Do you want to be a leader?

"... And the Lord said to you, 'You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will become their ruler.'"  2 Samuel 5:2

King David is the one being discussed here. At the pinnacle of his leadership he had the heart of God. According to Beth Moore, "For a time, he was the greatest king that ever lived - the apple of God's eye." (p. 145)

I am no bible scholar like Beth Moore, Kay Arthur, Priscilla Shirer or Hayley DiMarco, yet I feel like the Holy Spirit gave me a quick glimpse into the process of leadership.

One: Shepherd People.

Immediately I though of my family. Have I shepherd them? Have I done all I can do to point them to Christ, to love them, to help them? 

Two: Then you will become their ruler.

Shepherd first. Love first. Tend first. Feed first. Guard first. Then they will choose you, accept you, as their leader.

One of the oldest known occupations in the world holds the secret to leadership. When they (sheep or people) know you will pay attention to their needs, they will incrementally accept your leadership. 

Time, action and trust are factors. The pattern is seen here in 2 Samuel 5:1-3. All the tribes of Israel came to David to ask him to be their king. See it. They asked him. Why? Because in their own words, "In the past, while Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel on their military campaigns."  One of the jobs of a shepherd is to guard, and he had done it well.

Have you conquered the shepherding part? Can you be like David and say with confidence "Hey, I know how to do that! I have spent years doing it." Then you will be ready for leadership.

This insight may just be for me. I know some areas I need to work on.