He shepherded them with a pure heart and guided them with his skillful hands. — Psalm 78:72
David was a leader with great skills and a pure heart, qualities that make for a great leader, whether he or she is a monarch, a coach, or a teammate. David was both skillful and full of integrity. The world is full of skillful leaders, but they often have hearts full of compromise and mixed motives. It is the rare leader who has purity of heart, uncompromised by self-interest or divided loyalties.
We must be leaders like David. We must work diligently to develop our skills and guard our hearts in order to maintain integrity. Beware of those who would have us violate our players’ trust. Watch out for the crouching lions of division and strife that would disrupt the unity of our teams. We need to shepherd our teams with skillful hands and integrity of heart.
As we prepare to compete, let’s ask God to sharpen our leadership skills and fill our hearts with integrity. Let’s ask Him to do the same for others who also lead our teams into competition.
1. Think about your team’s leadership, the coaches, and the players with leadership responsibilities. How complete is their leadership?
2. On a one-to-ten scale, how would you assess your leadership skills?
3. On that same scale, how would you rate your other team leaders?
4. Would you say that they lead with integrity of heart or something less than that?
Extra Reading: Psalm 62; Matthew 26:1–16; Romans 9:19–33
Father, please shape my heart so I may lead with skill and integrity. Teach me to lead my fellow coaches and athletes in a way that helps them to be their best and in a way that honors You. Amen.