Elijah grew tired of his people’s spiritual rebellion and was angry with the false prophets of Baal. He confronted both forces atop Mt. Carmel, and there defeated the devil’s henchmen, although they outnumbered him 850 to 1 (1 Kings 18:19). No one had seen anything like his courage since the day David fought Goliath unremembered years before. And like the underdog David fought Goliath unremembered years before. And like the underdog David, Elijah met the enemy with passion. His eyes drank in the greatness of God, not the numbers of his enemies. This heavenly vision provided the fire that fueled his courage.

Leaders always need courage. No one who wants to bring about change can manage without courage. Courage flamed in Elijah’s heart because:

1. His resolution outweighed his reservations. Although greatly outnumbered, Elijah resolved that Baal had to be confronted at any cost.
2. His desires outweighed his desperation. Although it meant risk, Elijah wanted to honor Yahweh above all else.
3. When our need is greatest (vv. 2,5,21,22).
4. When we take our message to the people (vv. 20,21).
5. When we bring others to a point of decision (v. 21).
6. When we repair and use the altar of God (vv. 23-32).
7. When we face circumstances that only God’s fire will light (vv. 33-35).
8. When we publicly trust God to do what only he can do (vv. 33-37).
9. When we hunger for God to receive glory (vv. 36-39).
10. When we desire to see others return to the Lord (v. 37).

When you think you have lost all courage, remember this story of Elijah. His fire and passion fueled his courage. Great devotional thoughts of John Maxwell.

I Kings 18:1-40

Elijah and Obadiah

18 After a long time, in the third year, the word of the Lord came to Elijah: “Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the land.” ² So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab.

Now the famine was severe in Samaria, ³ and Ahab had summoned Obadiah, his palace administrator. (Obadiah was a devout believer in the Lord. ⁴ While Jezebel was killing off the Lord’s prophets, Obadiah had taken a hundred prophets and hidden them in two caves, fifty in each, and had supplied them with food and water.) ⁵ Ahab had said to Obadiah, “Go through the land to all the springs and valleys. Maybe we can find some grass to keep the horses and mules alive so we will not have to kill any of our animals.” ⁶ So they divided the land they were to cover, Ahab going in one direction and Obadiah in another.

⁷ As Obadiah was walking along, Elijah met him. Obadiah recognized him, bowed down to the ground, and said, “Is it really you, my lord Elijah?”

⁸ “Yes,” he replied. “Go tell your master, ‘Elijah is here.’”

⁹ “What have I done wrong,” asked Obadiah, “that you are handing your servant over to Ahab to be put to death? ¹⁰ As surely as the Lord your God lives, there is not a nation or kingdom where my master has not sent someone to look for you. And whenever a nation or kingdom claimed you were not there, he made them swear they could not find you. ¹¹ But now you tell me to go to my master and say, ‘Elijah is here.’ ¹² I don’t know where the Spirit of the Lord may carry you when I leave you. If I go and tell Ahab and he doesn’t find you, he will kill me. Yet I, your servant, have worshiped the Lord since my youth. ¹³ Haven’t you heard, my lord, what I did while Jezebel was killing the prophets of the Lord? I hid a hundred of the Lord’s prophets in two caves, fifty in each, and supplied them with food and water. ¹⁴ And now you tell me to go to my master and say, ‘Elijah is here.’ He will kill me!”

¹⁵ Elijah said, “As the Lord Almighty lives, whom I serve, I will surely present myself to Ahab today.”

Elijah on Mount Carmel

¹⁶ So Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him, and Ahab went to meet Elijah. ¹⁷ When he saw Elijah, he said to him, “Is that you, you troubler of Israel?”

¹⁸ “I have not made trouble for Israel,” Elijah replied. “But you and your father’s family have. You have abandoned the Lord’s commands and have followed the Baals. ¹⁹ Now summon the people from all over Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel. And bring the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.”

²⁰ So Ahab sent word throughout all Israel and assembled the prophets on Mount Carmel. ²¹ Elijah went before the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.”

But the people said nothing.

²² Then Elijah said to them, “I am the only one of the Lord’s prophets left, but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets. ²³ Get two bulls for us. Let Baal’s prophets choose one for themselves, and let them cut it into pieces and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. ²⁴ Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord. The god who answers by fire—he is God.”

Then all the people said, “What you say is good.”

²⁵ Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose one of the bulls and prepare it first, since there are so many of you. Call on the name of your god, but do not light the fire.” ²⁶ So they took the bull given them and prepared it.

Then they called on the name of Baal from morning till noon. “Baal, answer us!” they shouted. But there was no response; no one answered. And they danced around the altar they had made.

²⁷ At noon Elijah began to taunt them. “Shout louder!” he said. “Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened.” ²⁸ So they shouted louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until their blood flowed. ²⁹ Midday passed, and they continued their frantic prophesying until the time for the evening sacrifice. But there was no response, no one answered, no one paid attention.

³⁰ Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come here to me.” They came to him, and he repaired the altar of the Lord, which had been torn down. ³¹ Elijah took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes descended from Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, “Your name shall be Israel.” ³² With the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord, and he dug a trench around it large enough to hold two seahs^[a] of seed. ³³ He arranged the wood, cut the bull into pieces and laid it on the wood. Then he said to them, “Fill four large jars with water and pour it on the offering and on the wood.”

³⁴ “Do it again,” he said, and they did it again.

“Do it a third time,” he ordered, and they did it the third time. ³⁵ The water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench.

