“To be a leader who makes a difference, you must finish the race.” In his book, Leaders Who Make a Difference: Leadership Lessons from Three Great Bible Leaders, Dr. Paul Chappell, pastor of Lancaster Baptist Church in California, takes a detailed look at the lives of Joshua, Nehemiah, and Joseph. I found this book available for free on Kindle and read it easily in one sitting. Chappell has nine main themes that he lays out…three per biblical leader.
Joshua
- Vision is developed through preparation
- Vision is mobilized through a plan
- Vision is realized through provision
Nehemiah
- Revival is initiated by supplication
- Revival is possibly through synergy
- Revival is continued through stamina
Joseph
- Finishing well begins with faith
- Finishing well is accomplished through faithfulness
- Finishing well requires forgiveness
I got a lot out of this book and highlighted several things while reading. I’ve posted those highlights below…
- God uses times of preparation to equip us for His service. He uses these seasons to develop, clarify, and purify our vision.
- Don’t wait until the “big opportunity” comes your way; simply look for an opportunity to serve where you are.
- Embrace the seasons of proving God gives you—develop through the difficulties, and mature through the monotony.
- The measure of a man’s greatness is not how many people serve him but how many he serves. Jesus told His disciples that the greatest of all is the servant of all (Matthew 23:11–12).
- Jealousy is a subtle but deadly enemy of vision. It constricts one’s vision, turning his focus from what he desires to do for God’s glory to what he feels he has missed unjustly.
- True servants don’t have envious hearts.
- Preparation for leadership always involves waiting. God is not wasting your time when He gives you the task of waiting; He is preparing you for greater vision.
- God’s great works have not come through committees but through leaders who were totally surrendered to Him.
- A vision will motivate, but a plan will mobilize.
- Godly leaders are good stewards of the vision God has given them, and they develop a plan to claim their territory for the Lord.
- Dream big, and plan thoroughly. Have a goal so big that it will only be reached through God’s power, but remember that God empowers those who are moving.
- God-given vision can be accomplished only through God-given provision.
- “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6).
- It’s a pivotal point in your life and leadership when these guarantees of God’s presence aren’t just promises to store away, but they are the reality of your daily life.
- When we meditate on the perfectly preserved Word of God, it becomes part of us, and we apply it to every situation we face. We procure its wisdom to counsel those we serve. It gives direction to lead others.
- Do you pray with compassion for the city where you live?
- Do you carry a burden for revival?
- Leaders who attempt ministry alone are shorting themselves and the work of God. Synergy is essential to success.
- God sends revival through leaders willing to make a difference.
- What in your life requires faith?
- D.L. Moody wrote, “I never saw a useful Christian who was not a student of the Bible.”
- A spiritual leader is always looking for God’s hand in a problem.
- To be a leader who makes a difference, you must finish the race.