1 Peter 5:1-14

In order to help us face the testing and trials of life, God has placed us within a body of believers where we are to help each other be strong.  We must never think that we are capable of living the life God wants us to live by ourselves.  The lamb who wanders away from the flock is easy prey for the predators that want to destroy it.  When we isolate ourselves from the body of Christ, we are much more vulnerable to the attacks of the enemy.  We must learn to fulfill our function in the body of Christ that we may strive together to stand firm in the face of suffering.

LEAD BY EXAMPLE: Leaders have a key role to play in the protection of the flock.  They are called shepherds because they are responsible to meet the needs of the flock and protect the flock.  Leaders must exercise their duty out of love for God and love for the members of the body.  Power can be an intoxicating thing and those who lead often become corrupted by the power they wield.  They use their position to gain personal wealth and to exult themselves over the people they lead.  They abuse their authority to the point that they order others around while they consider themselves to be above doing what they demand of others.  God calls leaders to be loving servants who show their followers how to live by their own example.  They correct others with tender loving kindness and they meet the needs of others in a way that often causes them to make personal sacrifices.  Leadership must be more than words and an imposition of one’s will upon another.  Leadership requires sacrifice, service and most importantly a walk that is worthy of imitation.  Our example must be one that others can follow.

LEARN IN HUMILITY: Those who are not in positions of leadership must develop humility in their lives and learn to honor those who God has chosen to lead and teach them.  We tend to think that the way to become a leader is to rebel against the leaders we currently have in order to replace them with ourselves.  This is the world’s way of making war in order to promote self.  God has a much different way.  He entrusts leadership positions to those who have learned humility.  The path to leadership and the purpose of leadership is a servant’s spirit.  We must recognize that those in authority over us have been chosen by God and that they are a part of God’s sovereign plan for our lives.  We must submit to them in humility and honor them as instruments of God in our lives.  We are called to watch how they live and then walk according to the pattern they model for us.  We should strive to make their job a joyful one by praying for them, demonstrating our support of them and expressing our gratitude to them.

LIVE WITH CONVICTION: The life of a believer is a serious life.  We must recognize that eternity is at stake when we are dealing with spiritual things.  We must be convicted about Christ’s love and care for us so we are not overcome by anxiety when we face problems.  We must be convicted about the truth of God’s Word as a standard to which we must conform and strive with sincerity to live according to that pattern.  We must be convicted about God’s power to be victorious over the power of Satan so we will resist him with confidence.  These convictions require diligence and discipline on our part.  We must always strive to have God’s perspective of our lives.  He uses suffering to perfect us and He has promised to protect us.  We can trust Him, obey Him and stand firm in Him no matter what our circumstances.  If we are convicted about His care, His Word and His power we will see our suffering produce character in our lives.  However, if we take our eyes off of God and His eternal purpose for us, we will be anxious, unstable and defeated at the hands of our enemy.