A Leader After God's Own Heart

Sometime when you're having a tough, challenging day as a leader, take a few minutes and consider David's leadership training program.

He wasn't man's first choice for king. 
In fact, seven other men were considered for the position before him. God had to instruct Samuel that He looks upon the heart, not the outward appearance, to convince him that David was the right choice. After he was anointed for his leadership position, he returned to his regular job with no apparent recognition of his new role. His first ministry role was to serve the very king he was anointed to replace. He served him faithfully and maintained respect for him even when he was totally incompetent as a leader. David was then appointed to lead all the men of war. He was faithful in this position and gained great favor with the people. He seemed to be moving up the career ladder.

He was demoted.
Then one day some women sang a song that irritated the king so David was demoted from leading all the men of war to leading only 1,000. For a man anointed for leadership, he sure seemed to be heading in the wrong direction. Following this he was promised the king's daughter in marriage but to prevent it from happening, the king sent him into battle hoping he would be killed. When this little plan fell through, he personally tried to kill him and so David had to run for his life. Next, to preserve his life, David feigned insanity, rolled around, scratching and drooling. Anyone watching that little episode, probably had some definite doubt that he was God's chosen one. From there David escaped into caves and really began to demonstrate his leadership qualities. Everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented joined up with him there. He became captain over four hundred people that no one else wanted.

In the eyes of man, David was failing miserably.
After that, life was just one big adventure for David and his band of merry men. While he was off fighting battles, he lost his entire family and all the families of those he was leading. His men were so angry with him they wanted to stone him and all this time the king was still trying to kill him. One thing, in his favor, though, the number of those he was leading increased from four hundred to six hundred. (Unfortunately, two hundred of them were too exhausted to cross a little brook, but the numbers looked good.) In the eyes of man, David seemed to be failing miserably as the one anointed to be king. Throughout all the chaos and turmoil of his life, though, one thing remained constant. David was a man after God's own heart. His primary goal was to develop his relationship with the Lord. Scripture tells us that he believed wisely in all his ways and the Lord was with him.

He wasn't perfect.
He was not a perfect man-he sinned greatly. When confronted with his sin, though, his immediate reaction was to repent to God, not man. He recognized that his sin had wounded others but he knew that ultimately he was responsible before God. This was in stark contrast to the heart of Saul. Saul was the first choice for king of Israel. He was tall and handsome and the people loved him. By all outward appearances, he was the man for the job. Yet Saul never developed a relationship with the Lord. He consistently did things that were contrary to God's instructions because he thought they were good ideas. When confronted with his sin, he felt remorse but his sole concern was that he looked good in the eyes of the people again. He never accepted the far-reaching consequences of his sin and never truly repented to God. His one objective was to obtain man's forgiveness.

He faced difficult choices.
All leaders face the same choices that these two men did. We can either be a person after God's own heart or we can seek to win the approval of man. We can spend time daily developing relationship with the Lord or we can go about doing things that seem right in our own eyes. When confronted with our own sin we can immediately acknowledge it and repent to God, or we can try to explain it to man. Many leaders may look good in the eyes of man but God looks on the heart. Ultimately all that we have done will be tested. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one's work will become clear; for the day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is. If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. (1 Corin. 3:12-15 NKJV)

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