³⁶ At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: “Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. ³⁷ Answer me, Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.”

³⁸ Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.

³⁹ When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, “The Lord—he is God! The Lord—he is God!”

⁴⁰ Then Elijah commanded them, “Seize the prophets of Baal. Don’t let anyone get away!” They seized them, and Elijah had them brought down to the Kishon Valley and slaughtered there.

Imagine what might have happened had Nathan lacked security. Consider the odds stacked against him. He knew he had to confront David in his sin, yet David had covered up everything so well; no one else knew what had happened. That meant Nathan could expect no moral support. Further, the popular avid had led Israel to prominence among the nations, and most Israelites would side with David if he put up a fight. Finally, from a technical viewpoint, David hadn’t done anything illegal to Uriah. He had set up the man to be killed in battle by the Ammonites, but it wasn’t his spear or sword that took Uriah’s life. Nathan had to feel utterly secure in his plan of attack, or it would backfire.

What enabled Nathan to demonstrate secure leadership?

1. Nathan hadn’t done anything God’s truth behind him. He didn’t have to stand alone against David.
2. Nathan had a relationship with David. Their friendship created the bridge that allowed Nathan to do what God called him to do.
3. Nathan’s identity depended upon his divine call, not his popularity. Nathan determined to speak God’s truth regardless of the popular reaction.
4. Nathan understood his personal mission. He operated out of deep conviction.
5. Nathan was humble and broken. He had nothing to lose, for he had died to personal ambition.

Common Symptoms of Insecurity

The following symptoms usually indicate feelings of insecurity:

1. Comparison – We compare ourselves with others and keep score.
2. Compensation – We feel like a victim and must compensate for our losses.
3. Competition – We become self-consumed and try to outdo others for attention.
4. Compulsion – We feel driven to person in order to gain others’ approval.
5. Condemnation – We judge others or ourselves, resulting in self-pity or conceit.
6. Control – We feel we must take charge, protect our interests, and manipulate.

Four Keys of Security

To reduce personal insecurities, build the following four ingredients into your life:

1. Identity: Establish your identity in Christ, not in performance.
2. Brokenness: Allow God to break you of self-sufficiency and self-promotion.
3. Purpose: Discover and practice your God-given purpose in life, not someone else’s.
4. Give and receive the blessing: Learn to affirm others and receive affirmation.

Can you think of any more to add?

Find ways to apply these security ingredients in your life.

David led well because he listened well. First Samuel 26 describes how he gained the opportunity to take Saul’s life for the second time. David snuck up on the king while he slept. But instead of killing him, David took the king’s spear and water jug and, later, from a distance, confronted him with questions. David shows that a leader who listens possesses genuine love.

1. Genuine love is not always popular – be different. Remember David’s men? Malcontents. Disgruntled. More than once, they encouraged him to look out for himself and take Saul’s life – but David refused. We must be careful how we interpret circumstances and whose advice we accept.
2. Genuine love needs a clear perspective – be humble. After David took Saul’s spear and jug, he called to the king from a distance. He submitted himself and humbly asked for perspective. “What have I done?” he asked. We will never be able to love people correctly until we see them clearly, with God’s eyes.
3. Genuine love is not defensive – be patient. David knew God put him in this situation for a purpose and trusted Him to deliver him. David offers to make a sacrifice if he has harmed Saul or done anything wrong, and he waits to hear Saul’s rationale. Impatience indicates that we lack trust and want to assert our rights.
4. Genuine love is powerful – be forgiving. Saul later apologizes to David and admits his wrong. He promises to go home. At this point, David sits in the driver’s seat; he still has Saul’s spear and jug. But he returns them and forgives Saul of everything. Like David, we must trust God to make things right.

What Steps Did David Take?

Note the following steps David walked through with Saul (I Sam. 26):

1. He initiated contact with Saul and set the stage for communication (v. 14).
2. He appealed to Saul’s sense of right and wrong (vv. 15, 16).
3. He asked questions and listened for the king’s heart’s response (v. 18).
4. He asked them to listen so he could share his perspective (v. 19).
5. He determined to take responsibility for anything he had done wrong (v. 19).
6. He submitted himself to Saul (v. 20).
7. He offered forgiveness and reconciliation as an act of trust in God (vv. 22-24).

How about you? Do you display love for others by listening? Are you a good listener?

Peter Drucker, the father of American management, believes that 60 percent of all management problems result from faulty communication. Having a message doesn’t matter if leaders don’t communicate clearly and motivate others.

It is incredible how God wired us. We can listen to a leader expound for 30 minutes, flinging thoughts and ideas about the room. He just talks, opens his mouth to make a few sounds – and yet we want to get up and pursue those ideas.

This is the power of communication. Proverbs 18:21 tells us, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.”

During his day, Samuel was the master of communication. Everyone listened to him. What kind of communicator was he? Look at the following examples:

1. He spoke words of revelation (I Samuel 7:3). His communication contained divine revelation, insights that the people lacked.
2. He spoke words of inspiration (I Samuel 10:3-6). His communication inspired Saul to overcome his fears and take a step forward.
3. He spoke words of exhortation (I Samuel 10:24). His communication encouraged the people to act and follow Saul as their new king.
4. He spoke words of affirmation (I Samuel 10:24). His communication affirmed, supported, and endorsed Saul publicly.
5. He spoke words of information (I Samuel 10:24). His communication overflowed with good content, edifying, and teaching others.
6. He spoke words of declaration (I Samuel 12:20-25). His communication gave clear direction to the people and hope for their future.

