Be Your Best to Give Your Best!نموونە

Day 18 — The Cost of Leadership

God has not simply called us to lead—He has called us to lead well. Leadership is about stewarding people, opportunities, and influence in a way that multiplies what He has entrusted to us. To lead well means to guide with clarity, to make wise decisions under pressure, and to build in a way that produces lasting fruit.

But as we know, growth does not happen by accident. It is the result of intentional investment: you cannot lead well if you do not invest wisely. Similar to how businesses reinvest profits to scale, leaders must reinvest time, energy, and resources into the things that expand capacity.

Proverbs 4:7 states it perfectly: “The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it costs all you have, get understanding” (NIV). Whether it means seeking mentorship or surrounding ourselves with those that sharpen our decision-making process, every investment of time and energy is a declaration that the purpose God placed in us is worth the cost.

Jesus highlighted this same principle in the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14–30, NIV). The servants who multiplied what they were given were praised, while the one who buried his talent out of fear was rebuked. Notice that God does not reward preservation—He rewards multiplication. In the same way, He does not call us to simply maintain the influence, opportunities, or teams placed in our care - He expects us to expand them, steward them with courage and faith, and multiply their impact for His Kingdom.

This is where the shift in leadership takes place: leaders who only “work harder” eventually burn out, but leaders who invest smarter have a multiplication effect that outlives them. Investing in people, in systems that sustain growth, and in wisdom that shapes decisions multiplies results in ways we could never achieve alone. It is not always comfortable to invest—setting aside time for training, mentoring a younger leader, or restructuring a system that no longer works. But often it is precisely that discomfort that becomes the catalyst for lasting transformation.

So today, ask yourself: where do you need to reinvest—in yourself, in your team, or in the systems that sustain your work—in order to lead well? Which intentional investment could multiply your leadership impact in this season?

Prayer: Lord, thank You for entrusting me with influence. Teach me to lead well by investing wisely in what multiplies. Give me the wisdom to keep growing, the courage to empower others, and the vision to expand the impact of what You have placed in my hands. Amen.