8. Keep in touch with contemporary culture. “From the tribe of Issachar, there were 200 leaders. … All these men understood the signs of the times and knew the best course for Israel to take” (1 Chron. 12:32).
9. Quit comparing yourself to other Christians, other leaders, and other churches. “Turning his head, Peter noticed the disciple Jesus loved following right behind. When Peter noticed him, he asked Jesus, ‘Master, what’s going to happen to him?’ Jesus said, ‘If I want him to live until I come again, what’s that to you? You—follow me.’ That is how the rumor got out among the brothers that this disciple wouldn’t die. But that is not what Jesus said. He simply said, ‘If I want him to live until I come again, what’s that to you?’” (John 21:20–23, The Message).
10. Read more. “Timothy, please come as soon as you can. … When you come, be sure to … bring my books” (2 Tim. 4:9, 13).
11. Prioritize your family. “A leader must be well-thought-of, committed to his wife… attentive to his own children and having their respect. For if someone is unable to handle his own affairs, how can he take care of God’s church?” (1 Tim. 3:2–5, The Message).
12. Refuse to use ministry to satisfy your personal ambition. “Should you then seek great things for yourself? Seek them not” (Jer. 45:5).
13. Love people, not just crowds. “If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don’t love, I’m nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. If I speak God’s Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, “Jump,” and it jumps, but I don’t love, I’m nothing. If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love” (1 Cor. 13:1–3, The Message).
14. Be more open to change. “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?” (Isa. 43:19).
15. Stay focused on the vision. “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved” (Acts 2:42–47).
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This article originally appeared on ChurchAndCulture.org and is reposted here by permission.