Fetch Some Eggs

500.  "Fetch Some Eggs"                           April 17, 2012
Hebrews 13-Part 7
Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.   Hebrews 13:17


LET IT GLOW

It is hard to believe that today is my 500th posting on this blog, by my counting. May God bless you as you read. To Jesus be the glory, honor and praise!

When I was a child, I was often sent to the garage to fetch some eggs for Mom to use in cooking. Now that was a dreaded task. The hens wanted to keep their eggs so they would hatch baby chicks instead of letting me have them peacefully. They would ruffle up those feathers, make loud clucks, and peck at anything that came near them, which was me. So I devised a method-I wouldn't get pecked if I used a croquet mallet to carefully scrap them out of the nest, away from her, on the ground. Now I thought that was pretty smart for a kid my age, until they chased me out of the garage. I obeyed what Mom told me to do, but not very joyfully, I admit.

It is for my benefit that I obey my spiritual leaders and do what they say, this verse is telling me. What do they do for me? They watch over my soul. They are accountable to God. I am to give them a reason to do this with joy and not with sorrow. I am to obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to me. (NLT, NIV)

According to Thayer's Lexicon:
obey  means to listen to, yield to, comply with;
rule is leading as respects influence; overseers or leaders of Christian churches;
submit means to resist no longer, but to give way, yield; to yield to authority and admonition;
watch is to exercise constant vigilance over something (an image drawn from shepherds).

I want my spiritual leaders to do their work with joy, cheerfully because I am obeying their teaching, preaching, and leading scripturally. Do I no longer resist what they point out in the Word of God? Do I obey the biblical principles they are showing me?

Warren Wiersbe said, "When a servant of God is in the will of God, teaching the Word of God, the people of God should submit and obey. This does not mean that pastors should be dictators, nor church members have a flippant attitude toward pastoral authority. One day both will have to give an account to the Lord. When a shepherd is faithful to watch for souls, it is important that the sheep obey him."

Do my leaders duck away into hiding when they see me coming? Do I make their life miserable or joyful? Or do the have a smile on their face?

As a children's leader and a mission's leader in my church, I am accountable for those under my leadership and how I lead them. Am I leading them down the right path, as the Word of God directs?


LET IT GROW

Liberty Bible Commentary says, submit denotes an assent to another's direction. God has given these leaders the work of overseeing, not by being an overlord but by being an example. (1Peter 5)

Am I willing to turn, change my ways and opinions to follow what the leader says? Do I joyfully submit?
Resist no longer is a good definition for submit. As I yield my will to Christ's will, I will submit to my leaders in authority over me. That makes my Lord happy.


LET IT GO

Submit to and obey joyfully my spriritual leaders that God has put over me.

Be a leader in subjection to the Word of God and those in authority over me.