Being a leader

1 Samuel 18:105
1 By the time David had finished reporting to Saul, Jonathan was deeply impressed with David—an immediate bond was forged between them. He became totally committed to David. From that point on he would be David's number-one advocate and friend. 2 Saul received David into his own household that day, no more to return to the home of his father. 3-4 Jonathan, out of his deep love for David, made a covenant with him. He formalized it with solemn gifts: his own royal robe and weapons—armor, sword, bow, and belt. 5 Whatever Saul gave David to do, he did it—and did it well. So well that Saul put him in charge of his military operations. Everybody, both the people in general and Saul's servants, approved of and admired David's leadership.
So I was going to start today's blog by talking about the depth of biblical friendship. However, as I started, I was impressed with the scripture we are covering today not being about friendship, but about influence. At one church I used to go to, the youth pastor used to always say "Leadership is influence," and at the surface, that seems right. But there's more to it. If you read this scripture, you can see quite simply that Saul had influence as the king. But was he a leader? I would argue no. Simply from the standpoint of how he treated David, one he was supposed to lead, you can tell that he was not a leader. Sure at the beginning, when he wasn't threatened, Saul welcomed David into his house (v.2). But later, we read about how he attempts to kill David. Saul had all the influence he could ever want. He was the first King of Israel, he had tons of power, God's holy Spirit was present and powerful in his life. There is a misconception about being a leader that I want to clear up here and now. Being a leader, a true God-anointed and appointed leader, does not mean that you are the best and it is all about you. It is all too easy to fall into the trap that by being a leader and pouring my time and energy into someone they will takeover and I will automatically become worthless... That is not the case and only spurs on jealousy. Too often we see this pattern, "I am going to bring you into my house in good faith and trust you with everything I own until you make a play at my position, then I am going to drop you like a dirty sock." The reality is the opposite. When we pour into someone as a leader should, we should be looking for and identifying people that will succeed us, like the pattern of Elijah and Elisha. The interesting thing is that IF God chooses to take that POSITION away, there is nothing you can do to change that. The unfortunate part of this story is that Saul and his family were anointed to be the rulers forever. However, because of the deepest roots of pride in Saul's life changed that. In closing, I want to share this graphic.
This is how a leader should view his/her position. We are on the bottom, we exist only to guide, and direct those who are the most important. Notice that all the pressure and weight of the pyramid sits on you as a leader? That is there to force us as leaders to rely on God for everything. May God show you the power of true leadership today.

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