1 Timothy 5:17 reads, “Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor.”
To be a spiritual leader worth following:
1) You must be accountable to someone. Someone who knows you well enough to pray with you, strengthen you in your vulnerable areas, and counsel you on important decisions. Authority without accountability inevitably leads to disaster.
2) Your personal priorities must be in order. Priorities have a way of slipping. Too many of us become successful at the cost of a broken home and failing health. Why? Because we allowed our priorities to slip.
3) Your walk with God must be consistent. David said, “Your word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against You” (Psalm 119:11). A disciplined daily walk with God is your best protection against sin. If instead of spending time with God you’re spending it on things that have become more important, it should alarm you.
Pay particular attention to the word “treasured.” It means to value and protect something, and let nothing threaten it. Take time to pray and read your Bible every day and guard that time with your life. Give God your mind every morning when it’s fresh. And if you’re a pastor, your first calling isn’t the building project, the board, or the budget; it’s “feed my sheep” (John 21:16). If Saturday finds you searching for a sermon outline on the Internet, make some changes. Delegate secondary things and get back to putting first things first. “Seek out from among you men whom we may appoint over this business; but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and ministry of the word” (Acts 6:3-4).
© 2017 CE