1 Peter 5
Scripture:
1 To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder, a witness of Christ’s sufferings and one who also will share in the glory to be revealed:
2 Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve;
3 not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.
4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.
5 Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.
Observation:
Read, reread, and reread! These verses contain leadership lessons for home and work, and for the young and old. Let me unpack what I see in this passage.
- “Not because you must, but because you are willing”—this phrase outlines why you lead. We lead because we want God’s plan to be fulfilled, period. The next phrases point out why this is important to understand and settle in our hearts first.
- “As God wants you to be”—God wants you to be a leader! What kind of leader are you?
- “Not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you”—God wants us to be a sacrificial leader. God wants us to lead for others, not only for ourselves.
- “Being examples to the flock”—As Spirit-empowered disciples, we lead by example. We lead with our words and our actions.
- “When the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.”—What a day that will be! When we lead sacrificially and by example, we will receive a prize that will never fade away.
- “Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older.”—Young men, there is a strong lesson here. Stay teachable and honor those in leadership above you. If you do this, you will experience the joy of verse 6.
- “Clothe yourselves with humility toward one another”—This seems self-explanatory; however, that doesn’t make it any easier.
- “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.”—Young leaders, did you catch this? Humble yourselves where you are. If you do, in God’s time, He will lift you up. Let God be the Navigator for your leadership journey.
Application:
- Personal Application: Be humble, lead sacrificially and by example, and you will receive the crown of glory that never fades.
- Family Application: Lead by example at home. Take a few minutes to discuss why and how you spend personal time with God. Encourage your family to spend personal time with God each day.
Prayer:
- Personal Prayer Focus: Ask God for true humbleness to be evident in every activity and interaction today.
- Family Prayer Focus: Pray that God will continue to give your family a humble heart.
Three-Year Reading Plan for Sunday, August 23 to Sunday, August 30:
- Sunday, August 23: 1 Peter 3
- Monday, August 24: 1 Peter 4
- Tuesday, August 25: 1 Peter 5
- Wednesday, August 26: 2 Peter 1
- Thursday, August 27: 2 Peter 2
- Friday, August 28: 2 Peter 3
- Saturday, August 29: 2 Chronicles 1
- Sunday, August 30: 2 Chronicles 2
—TOM GROOT is National Director of Men’s Ministry and Christian Education. Connect with Tom on Facebook or Twitter @TomGrootJr.
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