Little things mean a lot. Small beginnings should not be despised. Neither your bigness nor your brightness is what makes you useful to God. His grace and truth, his purpose and power, are what he uses to reorient his world. 

Saul stood head and shoulders above everyone else (verse 2). He was so impressive that he had a shampoo named after him. 

Saul saw himself for who he knew himself to be. God saw Saul for who he could become as he learned to depend on God and to practice self-discipline. Ultimately, Saul shrank from the bigness of his responsibilities. He devolved into a paranoid, murderous disgrace. 

Saul made strategic errors again and again by following his impulses rather than adhering to God’s clear directions. Top-level leadership is no place for an impulsive leader. 

If you consider yourself a high-capacity leader, develop self-discipline. If you have a leadership position, develop the God-shaped character to amplify your effectiveness. Listen long before deciding. Seek the heart and mind of God in all things. Determine to do the right thing the right way for the right reason in the right timing.  

Grow into the leader who stands head and shoulders above others God knows you can be. Never settle for mere stature, position, or ambition. 

Leadership is not a reward for who you are, it is an opportunity to become who God dreamed you would be. 

Bottom Line? Lead like Jesus or get off the stage. 

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I will follow my Leader.

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Our Father, instruct me. Direct me. Shape me. Fill me. Use me to bless this world. Deliver me from impulsiveness and arrogance. You are in charge here, not me. Your plan and purpose build a better world. I will follow you. Amen.