June 1

2 Samuel 18:1-19:10, John 20:1-31, Psalm 119:153-176, Proverbs 16:14-15

Pray: Father, help me to think in terms of character and not in terms of talent. Help me choose friends and yoke myself to coworkers who have first and foremost…CHARACTER. Help me to discern passive aggressive behavior and correct it before it destroys.

Read: 2 Samuel 18:14 finds David’s general, Joab, shouting, “Enough of this nonsense!” King David had commanded his soldiers to spare the life of his rebellious son, Absalom, should they come across him in battle. During the battle Absalom got caught in a tree and was soon discovered by David’s men. But instead of saving him alive Joab plunged three daggers into Absalom and had his armor bearers finish him off. Joab felt he knew best. He served one of the greatest military leaders spanning the history of Israel yet, he knew better than his master. There is no doubt that Joab was a great general, but he was passive aggressive. He felt that he knew better than his master. As leaders we select leaders. And all too often the leaders are selected because of their great skills and not because of their great character.

Edify: Select your leaders with their character strengths being foundational and fundamental. As much as you might need a great worship leader or a gifted salesman be careful that their character supersedes their gifting. Poor character or even undeveloped character is very dangerous when building God’s kingdom or even your business.

Practice: Talent, gifting, and even beauty or strength impresses easily. Practice saying “no” to these charms. Dive deep. Look for character. Look for tenacity. Look for faithfulness. Look for flexibility. Look for teachability.