Scripture: Job 34; 1 Cor. 4-6
1 Corinthians 4:1-4
Don’t imagine us leaders to be something we aren’t. We are servants of Christ, not his masters. We are guides into God’s most sublime secrets, not security guards posted to protect them. The requirements for a good guide are reliability and accurate knowledge. It matters very little to me what you think of me, even less where I rank in popular opinion. I don’t even rank myself. Comparisons in these matters are pointless. I’m not aware of anything that would disqualify me from being a good guide for you, but that doesn’t mean much. The Master makes that judgment.
Observations: I’m okay with not pulling rank, but Paul drops a nice little guilt package in the boldface sentence above. The two areas where I have to work the hardest are in reliability and accurate knowledge. I over-commit. Often. That cuts down my reliability. The accuracy of my knowledge is probably a matter of opinion, but I put a lot of effort into at least knowing where to find the good stuff. Paul indicates in this passage that this is paramount, but only to Jesus. He is the master, and if I’m not getting it done, then I answer to him.
Application: I need to be conscious of the guidance Jesus offers me through His Body, the Church. I must do better with reliability, but I also have to do a better job of not confusing reliability with availability.
Prayer: Please put me where you need me, God. And help me to be a reliable and accurate guide to those who are seeking you. In Christ, amen.
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