How Did He Do It?

Each time Samuel spoke, he followed the rules below:

1. Simplify the message. He spoke forthrightly, clearly, and simply. No one wondered what he meant.
2. See the person. He always empathized with others. He knew his audience.
3. Show the truth. He demonstrated credibility with his passion and his life. He lived what he said.
4. See the response. He always spoke with a purpose. When finished, he urged the people to obey God.

I Samuel 10:3-12:25

Then you will go on from there until you reach the great tree of Tabor. Three men going up to worship God at Bethel will meet you there. One will be carrying three young goats, another three loaves of bread, and another a skin of wine. ⁴ They will greet you and offer you two loaves of bread, which you will accept from them.

⁵ “After that you will go to Gibeah of God, where there is a Philistine outpost. As you approach the town, you will meet a procession of prophets coming down from the high place with lyres, timbrels, pipes and harps being played before them, and they will be prophesying. ⁶ The Spirit of the Lord will come powerfully upon you, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person. ⁷ Once these signs are fulfilled, do whatever your hand finds to do, for God is with you.

⁸ “Go down ahead of me to Gilgal. I will surely come down to you to sacrifice burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, but you must wait seven days until I come to you and tell you what you are to do.”

Saul Made King

⁹ As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed Saul’s heart, and all these signs were fulfilled that day. ¹⁰ When he and his servant arrived at Gibeah, a procession of prophets met him; the Spirit of God came powerfully upon him, and he joined in their prophesying. ¹¹ When all those who had formerly known him saw him prophesying with the prophets, they asked each other, “What is this that has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?”

¹² A man who lived there answered, “And who is their father?” So it became a saying: “Is Saul also among the prophets?” ¹³ After Saul stopped prophesying, he went to the high place.

¹⁴ Now Saul’s uncle asked him and his servant, “Where have you been?”

“Looking for the donkeys,” he said. “But when we saw they were not to be found, we went to Samuel.”

¹⁵ Saul’s uncle said, “Tell me what Samuel said to you.”

¹⁶ Saul replied, “He assured us that the donkeys had been found.” But he did not tell his uncle what Samuel had said about the kingship.

¹⁷ Samuel summoned the people of Israel to the Lord at Mizpah ¹⁸ and said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I brought Israel up out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the power of Egypt and all the kingdoms that oppressed you.’ ¹⁹ But you have now rejected your God, who saves you out of all your disasters and calamities. And you have said, ‘No, appoint a king over us.’ So now present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and clans.”

²⁰ When Samuel had all Israel come forward by tribes, the tribe of Benjamin was taken by lot. ²¹ Then he brought forward the tribe of Benjamin, clan by clan, and Matri’s clan was taken. Finally Saul son of Kish was taken. But when they looked for him, he was not to be found. ²² So they inquired further of the Lord, “Has the man come here yet?”

And the Lord said, “Yes, he has hidden himself among the supplies.”

²³ They ran and brought him out, and as he stood among the people he was a head taller than any of the others. ²⁴ Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see the man the Lord has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people.”

Then the people shouted, “Long live the king!”

²⁵ Samuel explained to the people the rights and duties of kingship. He wrote them down on a scroll and deposited it before the Lord. Then Samuel dismissed the people to go to their own homes.

²⁶ Saul also went to his home in Gibeah, accompanied by valiant men whose hearts God had touched. ²⁷ But some scoundrels said, “How can this fellow save us?” They despised him and brought him no gifts. But Saul kept silent.

Saul Rescues the City of Jabesh

11 Nahash^[a] the Ammonite went up and besieged Jabesh Gilead. And all the men of Jabesh said to him, “Make a treaty with us, and we will be subject to you.”

² But Nahash the Ammonite replied, “I will make a treaty with you only on the condition that I gouge out the right eye of every one of you and so bring disgrace on all Israel.”

³ The elders of Jabesh said to him, “Give us seven days so we can send messengers throughout Israel; if no one comes to rescue us, we will surrender to you.”

⁴ When the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul and reported these terms to the people, they all wept aloud. ⁵ Just then Saul was returning from the fields, behind his oxen, and he asked, “What is wrong with everyone? Why are they weeping?” Then they repeated to him what the men of Jabesh had said.

⁶ When Saul heard their words, the Spirit of God came powerfully upon him, and he burned with anger. ⁷ He took a pair of oxen, cut them into pieces, and sent the pieces by messengers throughout Israel, proclaiming, “This is what will be done to the oxen of anyone who does not follow Saul and Samuel.” Then the terror of the Lord fell on the people, and they came out together as one. ⁸ When Saul mustered them at Bezek, the men of Israel numbered three hundred thousand and those of Judah thirty thousand.

⁹ They told the messengers who had come, “Say to the men of Jabesh Gilead, ‘By the time the sun is hot tomorrow, you will be rescued.’” When the messengers went and reported this to the men of Jabesh, they were elated. ¹⁰ They said to the Ammonites, “Tomorrow we will surrender to you, and you can do to us whatever you like.”

¹¹ The next day Saul separated his men into three divisions; during the last watch of the night they broke into the camp of the Ammonites and slaughtered them until the heat of the day. Those who survived were scattered, so that no two of them were left together.

Saul Confirmed as King

¹² The people then said to Samuel, “Who was it that asked, ‘Shall Saul reign over us?’ Turn these men over to us so that we may put them to death.”

