Press the arrow to listen to “Your Name” by Phillips, Craig and Dean plus watch the story of pioneering missionaries (the pictures tell it all)

Scripture
Then the Spirit of God came powerfully upon Saul, and he became very angry. He took two oxen and cut them into pieces and sent the messengers to carry them throughout Israel with this message: “This is what will happen to the oxen of anyone who refuses to follow Saul and Samuel into battle!” And the Lord made the people afraid of Saul’s anger, and all of them came out together as one.

So Saul sent the messengers back to Jabesh-gilead to say, “We will rescue you by noontime tomorrow!” There was great joy throughout the town when that message arrived!

…Before dawn the next morning, Saul arrived, having divided his army into three detachments. He launched a surprise attack against the Ammonites and slaughtered them the whole morning. The remnant of their army was so badly scattered that no two of them were left together.

Then the people exclaimed to Samuel, “Now where are those men who said, ‘Why should Saul rule over us?’ Bring them here, and we will kill them!”

But Saul replied, “No one will be executed today, for today the Lord has rescued Israel!” 1 Samuel 11:6-13, selected

Observation
This past week, CNN reported, how bus driver Michael Weir pulled up his loaded school bus into a service station, bought $40 worth of diesel fuel, went inside to pay the bill and used the restroom. While he was sitting on the toilet, the bus, loaded with children grade school children, began rolling down the street. Picking up speed, terrified kids leapt from the door the screaming and careening bus. An 11 year old boy, David Murphy, jumped from his seat to pull the emergency brake. When that failed, he took over the wheel and steered the bus out of oncoming traffic and into a bridge support bringing the bus to a stop. Later David explained that the children were “freaking out” with screaming and hollering and he decided that something must be done. David Murphy is not just an eleven year old boy, he is a leader because he took action when needed

In crisis all eyes turn to the spotlight on center stage and someone must overcome stage fright and stand there to do something about the future. What brings out the best in the potential of people? A leader, who without hesitation uses all of his leadership ability to lead. There is a time for listening, pondering and networking, but there are moments that beg for a leader to lead.

What does a leader look like when he leads? It is one thing to be a leader, and it is quite another to act like one. King Saul was anointed leader by Samuel, but it took a crisis to make him the true leader of Israel. What did he do that other leaders can learn from?

1. Anger. Saul woke up the nation to what should have already made them angry. A group of people can be oblivious to their greatest threat, like England in the 1930′s watching newsreels of the ranting Hitler. It takes a Churchill to awaken anger and action. A true leader cares more about the mission than himself and can instantly see the threat to that when no one else can. In crisis, he does not consider himself, but the needs of others, making is dominating actions a way of serving others.

2. Communication. Saul didn’t just think about what needed to be done, he got the word out to others. Abraham Lincoln spent more time in the battlefield than in the White House compared to any other war time president. He regularly slept at the telegraph office to get the latest battle reports. A grumbler in seclusion is not a leader. A leader must communicate.

3. The Plan. Saul thought quickly and organized over 30,000 men into a battle plan. In crisis, a leader must consider and make a plan and walk into it with confidence. Even if the plan has flaws, the confidence of the leader to act will enable those in the plan to make course adjustments to overcome. George Washington had the courage to lay siege to Boston, but it took Ethan Allen to pull the bronze canons of Ticonderoga over 400 miles to drive the British out to sea.

4. Follow Through. Saul had more than just an idea, he took initiative and followed it through until the very end. Dreamers have stirring visions, but true leaders slog through to the conclusion.

5. Graciousness. The power of a leader is not shown by how he evens the score, but in how he pardons others, then he is served not out of fear but from love.

Application
There are times that a leader must look at the leader’s chair from a follower’s point of view and ask himself, “What would I want to follow?” When he can grasp that, the leader should become someone worth following. To become that person worth following, strangely a leader must become oblivious to the opinions of those who follow. Instead, he should put the mission above himself and act on what is right to do and not just what is popular. When the day of leadership comes, I do not want to be found paper shuffling, I want to make a difference for the glory of God and the good of others.

Prayer
Father, when the crisis comes, help me not to jump from the bus door, or mumble to others that something should be done, but to do all that I can do to get the bus to safety. Amen.