Obey Your Leaders

Hebrews 13:17

Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they…will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.

Over the course of our Christian walk, we face many hardships and trials that tempt us away from Jesus. If we had to trust in our own efforts, we would never make it. We persevere until the end because of God’s sustaining grace. However, we are called to cling to Jesus, thereby persevering through our decisions in that perseverance as it is worked out by God. God makes certain the final salvation of all of His elect by giving us a heart willing to obey His exhortations. After He sovereignly regenerates us, we receive the desire to obey His command and strengthen ourselves for the race ahead. Our life of worship reflected in praise to God and in service to our neighbor shows that we have been regenerated and desire to please our Savior and Lord Jesus. In our verse today, we are told that we must obey our leaders because “they are keeping watch over” our souls. Godly and mature Christian leaders deserve our respect and submission because they are concerned for our growth. Jesus uses them to help us grow to maturity. Regrettably, there are many who come to leadership in the church who have no concern for the flock and are in it only for the power. Such leaders deserve neither reverence nor confidence. We should not, however, let this fact make us expect that our leaders be perfect for they are sinners just we are sinners. When we see godly and caring elders, we must overlook their faults, which display their humanity, and submit to their care. By our submission, we show that we submit to Christ. Do you submit to the decisions of the elders in your church even when you do not agree with them completely? Or, do you let minor mistakes give you an excuse not to submit to your leaders? Go before the Lord in prayer and ask Him to give your leaders godliness and wisdom. Then, ask Him to help you submit to your leaders.

Source: S C Ball May 2, 2024


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