Seven Building Blocks for Leaders
In the book of Nehemiah, I found seven essential skills that today’s Christian leaders can use as stones on which to build their own strategy for leadership.
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Bible Characters
Our world desperately needs models worth following. Authentic heroes. People of integrity whose lives inspire us to take God seriously, to follow His Word obediently, to pursue Christ passionately.
Thankfully, the Bible places before us a spiritual "hall of fame"—raw, uncensored, gritty stories of men and women sometimes soaring, often stumbling, through the incredible life of faith. They wrestled with sin, experienced God's grace, struggled with weakness, and overcame by faith. Their inspiring biographies have been memorialized in Scripture, not simply because of their faith in God but because of God's faithfulness to them.
These great lives from God's Word not only provide realistic portraits for appreciation but also relevant principles for application.
How to Study a Bible Character
After you’ve gotten to know this biblical person in their world, you can see your own experience mirrored in the character’s tests of faith and discover universal principles and applications for your life today.
Is God Really in Control?
Haven’t we all looked at our lives at times and thought, “Can anything be made of this mess?” On the outside, at least, life at times looks bleak and chaotic. It often looked that way to people in the Bible.
Jesus Has a Question for You
Who else could He be? There is no one else qualified to grant forgiveness but Jesus. There is no one other than Christ who will stay closer to you when everyone or everything is stripped from you.
Amazing Grace on Display
Grace can mean unmerited favour—extending special favour to someone who doesn’t deserve it, who hasn’t earned it, and who can never repay it. Every once in a while, we come across a scene in Scripture and we stand amazed at such amazing grace.
Beyond the Broadcast: Respecting Authority
Even though Saul behaved in an un-kingly manner, he was still the Lord’s anointed—a role that demanded respect. How would David respond to Saul: by kneeling before a king or attacking an enemy?
Peter and Consistency
Really knowing Jesus is essential to consistency. That happens by spending time in the Word, seeing Christ in the pages of Scripture, and experiencing and trusting Him in our daily lives. This is what I want for you and me.
Joseph and Overcoming Temptation
Ask any athlete or soldier—faith, courage, and strength in the heat of the contest or battle does not come because it is mustered at that moment. It’s there because of the preparation that precedes the battle. Joseph shows us the same is true of defeating temptation.
Daniel and Courage
The great heroes of the Bible and church history have been people with the courage to say “No” to sin. They didn’t condone it or compromise with it. The root of Daniel’s courage was his trust in the Lord and His precepts, provision, and protection.
David and Obscurity
It seems to be a method of operating that God chooses nobodies—people of no account living in obscurity. “God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important.”