¹³ But Saul said, “No one will be put to death today, for this day the Lord has rescued Israel.”

¹⁴ Then Samuel said to the people, “Come, let us go to Gilgal and there renew the kingship.” ¹⁵ So all the people went to Gilgal and made Saul king in the presence of the Lord. There they sacrificed fellowship offerings before the Lord, and Saul and all the Israelites held a great celebration.

Samuel’s Farewell Speech

12 Samuel said to all Israel, “I have listened to everything you said to me and have set a king over you. ² Now you have a king as your leader. As for me, I am old and gray, and my sons are here with you. I have been your leader from my youth until this day. ³ Here I stand. Testify against me in the presence of the Lord and his anointed. Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey have I taken? Whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed? From whose hand have I accepted a bribe to make me shut my eyes? If I have done any of these things, I will make it right.”

⁴ “You have not cheated or oppressed us,” they replied. “You have not taken anything from anyone’s hand.”

⁵ Samuel said to them, “The Lord is witness against you, and also his anointed is witness this day, that you have not found anything in my hand.”

“He is witness,” they said.

⁶ Then Samuel said to the people, “It is the Lord who appointed Moses and Aaron and brought your ancestors up out of Egypt. ⁷ Now then, stand here, because I am going to confront you with evidence before the Lord as to all the righteous acts performed by the Lord for you and your ancestors.

⁸ “After Jacob entered Egypt, they cried to the Lord for help, and the Lord sent Moses and Aaron, who brought your ancestors out of Egypt and settled them in this place.

⁹ “But they forgot the Lord their God; so he sold them into the hand of Sisera, the commander of the army of Hazor, and into the hands of the Philistines and the king of Moab, who fought against them. ¹⁰ They cried out to the Lord and said, ‘We have sinned; we have forsaken the Lord and served the Baals and the Ashtoreths. But now deliver us from the hands of our enemies, and we will serve you.’ ¹¹ Then the Lord sent Jerub-Baal,^[b] Barak,^[c] Jephthah and Samuel,^[d] and he delivered you from the hands of your enemies all around you, so that you lived in safety.

¹² “But when you saw that Nahash king of the Ammonites was moving against you, you said to me, ‘No, we want a king to rule over us’—even though the Lord your God was your king. ¹³ Now here is the king you have chosen, the one you asked for; see, the Lord has set a king over you. ¹⁴ If you fear the Lord and serve and obey him and do not rebel against his commands, and if both you and the king who reigns over you follow the Lord your God—good! ¹⁵ But if you do not obey the Lord, and if you rebel against his commands, his hand will be against you, as it was against your ancestors.

¹⁶ “Now then, stand still and see this great thing the Lord is about to do before your eyes! ¹⁷ Is it not wheat harvest now? I will call on the Lord to send thunder and rain. And you will realize what an evil thing you did in the eyes of the Lord when you asked for a king.”

¹⁸ Then Samuel called on the Lord, and that same day the Lord sent thunder and rain. So all the people stood in awe of the Lord and of Samuel.

¹⁹ The people all said to Samuel, “Pray to the Lord your God for your servants so that we will not die, for we have added to all our other sins the evil of asking for a king.”

²⁰ “Do not be afraid,” Samuel replied. “You have done all this evil; yet do not turn away from the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. ²¹ Do not turn away after useless idols. They can do you no good, nor can they rescue you, because they are useless. ²² For the sake of his great name the Lord will not reject his people, because the Lord was pleased to make you his own. ²³ As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right. ²⁴ But be sure to fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you. ²⁵ Yet if you persist in doing evil, both you and your king will perish.”

Another excellent quality shared from John Maxwell’s leadership Bible. One that always motivates me to work harder at perfecting, as you become more transparent about your goals and what you can achieve when you master communication. Something I struggle with and am constantly aware of, identifying ways to continually improve.

No one models this better than Boaz, the spiritual leader who became Ruth’s husband. He owned a large field, and like other landowners, employed reapers to gather his harvest. When the reapers finished, the less fortunate were allowed to “glean” in the field, taking whatever remained of the harvested crops. Ruth was one such person.

Boaz’s generous spirit surfaced immediately when he saw Ruth. He asked the reapers about her identity, then expressed his generosity to her. Boaz displayed his generous leadership in several ways:

1. He was generous with his compassion (Ruth 2:8,9). He told Ruth not to glean anywhere else; she would get all she needed from him.
2. He was generous with his compliments (Ruth 2:11,12). He noticed her sacrifice and complimented her efforts.
3. He was generous with his courtesy (Ruth 2:14). He invited her to join his staff for a meal kindly serving her all she wanted.
4. He was generous with his crops (Ruth 2:15,16). He told his reapers to put out extra bundles of grain for her to find.
5. He was generous with his credibility (Ruth 3:11-13). He showed respect by doing what was right by her request.
6. He was generous with his commitment (Ruth 4:9,10). He committed himself to ensuring that Ruth’s former husband had offspring to carry on his name.

You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving. Leaders who fail to display generosity should ask themselves, Do I really love the people I lead? When great leaders err, they always err on the side of generosity. If they err in paying salaries, they err in paying too much. If they err in firing a staff member, they err on the side of excessive emotional support, severance package, and affirmation. No leader gets ahead by mimicking Ebenezer Scrooge.

Jesus talked about this generous spirit when he said, “If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two” (Matt. 5:40, 41).

