Now it came about when he had finished speaking to Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as himself."  (1 Sam 18:1 NASB)

Aristotle defined friendship as one soul in two bodies.  You would think that he was describing Jonathan and David.  The Bible teaches that, although each soul is distinct and precious, it is possible to have our souls knit together in the loving bonds of friendship.

Jonathan and David were best of friends.  The benefits of their friendship were that

1. It was based on a covenant of love and trust. 
2. They committed themselves to the Lord for each other. (1 Sam 20:42) 
3. They were better off spiritually and morally together than they were apart. They had the benefit of mutual encouragement and accountability which provided a deterrent to sin. 
4. They ...

Leading not only involves LOVING and EXAMPLING. Leading involves ASKING. Ask others to join the journey, to take the next step, to stretch their stride, to raise the bar, take the next hurdle, take the next hill, and realize the next goal. Do not be afraid to ask people to help you solve a problem. We need to ask others to consider new possibilities and dream great dreams. Leaders help others realize their goals. Leaders develop teams and promote teamwork. Jesus invited others to join Him- "Come and see". "Come, follow me."  He asked them to do things they had never done before.

We have not because we ask not. We do not have because we do not ask God (James 4:2). Loving leaders know how to ASK God for big things and little things. Jesus promises that if we "ask and keep on asking, seek and keep on seeking, knock and keep on knocking" your persistent faith will be rewarded (Matt 7:7; Hebre ...

It has been said that ours is a generation of managers. What we need today is leaders. Managers manage things. Leaders lead people. Managers coordinate projects, priorities, schedules, plans and budgets. Leaders motivate people to take purposeful action. They inspire people to journey together towards a worthy goal.

What can we do to effectively lead people? Let me furnish a list in the form of an acrostic: L-E-A-D.

Leading begins by LOVING. Jesus demonstrated the loving leadership of a Good Shepherd. Rather than one who sees His role as to perform a duty for hire (a hireling), He is willing to sacrifice for the sheep (John 10). The Shepherd Psalm speaks of the Lord caring for the well-being of His people. David writes, "The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake." ...