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.”

God has entrusted to leaders the dignity and responsibility of being stewards of the resources and creatures of this planet. When a leader shapes, refines or creatively utilizes the minerals, plants and animals that God has placed at their disposal, they are accountable for the results. Read 1 Chronicles 29:10-16.

Near the end of his reign as king of Israel, David was stockpiling materials for construction of the temple to house the Ark of the Covenant of God. He has described his task in 29:1b saying, “The task is great, because this palatial structure is not for man but for the Lord God.” Wow! Talk about a vision statement! David personally had given willingly and sacrificially of his resources for this project and at his request so had the leaders of families, the officers of the tribes, the commanders of his army and the government officials.

“Take heed to yourselves, lest your example contradict your doctrine, and lest you lay such stumbling-blocks before the blind, as may be the occasion of their ruin; lest you unsay with your lives what you say with your tongues; and be the greatest hinderers of the success of your own labors…He that means as he speaks, will surely do as he speaks.” These words written by Richard Baxter in The Reformed Pastor in an article entitled “The Banner of Truth Trust” should be on the wall of every leader. The Biblical virtue of integrity points to a consistency between what is inside and what is outside, between belief and behavior, our words and our ways, our attitudes and our actions, our values and our practice. Read 1 Chronicles 29:16-20.

It is one thing to have a vision; it is quiet another for a leader to be able to communicate that vision to others to enable them to embrace and internalize it. Read 1 Chronicles 28:1-21.

When God provided David with a vision of the Jerusalem temple, he wanted to be personally instrumental in making that dream a reality. But the Lord told David that the job of building the temple would be given to his son and successor Solomon. David chose not to view himself as having been cut out of the action. Instead, he energetically undertook his new charge – that of communicating the vision for the temple in a manner that would infect Solomon and enlist his unwavering support.

The sun rises and sets every day. The pattern is so consistent that we build charts looking years into the future establishing the time for sunrise and sunset based on the rotation of the earth and the tilt on its axis. The North Star is so consistent in its location that it is used as a navigational reference point in the northern hemisphere. God’s created order has evidence of intelligent design from the smallest living system to the human brain and beyond to the far reaches of the universe. Since we are created in God’s image, it should come as no surprise that leaders need to apply structure and organization to their organization to be consistent and effective. Read 1 Chronicles 27:1-34.

Chapter 27 details one of the best examples of a leader using structure and organization to be effective. David’s administrative abilities shine through in this description of the careful organization of his army divisions, tribal officers and royal overseers. If a leader studied only this chapter and learned to use the principles of structure and organization used by David, they would increase their effectiveness to utilize multiple resources around a common goal.