July 6, 2026 Devo

I recently met with a young pastor who is dealing with some of the real-world challenges of leading people. He’s finding out what many of us have already discovered: Leadership is not for the faint of heart. Many people come from troubled backgrounds and bring all their baggage with them. Many of the “tools” you need to lead well are not given to you in your formal education. Especially when it comes to needing emotional intelligence, conflict resolution skills, and listening and mediation skills. It doesn’t take long in this complicated age for most pastors to realize they’re in over their heads.
But this isn’t unique to ministry. These are the same tools needed to have a successful marriage, to be a good parent, to be an effective teacher, or to be a good manager or supervisor. My guess is that most of us reading this today have found ourselves scratching our heads in dealing with people and not knowing what to do. Although we can’t solve all the issues and answer all the questions that arise today, let’s begin at the beginning. Start with the heart.
When God was speaking to His People about their future and how they could return to becoming the people He had called them to be, He made this promise in our passage today. “And I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will guide you with knowledge and understanding.” Yes, the people would need leaders who can problem-solve and prioritize. Yes, they would need leaders with organizational skills and management savvy. Yes, they would need leaders who would oversee and orchestrate the rebuilding of the city and the Temple. But what they needed more than anything were leaders who had a heart after God. Without that, all the skills in the world would be of little value because they’d end up right back in the same mess as before.
This is a critical lesson for all of us today. There are a lot of skills and tools that can help us in the situations we find ourselves in, but at the center of it all is an important question. “Do I have a heart after God?” Yes, some skills can help my marriage. But more than anything else, my wife needs me to be a man with a heart after God. Yes, communication skills and organizational skills will help me be a better leader. But do I have a heart after God? There are lots of techniques and tools that can really help us along the way to be better pastors, parents, leaders, teachers, spouses, and managers. But let’s not forget where the work really begins. I need the fullness of God living in me before He can live through me. All the skills in the world won’t matter if I don’t see people as He sees them, love people as He loves them, and care for people the way He cares for them. Good shepherding happens inside-out. It starts with the heart. That’s God’s Word for you today.