A leader’s vision must always be credible—in the good times and when things get difficult. Read Mark 8:31-33.

Throughout His ministry Jesus inspired His team with His vision for both the present and the future. He consistently described the character and conduct that would define the citizens of the Kingdom of God. His vision energized His team to leave everything they had to follow Him. His team applied the skills, talents, and resources acquired over a lifetime to see Jesus’ vision become a reality. They believed that if Jesus’ vision became a reality the world would be a more desirable place. Even when Jesus talked about His death and the very difficult things that lay ahead for Him, He did it as part of His overall vision.

God-honoring leaders translate standards into values/principles that guide personal conduct and relationships with others. Read Mark 7:1-23.

The Pharisees, the religious leaders in Jesus’ day, held to the fine points of Scripture and religious tradition but they had not translated those standards into values to live by. They lived by the letter of the law and in verse nine Jesus says, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions.” They had let go of the reason for the command from God and turned it into something legalistic that demanded unquestioned adherence, ignoring the original intent.