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Ever since I was a boy, I was driven to serve my country. As a 10-year-old at the outbreak of World War II, I could only dream that one day I could put on a uniform and fight the enemy. But I did what I could. I organized a neighborhood drive to collect scrap metal for the war effort. Before I had reached 40 years of age, I had served as a captain in the Marines and as special counsel to President Nixon. 

In Judges 9 we have the story of a wicked and worthless man who became king for a few years.  His name was Abimelech.  The story of his rise to power and his downfall was designed to be a warning for the people of Israel as they looked for a leader to be their champion. 

David and his men became bodyguards to Achish, king of Gath, and this soon put David in a dilemma. The Philistines decided to go against the Israelites, and David apparently could see no way out of going along and fighting against his own people.

Fellow soldier; if you've found yourself in sin, if you've grown weary in this fight, may the Lord bring you comfort and encouragement through this devotion from A.W. Tozer.

"These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also." - Acts 17:6.  Why  we do it? Why do Christians want to learn leadership from the world's models when we know that "worldly wisdom" inevitably conflicts with the Word of God and brings chaos and despair? 

Confrontation--always difficult, often necessary. And something that many of us do badly or not at all. We tend to default toward one of two paths; either we run from it or we find ourselves continually confronting everything: fight or flight. It doesn't take too long to realize that both of these methods are more often than not ineffective.

I have been working with organizations of all kinds for fifty years or more as a teacher and administrator in the university, as a consultant to corporations, as a board member, as a volunteer. Over the years, I have discussed with scores perhaps even hundreds of leaders their roles, their goals, and their performance. I have worked with manufacturing giants and tiny firms, with organizations that span the world and others that work with severely handicapped children in one small town.

Of the original Fortune 500 companies listed in 1955, only 71 remain on the list today. Companies once deemed indestructible have fallen by the wayside. Corporate titans of enormous influence have completely disappeared in the span of a few decades. Staying power has been rare atop the Fortune 500. Instead, the list has undergone a steady turnover from year to year. Reaching the top is a monumental achievement, but remaining there may be the most spectacular feat of all.