God’s Will is Love (Pt. 4)

12Dear brothers and sisters, honor those who are your leaders in the Lord’s work. They work hard among you and give you spiritual guidance.
13Show them great respect and wholehearted love because of their work. And live peacefully with each other. 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13

Imagine it’s 1985 and you are playing your beloved Nintendo Entertainment System. You just jumped into Super Mario Brothers World 1-1. You stomp the turtles, collect the mushrooms, get the power star, and ascend the steps to the victorious flagpole. You have defeated this level several times, but this time is different. You tag the flag pole as the timer ends in a 1, 3, or a 6, and suddenly fireworks start shooting out of the castle. This has never happened before, and it feels so special. Your hard work is rewarded with an 8-bit fireworks display.

No one has ever thanked me for my tireless work beating video games, but that is another issue. I want to talk about the hard work our spiritual leaders and mentors do for us every day. When someone picks up the mantle of leading, teaching, directing, and shepherding others to Jesus, they are standing in the middle of God’s will. They battle with discouragement, road blocks, time crunches, and the burden of the mission. We are all called to be mini versions of Christ and I guarantee that you have mini Christs in your life.

Showing love and respect to your leaders is so healthy in church life. It reminds you that the greatest positions in life are not the celebrities, musicians, and influencers, but the people who pour into you spiritually. Also, the appreciation you show your leaders could inspire them to go even further with their ministry.

You can show love and respect to a ministry leader by: supporting a missionary financially, sending a card or a little gift to a mentor, writing a note to someone who has preached, or serving a minister with an errand. You could be the fireworks they need right now.

Figure It Out:

12Dear brothers and sisters, honor those who are your leaders in the Lord’s work. They work hard among you and give you spiritual guidance.
13Show them great respect and wholehearted love because of their work. And live peacefully with each other. 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13

  1. Circle any words or phrases that are significant to you. What makes them stand out
  2. What are the most significant hurdles that today’s spiritual leaders need to face?
  3. How do you show wholehearted love?

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