“Moses also said, “You will know that it was the Lord when he gives you meat to eat in the evening and all the bread you want in the morning, because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we? You are not grumbling against us, but against the Lord.”Exodus 16:8
Not grumbling
Moses and Aaron did nothing more than deliver the very words of God directly to the people and yet they chose to complain rather than yield. The truth be told, when we choose to gripe and complain about our leaders when they are simply delivering the word of the Lord, we are doing nothing more than opposing God Himself. By being a constant critic of our leadership, we are essentially telling God that He is not big enough to work through our leaders to teach and strengthen the body. In other words, our grumbling screams directly into the ear of Christ that we know better than He does about what is best for His flock and for us. Ouch! I don’t know about you, but when I see the kind of collateral damage that a grumbling spirit can do, it makes me want to keep quiet, sit back and watch what the Lord is going to do as He speaks through those in leadership positions. Please don’t misunderstand me here, I certainly am not expecting those God has placed in leadership to hear His voice with 100% accuracy all of the time. However, if the hearts of our leaders are submitted to our Heavenly Father and they are submitted to others out of reverence for Christ, (Ephesians 5:21) then we can walk in a greater confidence knowing that our leaders truly have heard from the Lord. It is an entirely different can of worms if our leaders will not submit to others. However, my desire for this post is to point our hearts to the correct response towards our leaders when they line up with God’s word. It is in this vein that I want to take a closer look at our responsibility in respecting leadership.
I love how Paul puts it plainly for us…
“Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.” Hebrews 13:7
Remember your leaders
Paul first off reminds us not to forget our leaders. When was the last time we told our pastor “thank you” or wrote them a note of appreciation? I don’t know about you, but that thought pierces straight through my heart! We seldom remember just how much work our leaders do to keep watch over souls. Being a shepherd is no little task, take it from someone who actually raised sheep! (I grew up on a farm.) This is serious business here. Our spiritual life in many ways is in their hands and a pastor who understands the depth of this responsibility deserves a “thank you” from time to time!
Consider the outcome of their way of life
Paul tells us to take a look at the fruit their life is producing, consider it, ponder it, study the fruit. We would be wise to plant the seeds from the Godly fruit we see flowing out of our leaders directly into our hearts so that we too can produce a Godly fruit. What types of “fruit” am I talking about here?
Let’s take a look at Galatians 5:22-23.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23
When we see love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control flowing out of our leaders, it is always in our best interest to learn how to have those very same things flow out of our hearts as well.
Imitate their faith
I love how Paul tells us to imitate their faith, not imitate them, their behavior, their actions or their personality. I believe Paul was very intentional about choosing faith as our target for imitating. Faith can be played out through a myriad of people, actions, behaviors, and personalities. Our Heavenly Father has created each and every one of us in a very unique way. He did not design us to be carbon copies of each other. He designed us to be uniquely and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14). We are designed to be imitators of God (Ephesians 5:1) not imitators of man. So, when Paul chose this word “faith,” he chose it specifically to direct us to emulate the God within our leaders rather than our leaders themselves.
“Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you.” Hebrews 13:17
Be a joy
We are sometimes quick to forget that our leaders carry a heavy responsibility set upon them by the Lord himself to keep watch over our souls. If we can remember the severity of this responsibility we will inevitably do a better job of submitting to their leadership. When we are able to submit to their leadership with a peaceful heart, it will allow the weight of their responsibility to be lightened. However, when our mouths are quick to grumble and complain it increases that weight of responsibility upon their shoulders causing their job to become a burden. It amazes me how the very attitude of our hearts can change the atmosphere of the workplace for our leaders. Let’s be quick to check our hearts to make sure we are being a joy not a burden.
“Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other.” 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13
Respect and honor
This entire post has been showing us ways in which we can respect and honor our leaders. 1 Thessalonians reminds us once again to hold our leaders in the highest regard. They truly carry a weight much heavier than we may ever know. May we remember the magnitude of the responsibilities they chose to pick up when they accepted the beckoning of Christ’s call. Let us not forget that they are keeping watch over our souls, a responsibility that we can make a joyful one or a burden.
Call to Action
Take a few minutes this week to write a note of encouragement to your pastor. It doesn’t need to be anything formal. It can be something as simple as a text message letting them know that you are praying for them and you appreciate all they do. Find a way to let your pastor know that you are thankful for the work they do for the kingdom. Be an encouragement to your leaders this week!
For more reading on this topic read: Submission
Heavenly Father, we thank you for the leaders you have placed in the body of Christ who tend to our very souls. We may never know the extent to which they toil and labor in the kingdom, but help us to honor and respect them, be a joy to them, imitate their faith, remember to encourage them, and most importantly not become someone who grumbles against them. Help us to keep our hearts with all diligence in regards to our leaders. We desire to be a joy to them and not a burden. Show us today the very things we can be doing to bless those you have placed in our lives who are called to watch over our souls. We pray this in the precious name of Jesus.
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