A generous spirit drove Boaz to go the second mile with Ruth, even before he suspected she might become his wife. (He assumed she would be attracted to a younger man, Ruth 3:10.) Even so, Boaz gave her extra time, attention, grain, respect, favor, and honor.

How about you? Who would describe your leadership as generous?

Ruth 2:8-4:10

Now Naomi had a relative on her husband’s side, a man of standing from the clan of Elimelek, whose name was Boaz.

² And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go to the fields and pick up the leftover grain behind anyone in whose eyes I find favor.”

Naomi said to her, “Go ahead, my daughter.” ³ So she went out, entered a field and began to glean behind the harvesters. As it turned out, she was working in a field belonging to Boaz, who was from the clan of Elimelek.

⁴ Just then Boaz arrived from Bethlehem and greeted the harvesters, “The Lord be with you!”

“The Lord bless you!” they answered.

⁵ Boaz asked the overseer of his harvesters, “Who does that young woman belong to?”

⁶ The overseer replied, “She is the Moabite who came back from Moab with Naomi. ⁷ She said, ‘Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves behind the harvesters.’ She came into the field and has remained here from morning till now, except for a short rest in the shelter.”

⁸ So Boaz said to Ruth, “My daughter, listen to me. Don’t go and glean in another field and don’t go away from here. Stay here with the women who work for me. ⁹ Watch the field where the men are harvesting, and follow along after the women. I have told the men not to lay a hand on you. And whenever you are thirsty, go and get a drink from the water jars the men have filled.”

¹⁰ At this, she bowed down with her face to the ground. She asked him, “Why have I found such favor in your eyes that you notice me—a foreigner?”

¹¹ Boaz replied, “I’ve been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband—how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know before. ¹² May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.”

¹³ “May I continue to find favor in your eyes, my lord,” she said. “You have put me at ease by speaking kindly to your servant—though I do not have the standing of one of your servants.”

¹⁴ At mealtime Boaz said to her, “Come over here. Have some bread and dip it in the wine vinegar.”

When she sat down with the harvesters, he offered her some roasted grain. She ate all she wanted and had some left over. ¹⁵ As she got up to glean, Boaz gave orders to his men, “Let her gather among the sheaves and don’t reprimand her. ¹⁶ Even pull out some stalks for her from the bundles and leave them for her to pick up, and don’t rebuke her.”

¹⁷ So Ruth gleaned in the field until evening. Then she threshed the barley she had gathered, and it amounted to about an ephah.^[a] 18 She carried it back to town, and her mother-in-law saw how much she had gathered. Ruth also brought out and gave her what she had left over after she had eaten enough.

¹⁹ Her mother-in-law asked her, “Where did you glean today? Where did you work? Blessed be the man who took notice of you!”

Then Ruth told her mother-in-law about the one at whose place she had been working. “The name of the man I worked with today is Boaz,” she said.

²⁰ “The Lord bless him!” Naomi said to her daughter-in-law. “He has not stopped showing his kindness to the living and the dead.” She added, “That man is our close relative; he is one of our guardian-redeemers.^[b]”

²¹ Then Ruth the Moabite said, “He even said to me, ‘Stay with my workers until they finish harvesting all my grain.’”

²² Naomi said to Ruth her daughter-in-law, “It will be good for you, my daughter, to go with the women who work for him, because in someone else’s field you might be harmed.”

²³ So Ruth stayed close to the women of Boaz to glean until the barley and wheat harvests were finished. And she lived with her mother-in-law.

This generosity reminds me of Vincent. It was his huge heart that I fell in love with. Always asking, How can I help you? Giving without expecting anything in return. Putting himself in a place where those he gave to didn’t have a chance to give back.

Sharing these lessons from the Maxwell leadership Bible shows how he lived his life of giving. I feel like he’s still providing today through his example, which is ingrained in us, those who knew him best.

Let’s read Numbers 22:21-35. ²¹ Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey and went with the Moabite officials. ²² But God was very angry when he went, and the angel of the Lord stood in the road to oppose him. Balaam was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him. ²³ When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand, it turned off the road into a field. Balaam beat it to get it back on the road.

²⁴ Then the angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path through the vineyards, with walls on both sides. ²⁵ When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it pressed close to the wall, crushing Balaam’s foot against it. So he beat the donkey again.

²⁶ Then the angel of the Lord moved on ahead and stood in a narrow place where there was no room to turn, either to the right or to the left. ²⁷ When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it lay down under Balaam, and he was angry and beat it with his staff. ²⁸ Then the Lord opened the donkey’s mouth, and it said to Balaam, “What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?”

²⁹ Balaam answered the donkey, “You have made a fool of me! If only I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now.”

³⁰ The donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your own donkey, which you have always ridden, to this day? Have I been in the habit of doing this to you?”

“No,” he said.

³¹ Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with his sword drawn. So he bowed low and fell facedown.

³² The angel of the Lord asked him, “Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? I have come here to oppose you because your path is a reckless one before me.^[a] 33 The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If it had not turned away, I would certainly have killed you by now, but I would have spared it.”

³⁴ Balaam said to the angel of the Lord, “I have sinned. I did not realize you were standing in the road to oppose me. Now if you are displeased, I will go back.”

³⁵ The angel of the Lord said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but speak only what I tell you.” So Balaam went with Balak’s officials.

