Devotion for Weekly Message, July 18, 2014
In my devotions recently, Psalm 78:72 attracted my attention: “And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them.” It stuck out to me, not only because my name is David , but because, being new in my role as RFD, I have been thinking about how I can lead effectively. This verse gave me an answer—I can lead effectively if I do so with integrity of heart and with skillful hands. The same applies to you, even if your name isn’t David.
The second trait--skillful hands, comes from the gifts and abilities God has given combined with the training and experiences he has allowed us to have. Even so, God often puts us in situations where our skills and experience seem inadequate, such that we need to ask for wisdom (James 1:5) in using the skills God has given as well as wisdom in knowing who to go to who has the skills needed in the situation. Skillful hands will go a long way towards effective leadership, but, as Bill Lawrence told us at the Leadership Conference, skills are not enough—if we start with skills we end with skills, but if we start with the heart, we end with a life. And so the first ingredient of effective leadership in Psalm 79:72 deals with the heart—integrity of heart.
There are many ways in which we must deal with issues of integrity—loving students unconditionally, representing ourselves to the university accurately, teaching the Word of God faithfully, dealing with issues of conscience, resisting temptation even when no one is looking, handling finances honestly, reporting our results without exaggeration, consistently putting in an honest day’s work even though we don’t “punch a clock,” etc. When integrity is compromised, character starts to crumble, and when character crumbles, ministry fails.
At the leadership conference, Dick Foth gave an excellent definition of a leader: “A leader is a person who selects noble objectives and pursues them with such intensity and sacrifice that he brings people along with him.” Based on Psalm 79:72, let me suggest, not a replacement, because the definition is right on, but a part two: “A leader is a person who selects noble objectives and pursues them with such integrity and skill that he brings people along with him.” May each of us make it our prayer that, like David of old, we may lead with integrity of heart and with skillful hands.
David Larson
Northeast RFD
In my devotions recently, Psalm 78:72 attracted my attention: “And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them.” It stuck out to me, not only because my name is David , but because, being new in my role as RFD, I have been thinking about how I can lead effectively. This verse gave me an answer—I can lead effectively if I do so with integrity of heart and with skillful hands. The same applies to you, even if your name isn’t David.
The second trait--skillful hands, comes from the gifts and abilities God has given combined with the training and experiences he has allowed us to have. Even so, God often puts us in situations where our skills and experience seem inadequate, such that we need to ask for wisdom (James 1:5) in using the skills God has given as well as wisdom in knowing who to go to who has the skills needed in the situation. Skillful hands will go a long way towards effective leadership, but, as Bill Lawrence told us at the Leadership Conference, skills are not enough—if we start with skills we end with skills, but if we start with the heart, we end with a life. And so the first ingredient of effective leadership in Psalm 79:72 deals with the heart—integrity of heart.
There are many ways in which we must deal with issues of integrity—loving students unconditionally, representing ourselves to the university accurately, teaching the Word of God faithfully, dealing with issues of conscience, resisting temptation even when no one is looking, handling finances honestly, reporting our results without exaggeration, consistently putting in an honest day’s work even though we don’t “punch a clock,” etc. When integrity is compromised, character starts to crumble, and when character crumbles, ministry fails.
At the leadership conference, Dick Foth gave an excellent definition of a leader: “A leader is a person who selects noble objectives and pursues them with such intensity and sacrifice that he brings people along with him.” Based on Psalm 79:72, let me suggest, not a replacement, because the definition is right on, but a part two: “A leader is a person who selects noble objectives and pursues them with such integrity and skill that he brings people along with him.” May each of us make it our prayer that, like David of old, we may lead with integrity of heart and with skillful hands.
David Larson
Northeast RFD