Do you ever wonder what the perfect picture of leadership would look like? The Bible makes it clear from the beginning—leadership is really God's idea. He ordains leaders to accomplish his will in this world. In Genesis 2, God places Adam in the Garden of Eden, giving him the responsibility to care for it.

Adam was the leader of the Garden, exercising the creativity, care, and authority of God in that realm. It's a picture of God's call for every person. We lead wherever God places us, and we reflect the character of God in the process. Simply put, we're called by God to influence our world in such a manner that those around us can come to know who he is.

However, Adam's sin marred this high calling of leadership, and it became a means for manipulation and self-justification. Too often we use our leadership to get others to do what we want them to do. Or we use our leadership to reassure ourselves that we are worthy to lead. We're left in this uninspiring posture, asking a desperate ...