Balam lacked both discernment and intuition about what was happening around him. Not the following observations about Balaam’s error:

1. Balaam angered God because he disobeyed what he knew to be right (v. 22).
2. It took the Angel of the Lord standing in the way to stop Balaam (v. 23).
3. The seer could not discern the Angel’s blockade (v. 23).
4. Balaam’s own agenda so consumed him that he whipped his donkey for responding to the Angel (v. 25).
5. God enabled the donkey to speak when Balaam still didn’t perceive his danger (v. 28).
6. The donkey discerned more than Balaam and interpreted reality for him (vv. 28-30).
7. It took a divine miracle for Balaam’s eyes to be opened (v. 31).

No leader can long enjoy success without developing a healthy sense of discernment. Lack of discernment nearly got Balaam killed. He did not discern the Lord’s presence, and he confessed his lack of discernment (Num. 22:34). God said the prophet would surely have been killed had it not been for his discerning donkey (22:33). When he finally realized his peril, Balaam had to feel both ashamed and embarrassed. It is one thing to lack discernment; it is another for your donkey to possess more it of than you do!

Unfortunately, many leaders today suffer exactly this plight. Many factors conspire to keep us from discerning the needs of the moment. Consider some common factors:

1. An unrelenting schedule leaves no room for listening.
2. An important agenda fosters a stubborn heart rather than a sensitive one.
3. A type – A temperament makes it difficult to slow down and discern.
4. A strong task orientation leaves little time for people or spontaneity.
5. We desire to solve spiritual and emotional problems with external answers.

Do you want to hone your leadership skills? Then make it a priority to pray for greater discernment. Listen for and interpret the root causes of the challenges you face. Consider your gut reaction to others, but also tap your mind. Discernment takes both godly intuition and intellect.

Great thoughts of John Maxwell in his leadership Bible. It made me think about all the things that we just do on routine and forget to really listen and pay attention to life around us of what is happening. I am paying attention more to have buffers in my life so I can be sure to find and focus time to be ale to listen. Be grateful for more awareness in your life to make a difference.

Similarities:

1. All twelve spies were leaders in their tribes (13:2).
2. All twelve spies received the same promise (13:2).
3. All twelve spies received the same opportunities (13:2).

Differences

Majority Report:

1. Ten said “no”
2. Misunderstood their mission
3. Saw God in light of their circumstances

Minority Report:

1. Two said “go”
2. Understood their mission
3. Saw circumstances in light of their God

After their return, ten of the spies displayed a horrible attitude about the whole endeavor. It’s not hard to see why. You can’t find God anywhere in their report: they don’t mention His name even oce. Their sour disposition, pessimistic perspective, and negative report spread like a plague throughout the Israelite camp. “It was, indeed, a land flowing with milk and honey – but there were giants in the land!” they declared. “There is no way we can enter and posses it.”

Although Joshua and Caleb took the very same trip and saw the same things that the other ten spies witnessed, they returned with an enthusiastic, positive report. They never doubted the Israelites could take the land. They based their glowing report on God’s track record with the nation through the desert. They freely admitted the obstacles, but knew nothing could stand in the way of God. They came back saying, “Yes, there are giants in the land, but they’re midgets compared with our God. We can take them and the land! And by the way, Canaan really does flow with milk and honey.”

The Major Difference: Attitude!

The only difference between those who delivered the majority and minority reports was internal. Their differing reports reflected contrary attitudes toward the land, the divine promises, the people in Canaan, the work involved, the Lord, and themselves. Consider the attitudes of the majority:

1. Disobeyed God
2. Believed the land had no future
3. Displayed cowardice based on fear
4. Utterly ignored God in their report
5. Suffered from a grasshopper complex

The result? These ten naysayers spread anxiety throughout Israel’s camp. Their rotten attitudes infected the whole congregation until the spiritual contagion could not be contained. Notice who got blamed for the nation’s negative response: “Our brethren have discouraged our hearts, saying, ‘The people are greater and taller than we'” (Deut. 1:28). Through a negative majority report, this ancient commission deprived nearly two million people of their inheritance in Canaan. Through their poisonous influence, the Israelites were driven back into the wilderness to die, and God delayed in fulfilling His purpose for His chosen people for 40 frustrating years.

If only they had listened to the minority! Consider their vastly better attitude:

1. Obeyed God
2. Insisted they should enter and possess the land
3. Displayed courage rooted in faith
4. Felt calm assurance
5. Saw themselves in relationship to God

The result? Caleb and Joshua stayed alive for a new era, while the other ten spies perished in the wilderness along with the rest of the adults of that unbelieving generation.

Attitude Axioms

Attitude makes all the difference. The development of a positive attitude is the first conscious step toward becoming an effective leader. Successful leadership cannot be constructed without this crucial building block. Check out the following attitude axioms suggested by the words and actions of Joshua and Caleb:

1. Our attitude determines our approach to life.
2. Our attitude determines our relationships with people.
3. Our attitude is often the only difference between success and failure.
4. Our attitude at the beginning of a task will affect its outcome more than anything else.
5. Our attitude can turn problems into blessings.
6. Our attitude can give an uncommonly positive perspective.
7. Our attitude is not automatically good just because we belong to God.

Numbers 13:1 – 14:10

Exploring Canaan

13 The Lord said to Moses, ² “Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites. From each ancestral tribe send one of its leaders.”

