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Leading in Love
1Samuel 30:21-23 (NIV)
Then David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow him and who were left behind at the Besor Ravine. … As David and his men approached, he greeted them. But all the evil men and troublemakers among David's followers said, "Because they did not go out with us, we will not share with them the plunder we recovered. .." David replied, "No, my brothers, you must not do that with what the Lord has given us.”
 David showed love to his men in various ways. We are not told that he scolded them for wanting to stone him, as we studied yesterday.
He was wise enough to understand what they were feeling and to discern that they were reacting out of the emotion of the moment. It was from among these men that 3 of them later sacrificed their lives to fetch him the water that he desired, in 2Sam.23:15-16. 1Samuel 30:11 further reveals to us that it was some of David's men that found the abandoned slave (that helped them with directions) and brought the slave to David. You must empower those under you to be able to deliver just like you. You must give them a listening ear, as you foster an environment where those you lead feel confident to proffer suggestions and solutions.
David displayed proper understanding and placement of people according to their abilities and He prevented discrimination among his men. As David embarked on pursuing the Amalekites to recover all they had taken from them, 200 of his men were too weak to go with them, so David asked them to stay behind and watch their land while he and the remaining 400 men went after the Amalekites. When they returned from the battle, some of David's men did not want to share the loot from the battle with those that had stayed behind. However, David ensured that those who stayed behind were not despised but treated the same as those who went for the battle, 1Sam.30:24-25. God is granting you the wisdom you need to lead in love and to create an empowering environment for those you lead.
PRAYER FOCUS: Ask God to help you to understand those you lead and to love and empower them to be more effective.
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