to assess whether a substance is acidic, neutral, or alkaline, without the need for sophisticated equipment. These strips are commonly used in chemistry labs, education, and for testing liquids like pool water, soil, or even household products.

There is a simple Christian leadership “litmus test” spiritual leaders can use at the end of their day to determine whether or not their leadership that day was pleasing to God. First, ask did I follow the great commandment to love God by loving and serving others today (Matthew 22:37-40)? If your answer is yes then praise God! But, if there is someone you treated in an unloving way, ask forgiveness from that person tomorrow and confess your sin to God now!

Next, ask yourself whether or not you followed the Golden Rule (Matthew 7:12). If you treated others the way you would want to be treated, praise God! But if you can think of even one person you did not treat the way you would have wanted them to treat you if the tables were turned, confess your sin to that person tomorrow. Ask that person to forgive you, and ask the Lord to forgive you right now!

So often the Evil One tempts us to believe the lie that we never sin as Christian leaders. May I remind you that God only had one perfect Son, and His name was Jesus! Further, we are tempted to believe the lie that if we are truthful and honest when we fail then this shows weakness and our leadership will somehow be diminished. The opposite is true!!

So today, let’s get back to basics and follow the great commandment and the Golden Rule! So simple to understand but sometimes hard to do! Hubris and lack of self awareness and even self deception defines unfaithful steward leaders, but faithful steward leaders seek to humbly put service to God and others over self-interest.

Try this simple spiritual leadership litmus test at the end of every day. If your litmus strip is not the color you wanted it to be then repent, seek forgiveness and do better tomorrow!