Leaders are simply stewards of the resources God has given them. Read Luke 19:11-26.

During His public ministry Jesus often told stories that illustrated a principles for life. In one of these stories Jesus told about a landowner who, just prior to leaving on an extended trip, gave three men some funds to spend, save, or invest. Each had the freedom to use the money as they saw fit but each would be asked for an account of how they handled the money when the landowner returned. The landowner’s expectation was that these men would be stewards of the money he had given them and, in Jesus’ story, those who had been faithful stewards of the funds were rewarded for their efforts and those who did not steward the funds would be held accountable.

There are times when a leader should make a special investment of time and energy in a few leaders with extraordinary potential to prepare them for special assignments. Read Luke 9:28-36.

Jesus had chosen twelve of His followers to closely mentor, but within the twelve He had three that He trained for special leadership positions. On several occasions Jesus pulled three of His team, James, John and Peter, aside for special input. The Bible does not tell us what “extra” leadership trait Jesus saw in them, but His actions indicate that He felt they would eventually be the leaders of the leaders.

In every leader’s sphere of influence there will be those loosely attached to the leader, those affected directly by the leader’s influence, those who answer directly to the leader, and those few the leader grooms for additional responsibility and greater leadership positions. There is always a possibility that selecting a few from your team for special training could cause envy or some other form of discontent on the team, but it has been my experience that in most cases the potential demonstrated by these few leaders is not only obvious to me but to all their teammates. Deserving leaders receiving special training is much different than favoritism in the eyes of their teammates.

John Maxwell in The Maxwell Leadership Bible writes on this topic in “The Law of the Inner Circle: Jesus Prepared Men to Represent Him”:

Jesus, the ultimate trainer and mentor, did things this way to prepare some key players for future leadership. Watch how He did it:

Jesus….

• Selected a group of key men (v. 28)
• Took them to a special place (v. 28)
• Spent time praying with them (vv. 28, 29)
• Shared an unusual experience with them (vv. 32, 33)
• Invested special time speaking with them (vv. 34, 35)
• Gave them a secret history with Him that prepared them for the future (v. 36)

Have you identified those on your team that have the potential to become the leader of leaders? Are you actively mentoring them to achieve their full leadership potential? Even on a team of leaders hand selected by Jesus there were three that Jesus selected for an “inner circle” to “lead the leaders.” Wise leaders pay attention to Jesus’ actions and examples for developing an effective team.

Exodus 18:25 Moses chose able men out of all Israel and made them heads over the people, leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and of tens.

God-honoring values serve as a decision-making framework for use of a leader’s power and influence. Read Matthew 27:11-26.

Pontius Pilate served Rome as the Governor of Judea when Jesus was put on trial by the Jewish religious leaders. Roman law did not allow occupied states to carry out executions without approval of the Roman authorities, therefore, the Jewish leaders needed Pilates approval to have Jesus put to death. Pilate acknowledged Jesus’ innocence (Luke 23:4), yet still had Him crucified. Pilate’s values determined how he used his power and influence. Pilate possessed the power to do what was right but was more concerned about his political career and pleasing the Jewish leaders under his jurisdiction than doing what was morally right.

Values are uncompromisable core truths that drive a leader’s behavior. Only when leaders value truth will they speak truth. Only when leaders value honesty will they strive to be honest. Values are the “why” behind leaders’ actions. Leaders must carefully choose their source of values because values place boundaries around behavior and they direct a leader’s decisions. Only when leaders have sought and developed God-honoring values will they use their power in a way that honors God and receives assures the benefit of God’s promises.

Like Pilate in today’s verses, leaders will choose every day how they use their power and influence. Pilate looked to the world for his moral values and became confused by self-interest, social conditions and volatile situations. Pilate had values that centered on self. Pilates’ values directed him to do what was best for his career and for his own convenience. Pilates’ values ultimately have this once powerful man with a legacy throughout history of a weakling. Developing God-honoring values is critical if a leader is to maintain control and direct their influence in productive ways.

Have you established your core truths and resulting values from the Word of God or from the rules generated by society? Do you fully understand that your legacy, and perhaps the legacy of your children (see Exodus 34:7), depends on the source of information that guides your values? The wise leader understands that rejecting the moral high ground will rarely produce a good outcome over the long haul.

The God-honoring view of how a leader gains greatness is a mirror image of what most leaders assume. Read Matthew 20:20-28.

Jesus had a very intimate moment with His disciples in Matthew 17-19 when He laid out for them the treatment He would receive leading to His death in Jerusalem. He was making clear to them how He, the Son of God, would be called upon to sacrifice for those He led. He must have experienced some disappointment when in the following hours James and his brother John, two of His closest disciples, made a request (through their mother) for positions of power when He returned to heaven. Jesus’ response clearly defines His view of how a leader gains power.

Leaders must always be watchful that they do not put their trust in expendable commodities. Read Matthew 19:16-30.

As Jesus’ popularity grew among the Jewish people a few individuals wanted to join Him and become a disciple so they could receive more intimate teaching. Jesus had a way of helping people see the commitment that would be required to be His disciple and to help them understand their motives for seeking to be close to Him. The man described in today’s verses had money, power, a good reputation, and good intentions. He also had up-side-down priorities. He had placed a high value on wealth and had placed his trust in his ability to influence others and situations with his financial prowess. The man was broken hearted when he realized his true value system revolved around trust in his financial independence rather than trusting in the eternal perspectives Jesus was offering free of charge.