Don’t seek to lead well, seek to follow well

In James 3:1 it says, “My brothers, be not many masters, knowing that we should receive the greater condemnation. In Hebrews 13:17 it says, obey them that have the rule over you and submit yourselves. In Matthew 28: 8-10,14 we read, “Do not seek to have people call you honorable names like teacher or master for you are all brethren.”

Second Timothy 2:24, “And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, patient.” Mark 10: 44 “And whomsoever of you will be the first, shall be the servant of all.” Mark 9: 35 And he sat down and called the twelve, and said unto them, “If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.” John 13:14 “If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet: ye also ought to wash one another’s feet.” Jesus is searching for humble footwashers.

Ask 20: 35 “I have showed you all things, how that so laboring you ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, it is more blessed to give than to receive.”

Second Thessalonians 3:7, 9. “For you yourselves know how you ought to follow us: For we have behaved not ourselves disorderly among you. We have made ourselves an example unto you to follow us.”

The first task is to follow the advice on how to apply God’s word and follow the example of godly people. (In my next blog I will cover following as a servant but in this one is on following advice and example)

There are lots and lots of books on how to be a good leader. I have not seen many on how to be a good follower. In First Corinthians 11:1, Paul says, “Be followers of me, even as I also am of Christ. Again in Philippians 3: 17 he says, brethren, be followers together of me, and marked them which walk so as ye have us for an example.” Philippians 4: 9 “Those things, which you have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: And the peace of God shall be with you.”

It goes against the grain of human nature to deliberately take the role of listener and follower but it actually makes good sense. Because God’s ways are not our ways neither are his thoughts our thoughts. God always uses parables stories and the lives of others to help us move beyond abstract thoughts into actually living the truth. We must humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord and he will lift us up in due time. However, it seems easier to humble myself under a powerful God but surely not under a spouse, parent, teachers, government workers, pastors, friends and even find guidance from our enemies!

The Bible is clear. One can not love an invisible God unless we first love visible neighbors. I believe that it is also impossible to follow the example of the Bible and the life of Jesus without submitting to the visible people he has placed in our lives. Ephesians 5:21 “Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of the Lord.” Even the lives of evil people can help. We can avoid their error better by seeing its destruction and we can say, “If they being evil are good to their children, how much more our father in heaven will be good to us.

When I was a doctor in the ICU I sought the opinions of the staff and did a much better job. When I ran an inpatient unit for the Air Force, I insisted that our approach would include ideas from all the staff and did a much better job. When Joseph needed to change from a spoiled rich kid to being able to run the world for Pharoah, he ‘went to school” as a slave and prison inmate first.

If you ask, “What would Jesus do?” you will get no accurate picture or the strength to do it. In fact, I have found that if I do what comes naturally, I will get it wrong every time. See! I can even find guidance from my own messed-up programming. I can just figure out what the opposite of my natural inclination would look like and do the opposite. If we seek advice, observe obedience in action, and seek guidance from all those God has placed in our lives. (Checking it all with the Word of God) Then we will find a workable place to start obeying.

Now it is unfair to just ask others, “What should I do?” If they are foolish enough to risk advice, we are likely to blame them when it does not work or reply with, “That won’t work because.”

Instead, the follower must take the risk to say, “I have observed you——– did I get that right?” or, ” I have read the Word and think it wants me to do———, have I understood it correctly?” or, “Here is my situation and what I think God might want me to do, any thoughts?” or, “What has worked in your life?”

Then, following means, really listening, sincerely applying the advice, and then going back to the other, thanking them, and seeking further guidance. Of course that exposes you to showing others your weakness and struggles. Sorry, there is no growth without sharing with another the full nature of your need to grow. Yes, they may judge or, more likely, give a pat superficial answer so as not to offend. We must let them know that we celebrate learning about our weaknesses and our need to grow.

If we don’t learn from advice and example, if we don’t seek guidance before we act, then God has a fall-back teacher. The school of hard knocks. What we sow we will reap. Being an older man, I delight to share the most expensive thing that I own, the truth I have had hammered into me by doing it my way.” It is one way that God restores the years that the locust has eaten. However, most young people do not want this expensive gift. They would rather mess up and reap the results.

I often tell the people who want feedback from me, “I flunked mind reading and magic so, if you want good help, you must be open and honest about your problem and sincerely looking for what you can change about YOUR response to and approach to your situation.”