The Value Of Leadership
"Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers." 1 Tim 4:16

Leaders who are aware of their influence upon the lives of others tend to take personnel inventory of their lives often. This is of great benefit for those who follow their lead! The life of a leader should reflect not only sound doctrine, but consistency in how they live their lives. This benefits not only the leader, but also those who follow. It gives followers a solid example and it saves them from danger and negative consequences. We could illustrate this truth in the following way. Imagine you are driving down a two lane highway and you are "leading" several cars who are following behind. You are determined to drive within the speed limit even though those following you are becoming increasingly impatient with your pace. Some are flashing their lights, others are honking their horns. Because traffic is coming toward them and on a two lane highway they must wait until the way is clear to pass. So, the impatient traffic behind you HAS to follow your lead. But then you pass a Highway Patrolman parked in the tall grass just off the highway with his handheld radar gun pointing right at you. Since you have been watching your speed closely, you saved yourself a ticket AND you saved those behind you one as well! Some of the drivers behind you will be glad they stayed behind you! Others will wait for the first opportunity to whiz past you. But all were saved a ticket because of your diligence in keeping the speed limit. As we lead, some people may be impatient with us. They may be wanting to move faster than we're moving, and some may be downright mad at us for the way we're leading. Ultimately, we are responsible for our leadership of others. We must be willing to do the right thing and teach the right things at all costs. Not only will we save ourselves a lot of heartache, we'll help save others from painful consequences as well.
From The Hart,
Glenn