³ So at the Lord’s command Moses sent them out from the Desert of Paran. All of them were leaders of the Israelites. ⁴ These are their names:

from the tribe of Reuben, Shammua son of Zakkur;

⁵ from the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat son of Hori;

⁶ from the tribe of Judah, Caleb son of Jephunneh;

⁷ from the tribe of Issachar, Igal son of Joseph;

⁸ from the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea son of Nun;

⁹ from the tribe of Benjamin, Palti son of Raphu;

¹⁰ from the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel son of Sodi;

¹¹ from the tribe of Manasseh (a tribe of Joseph), Gaddi son of Susi;

¹² from the tribe of Dan, Ammiel son of Gemalli;

¹³ from the tribe of Asher, Sethur son of Michael;

¹⁴ from the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi son of Vophsi;

¹⁵ from the tribe of Gad, Geuel son of Maki.

¹⁶ These are the names of the men Moses sent to explore the land. (Moses gave Hoshea son of Nun the name Joshua.)

¹⁷ When Moses sent them to explore Canaan, he said, “Go up through the Negev and on into the hill country. ¹⁸ See what the land is like and whether the people who live there are strong or weak, few or many. ¹⁹ What kind of land do they live in? Is it good or bad? What kind of towns do they live in? Are they unwalled or fortified? ²⁰ How is the soil? Is it fertile or poor? Are there trees in it or not? Do your best to bring back some of the fruit of the land.” (It was the season for the first ripe grapes.)

²¹ So they went up and explored the land from the Desert of Zin as far as Rehob, toward Lebo Hamath. ²² They went up through the Negev and came to Hebron, where Ahiman, Sheshai and Talmai, the descendants of Anak, lived. (Hebron had been built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.) ²³ When they reached the Valley of Eshkol,^[a] they cut off a branch bearing a single cluster of grapes. Two of them carried it on a pole between them, along with some pomegranates and figs. ²⁴ That place was called the Valley of Eshkol because of the cluster of grapes the Israelites cut off there. ²⁵ At the end of forty days they returned from exploring the land.

Report on the Exploration

²⁶ They came back to Moses and Aaron and the whole Israelite community at Kadesh in the Desert of Paran. There they reported to them and to the whole assembly and showed them the fruit of the land. ²⁷ They gave Moses this account: “We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit. ²⁸ But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there. ²⁹ The Amalekites live in the Negev; the Hittites, Jebusites and Amorites live in the hill country; and the Canaanites live near the sea and along the Jordan.”

³⁰ Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.”

³¹ But the men who had gone up with him said, “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.” ³² And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, “The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size. ³³ We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.”

The People Rebel

14 That night all the members of the community raised their voices and wept aloud. ² All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, “If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this wilderness! ³ Why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?” ⁴ And they said to each other, “We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt.”

⁵ Then Moses and Aaron fell facedown in front of the whole Israelite assembly gathered there. ⁶ Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes ⁷ and said to the entire Israelite assembly, “The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. ⁸ If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. ⁹ Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them.”

¹⁰ But the whole assembly talked about stoning them. Then the glory of the Lord appeared at the tent of meeting to all the Israelites.

You will be surprised at the blessings that come your way just because of your positive attitude.

Becoming a leader is a lot like investing in the stock market. If you hope to make a fortune in a day, you’re doomed. It’s what you do day by day, over the long haul, that matters most. If you continue to develop your leadership, letting your “assets” compound over time, the inevitable result is growth.

Although some individuals have greater natural gifts than others, nearly all the skills of leadership can be learned and improved. But that process doesn’t happen overnight. Leadership has so many facets; respect, experience, emotional strength, people skills, discipline, vision, momentum, timing- the list oges on. That’s why leaders require so much seasoning to be effective.

The good news is that you can grow in your ability to lead. Regardless of your starting point, you can improve.

Joseph was a cocky kid, too arrogant for his own good. He didn’t think it enough to be the favorite of his father, the child who received special treatment, the son of Jacob’s old age. Joseph had to rub it in.

When God gave Joseph a dream revealing that he would one day lead his family- not only his 11 brothers, but also his parents- Joseph thoughtlessly told everyone about it. Twice. His father rebuked him. His brothers wanted revenge. And they got it.

Early in his life, Joseph didn’t know how to skillfully work with others. He lacked experience, wisdom, and humility- three qualities gained only with the passage of time. Joseph’s life illustrates the Law of Process. Observe how time and experience contributed to the development of Joseph’s leadership skills:

Phase One: I don’t know what I don’t know. Everyone starts out in a state of ignorance. That’s where Joseph began. He didn’t understans the dynamics of his family. Either he couldn’t imagine how his brothers might react when he described his dream, or he didn’t care. The scripture says his brothers already hated him; when he described his dream, they hated him even more. Joseph did and said things without understanding the interpersonal issues involved. His ignorance cost him more than two decades of alienation from his family.

Phase Two: I know what I don’t know. It took a life-changing incident to capture Joseph’s attention and start him on the road to change. Thrust into slavery in Egypt, he began to learn what hi didn’t know. He came to understand that leadership is difficult and carries a huge weight of responsibility. Over the years, Joseph suffered betrayal and learned hard lessons in human nature, relationships, and leadership. The process molded his character, granting him both patience and humility. Eventually he recognize God as his source of blessing and power.

Phase Three: I know and grow, and it starts to show. Leaders who show great skill when opportunities arise shine only because they’ve paid the price of preparation. When Pharaoh finally called Joseph, the young man performed with excellence and great wisdom. He didn’t succeed because he suddenly got good at age 30; he succeeded because he paid the price for 13 years. Joseph’s hard-won wisdom and discernment got him promoted to second in command of what was then the most powerful nation on earth.

