Effective leaders seek to develop God-honoring character. Read Matthew 18:21-35.

Jesus’ disciples were already leaders when they started following Him but spending time with Jesus caused them to see elements of their life that did not match His words and actions. As they saw Jesus’ consistency, the disciples started trusting Jesus’ character enough to ask the inner-hidden-deeper-secret personal questions they were struggling with in their lives. Peter asked Jesus a question every leader struggles with, “How many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?” He must have been shocked when Jesus’ answer was, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.”

Even when they have personal needs, true servant leaders still put their team’s needs before their own. Read Matthew 14:1-14.

John the Baptist, Jesus’ cousin, was executed by King Herod. When Jesus received word of John’s death He left the crowds that had been following Him and took a boat to a more private place to pray and grieve for John. The crowds, who had never experienced anyone like Jesus, followed Him and when He saw what was happening and sensed the tremendous needs of the people, Jesus put His own emotional and physical needs on hold to focus on their needs.

Being an effective leader requires careful thought that leads to wisdom. Read Haggai 2:10-19.

The Hebrews that returned from exile in Babylon with the mission to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem were struggling in their day-to-day life to have success with their crops. Three times in today’s Scripture Haggai recommends the leaders give careful thought to their situation. When they stopped construction on the temple and focused on their own needs they were lacking in both food and wine. When they stopped giving careful thought to God’s priorities they forfeited the wisdom they needed to find God’s blessing.

The difference between leaders and followers is perspective. Read Habakkuk 3:1-19.

In chapter 1, Habakkuk had one perspective – he saw evil in Judah perpetrated on the defenseless people by corrupt leaders and a silent God. Following his prayer and interaction with God he had quite a different perspective. By the end of chapter 3 he is able to express total trust in God in every situation. Once his perspective changed he went from a doubting prophet to a leader who spoke truth to the people in Judah, Babylon and to leaders around the world today.

Leaders who exhort their team to a higher moral level serve the organization well. Read Jonah 3:6-9.

When the city of Nineveh got the news of Jonah’s message concerning God’s judgment and the impending demise of the nation that would follow, the king of Nineveh immediately repented. He took off his royal robes and put on clothing made of rough burlap-like material called sackcloth and sat in a pile of ashes to demonstrate his total humility before God. He first repented of his own sin and then used his influence to bring about a city-wide revival. The king of Nineveh used his position to exhort the people to change the moral climate of the entire nation. When God saw his response, He had compassion on the Ninevites and did not destroy the city.