1 Samuel
What better way to see God at work than to be the tool in His hand? Our society says being a tool is a bad thing. Nobody wants to be used. People want to be in control. Yet, if we are in control, God is not. If we are in
1 Samuel
We can do amazing things when our heart is open to the Lord and willing to hear His voice. When we wait upon the Lord, we acknowledge His presence and His power. When we listen for God’s voice, we understand it is His power and His wisdom making all
1 Samuel
It is far too easy to evaluate situations based on our understanding rather than evaluating based on the God who fights for us! Compared to the world, we can feel so small and insignificant. Yet, if the Lord goes before us, how can we fail? By the time the sacrifice
1 Samuel
When we make excuses and pass blame to others instead of acknowledging our mistakes, we make it difficult for God to use us. Leadership is about making decisions and acting upon them. Sometimes leaders get it wrong. God can work through mistakes when we acknowledge them and demonstrate capacity to
1 Samuel
Good leaders don’t compound mistakes with even worse mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes; good leaders admit and correct their poor decisions. Almost all mistakes can be overcome, but only those who acknowledge their poor choices and seek to make better ones can genuinely overcome. Saul lives for a year before
1 Samuel
Godly leadership is servant leadership. Godly leadership is not about power; it is about love. Godly leaders care about people, not positions and control. Godly leaders want what God desires for the people, not what is best for themselves. After hearing Samuel’s pronouncement and witnessing God’s testimony in
1 Samuel
We cannot expect people to grow if they are not grounded in reality. Growth implies an understanding of who you were, who you are, and where you want to go. Take any of those three dynamics away and what growth does happen becomes far more haphazard. Our growth is a
1 Samuel
God calls us to point people to Him and to be a blessing to those whom we lead. God deserves the praise. People learn to love God by experiencing His grace, love, and mercy. We are best suited to serve God when we are focused on Him and looking for
1 Samuel
When our actions are guided by emotion without the balance of reason, we run the risk of living in extremes. Emotions take us from valleys to mountaintops and back to valleys. They are exceptionally useful; emotions help us determine what is worth a response. The problem, however, is when emotions
1 Samuel
Human beings – human governments – can never provide the same degree of love for its people than God is able to provide. This is one of the most reprehensible flaws of typical socialism. Under socialism, the state embraces the responsibility to care for its people. Unfortunately, the state is far less
1 Samuel
God gave us a logical brain so we can sift through our emotions, understand what is important, and make sound choices about His leading. This is one of the greatest divisions between humans and the remainder of the animal kingdom. I love my dog, but if I ask her to
1 Samuel
God frequently exceeds the expectations of those who live with a judgmental heart. God doesn’t care what kind of box we try to put Him in; He will work His way in His time. He doesn’t act according to our assessments. When our heart is critical, we often