Phase Four: I simply go because of what I know. During seven years of plenty, Josph executed his leadership plan with great skill. He filled the cities of Egypt with grain and prepared the country for a famine. But one can see how far his leadership had grown only by observing what he did during the lean years that followed. While he focused on feeding the people of Egypt, the strength of his leadership allowed him to feed the people of other lands as well. In the process, he brought untold money, livestock, and land into his master’s possession. He also fulfilled the prophecy of his teenage dreams.

Every effective leader needs time to develop, but time alone cannot make someone an effective leader. Some individuals never discover the Law of Process, never work at growth, and therefore remain at Phase One their entire lives.

Fortunately for the children of Israel, Joseph did not stop at the first stage. He grew in his journey from the pit to the palace. Yet nearly 23 years passed before he reunited with his brothers and saw his own vision fulfilled. At the end, Joseph realized that God had directed the process of his development as a leader and that he had been groomed for a much greater purpose than he ever imagined as a cocky teenager.

By the time his father died, Joseph had learned to see things from God’s perspective. When his brothers feared for their lives, Joseph calmed their nerves by saying, “Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive” (Gen. 50:19, 20).

At last Joseph could trace God’s hand over all the years of his life. And he understood the Lord’s long-term plan for His people, a plan Joseph helped fulfill by growing into the leader God desired him to be.

Share how this story inspires you to invest in yourself to be a better leader.

God clearly told Adam that a specific tree was off-limits. “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat.” God told him, “But of the tree of knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (Genesis 2:16, 17). At the time Adam received this command, Eve was not present; according to Genesis 2, she had not yet been created. Consequently, it was up to Adam to pass along what God had said.

So why didn’t Adam clearly communicate God’s instructions to Eve? Why the breakdown in the line of communication? Indeed, Eve did not wholly understand what would happen if she ate the forbidden fruit. Consider her muddled response to the serpent: “God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die'” (Gen. 3:3). Eve added the phrases, “nor shall you touch it,” and “lest you die.” God never said any such thing. So, where did she get her faulty information?

Perhaps the “telephone game” can provide a clue. Have you ever played it? Everyone sits in a circle. One person whispers a message into the ear of an adjacent player, who then whispers the words to the next person, and so on down the line. When the last person to play whispers the phrase into the ear of the one who began the game, a significant distortion in the message is often revealed.

Five Reasons for Adam’s Faulty Communication

Adam’s communication to Eve went similarly astray. His message broke down into five basic reasons:

1. He ignored some details in the message he was supposed to communicate.
2. He allowed Eve’s voice to influence him more than God’s voice.
3. He failed to hold himself accountable for his communication.
4. He forgot what God had said about the consequences of disobedience.
5. He did not take responsibility for the results of his faulty communication.

Let’s learn from Adam’s mistake. You may be a good speaker, but are you a good communicator? Do you pay close attention to what God tells you? Do you give appropriate attention to detail? When you lead, do you ensure your audience receives the message? And do you take responsibility for what God has entrusted to you?

Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-6

The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. ¹⁶ And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; ¹⁷ but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”

Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

² The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, ³ but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”

⁴ “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. ⁵ “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

⁶ When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.

Great thoughts of John Maxwell. Vincent and I thought differently, and we struggled to communicate with each other because of that. We learned what was essential to each other and grew patient to figure out each other’s needs. I remember times when I hoped to find ways we could do more things together so that we could have more opportunities.

Anger itself is not a sin, but harboring anger is sinful. Another Bible translation casts Solomon’s warning this way: “anger resides in the lap of fools” (Ecclesiastes 7:9). Notice the key word, “resides.” Fools let anger abide in them, “so consuming them that it obviously labels them as fools. This implies that those who are wise quickly manage their anger, thereby removing it. Anger was designed to be a visitor, never a resident, in the human heart. All of us experience anger, but holding anger inside, denying, withdrawing, and brooding is not the Christian response. In fact, harboring anger violates the clear teachings of Scripture. Bitterness grows from stored anger, and the Bible warns us against bitterness.

Feelings of anger should be a trigger, prompting us to look deeper and ask, Why do I really feel angry? Often, anger is a secondary emotion masking a primary emotion of sadness or fear. Only when we identify the root of anger can we address the cause directly. When we fixate only on the anger, we often lose our tempers.

Take time to pray, asking God…

To teach you to control your temper.

To give you the insight and discernment to know anger’s actual cause.

To uproot any bitterness in your soul.

Discuss and reflect on these questions:

Read descriptions of bitterness in Acts 8:23 For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.”

Romans 3:14 “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”^[a]

Ephesians 4:31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.

Hebrews 12:15  See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.

What is associated with bitterness?

How well do you control your temper? Think of some recent times you felt angry and how you responded.

What are healthy ways to deal with and express anger?

Consider these passages for further study on anger:

Psalm 37:8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
    do not fret—it leads only to evil.

Proverbs 14:29 Whoever is patient has great understanding,
    but one who is quick-tempered displays folly.

James 1:19-20 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, ²⁰ because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.

Thankful for these guiding thoughts of Gary Chapman.

Recently losing my love, Vincent, I have felt all these emotions in a whirlwind. Understanding them more helps me realize where to focus and ways that the Lord can help me. Trusting the Lord will take care of me through these trials and finding comfort.