We make decisions every day, and the patterns we establish in the small decisions shape the larger ones. Read 1 Chronicles 12:32.

The background for 1 Chronicles 12:32 is that Israel’s first King, Saul, was dead. David, from the tribe of Judah had been appointed King and was ruling the nation from the city of Hebron. Many of the fighting men from each of the other 11 tribes of Israel were coming to Hebron to turn Saul’s kingdom over to David and re-unify the nation. This simple statement, tucked away in the middle of a listing of the men who had volunteered to serve David and who supported his anointing as king over all Israel, tells us of some men from the tribe of Issachar “who understood the times and knew what Israel should do.”

Effective leaders seek to develop God-honoring character. Read Matthew 18:21-35.

Jesus’ disciples were already leaders when they started following Him but spending time with Jesus caused them to see elements of their life that did not match His words and actions. As they saw Jesus’ consistency, the disciples started trusting Jesus’ character enough to ask the inner-hidden-deeper-secret personal questions they were struggling with in their lives. Peter asked Jesus a question every leader struggles with, “How many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?” He must have been shocked when Jesus’ answer was, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.”

Even when they have personal needs, true servant leaders still put their team’s needs before their own. Read Matthew 14:1-14.

John the Baptist, Jesus’ cousin, was executed by King Herod. When Jesus received word of John’s death He left the crowds that had been following Him and took a boat to a more private place to pray and grieve for John. The crowds, who had never experienced anyone like Jesus, followed Him and when He saw what was happening and sensed the tremendous needs of the people, Jesus put His own emotional and physical needs on hold to focus on their needs.

Being an effective leader requires careful thought that leads to wisdom. Read Haggai 2:10-19.

The Hebrews that returned from exile in Babylon with the mission to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem were struggling in their day-to-day life to have success with their crops. Three times in today’s Scripture Haggai recommends the leaders give careful thought to their situation. When they stopped construction on the temple and focused on their own needs they were lacking in both food and wine. When they stopped giving careful thought to God’s priorities they forfeited the wisdom they needed to find God’s blessing.

The difference between leaders and followers is perspective. Read Habakkuk 3:1-19.

In chapter 1, Habakkuk had one perspective – he saw evil in Judah perpetrated on the defenseless people by corrupt leaders and a silent God. Following his prayer and interaction with God he had quite a different perspective. By the end of chapter 3 he is able to express total trust in God in every situation. Once his perspective changed he went from a doubting prophet to a leader who spoke truth to the people in Judah, Babylon and to leaders around the world today.