Hebrews 13:17-19 — Follow and Lead

READ THIS: Hebrews 13:17-19

17 Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you. 
 
18 Pray for us. We are sure that we have a clear conscience and desire to live honorably in every way. 19 I particularly urge you to pray so that I may be restored to you soon.

WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY?

Depending on the setting, you can be either a leader or a follower, and sometimes both at the same time. These verses actually help us do better in both positions! 

When a follower:
When we are following leaders who we know are following Jesus, then we need to have confidence in them. We have to trust that they are truly looking out for our best interest, even if we don't like what they're telling us. As we are following, we need to make sure that we are being good followers and not making it harder for people who are trying to genuinely help us. 

When a leader:
When we are leading others, we need to know that we must "give an account." That means we are responsible for the people following us, and we need to be able to answer why our followers do/say what they do/say. If we actively lead someone down the wrong path, that is our fault. That is a huge thing to take on. When we accept leadership opportunities, we need to know the full weight of that. Part of knowing that full weight is knowing that we cannot lead on our own. We need Jesus' help, and we need people to be praying for us. A true leader is a leader willing to ask for prayer, just like the author does here!

THINK ABOUT IT:

1. In what spaces are you a follower? In what spaces are you a leader? In what spaces are you both?
 
2. Are you a good follower? Are you a good leader? Why or why not?

TRY THIS:

Think about what spaces you are going to be in today and decide how you're going to show up. Decide now what actions/words you can do/say to make sure you are the best follower and/or leader you can be!

SONG OF THE WEEK:
 
Song! This song shows how God is the best leader and is always trying to be there for us. Good leaders try to be like that...Do you believe your leaders at church want to be there for you (like we talked about a few days ago)? Why or why not? Talk to a leader about it!!!





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