Focus
Let yourself become open to God and the knowledge that comes from the Word. Ask God for peace at this time.
Read
5 Now as an elder myself and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as one who shares in the glory to be revealed, I exhort the elders among you 2 to tend the flock of God that is in your charge, exercising the oversight, not under compulsion but willingly, as God would have you do it—not for sordid gain but eagerly. 3 Do not lord it over those in your charge, but be examples to the flock. 4 And when the chief shepherd appears, you will win the crown of glory that never fades away. 5 In the same way, you who are younger must accept the authority of the elders. And all of you must clothe yourselves with humility in your dealings with one another, for
“God opposes the proud,
but gives grace to the humble.”
Reflect
Servant Leadership
Many of us want leaders who are powerful and able to direct people quickly, leaders who don’t deal with the everyday minutia of the church. However, in many Cumberland Presbyterian churches, we have leaders described here in Peter. We have leaders who lead by example as servant leaders. It is really easy to forget the lesson taught by Jesus to the disciples in John 13 when Jesus washes the disciples’ feet and then Jesus explains that no servant is greater than his master. Oftentimes people at the top of a large company or even a church get detached from all the little jobs that help make their product. It is good to do menial things in and around the church. It keeps Elders and Teaching Elders humble, and helps us to get centered in the call God has for all of us. The way we lead as Cumberland Presbyterians show who we are in Christ. Are we His servants or are we the world’s leaders? When we listen to our Elders and the elderly members of our church, we are doing God’s work. When we humble ourselves to pick up trash around the church grounds, we show the people around us that we are cut from a different cloth.
Pray
Dear LORD, help us to be better servant leaders, listening to the needs of others while holding firmly to your Holy Word which is set before us in the Bible. Help us to show you to those around us and not just ourselves. It’s in your Holy Name Jesus Christ we pray AMEN.
Go with God!
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