Teams tend to become like their leader – good or bad! Read Malachi 2:1-9.

The leaders, both civil and religious, in Malachi’s day did not live up to the standards set by God for Hebrew leaders. Chapter 2 is full of accusations against their hypocrisy, treachery in the home, violations of temple regulations, marrying people who worshiped foreign gods, divorce, and false teachings. The people followed their example and the entire nation dishonored God. This behavior got God’s attention and in verse 9 God says, “So I have caused you to be despised and humiliated before all the people…”

If leaders can’t rule themselves they can’t rule others. Read Ezekiel 19:1-14.

Ezekiel wrote an allegorical lament in chapter 19 concerning the princes of Israel. He pictured them as out of control roaring lions that were eventually caught in a net and taken into captivity. Because none of them had the self-discipline to rule themselves they were removed from leadership and not allowed to rule others.

Christian leaders are to model and reflect in their life the same self-discipline God shows to us. Read Jeremiah 18:1-12.

The prophet Jeremiah had consistently delivered the message that, because the people of the nation of Judah had stopped obeying Him, had chased after foreign gods, and decided to run their own life totally ignoring God; the nation of Judah would be overpowered by Babylon and those that were not killed in the attack would be taken into captivity to Babylon. These first 12 verses of chapter 18 give us keen insight into God’s self-discipline.

Job titles are meaningless if those who hold them are considered “fools” by their followers. Read Ecclesiastes 10:5-7.

Designing the organization is important. Properly filling the positions you have designed is critical. According to Jim Collins’ book Good to Great an organization must not only have the right people on the bus but the right people must also be in the right seats. Solomon calls it an “evil” to have the wrong people (fools) in positions of leadership.

The fruits of the Spirit of God are love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, self-control and patience. It is interesting that leaders great or unknown, empowered or restricted, experienced or at the beginning of their journey, wealthy or without financial resources can all experience the fruits of the Spirit without limit or restriction. Every leader should look introspectively on a regular basis and determine if these gifts from God are present, increasing or decreasing. One of the fruits that tends to be a gatekeeper to enjoying all the others is self-control. As we move through the first 9 chapters of 1 Chronicles it is good to stop and look at one leader that lost it all because of lack of self-control. Read 1 Chronicles 3:1.

In the genealogy of King David, Amnon was his first born. One might suppose the firstborn son of a great king was foreordained to do great things for his people. Yet Amnon will end up little more than a footnote in Israel’s history and forfeited any claim to leadership because of his lack of self-control (2 Samuel 13:1-19). Amnon’s lack of self-control led to the disgrace of his family, destroyed his half-sister’s life and eventually resulted in his own death at the hands of a vengeful half-brother.