The bride of Christ doesn't always look too pretty.
2 Care for the flock that God has entrusted to you. Watch over it willingly, not grudgingly—not for what you will get out of it, but because you are eager to serve God.
3 Don't lord it over the people assigned to your care, but lead them by your own good example. 4 And when the Great Shepherd appears, you will receive a crown of never-ending glory and honor.
5 In the same way, you younger men must accept the authority of the elders. And all of you, serve each other in humility, for "God opposes the proud but favors the humble." 6 So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor.
7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.
If you think it is difficult as an ordinary everyday Christ follower to keep yourself on the straight and narrow, try being a leader of the church with everybody watching you.
They have been entrusted with the care of the bride of Christ, a bride that is supposed to be beautiful but at times this bride is downright ugly. All the bickering over petty junk and all the quarrels about what the music should sound like and how the sermon should be preached cause the bride to get far from being beautiful.
Still they must lead by example and they must lead cheerfully, eager to serve God, so that the bride of Christ will learn by example to serve with humility. If our leaders are not joyful in their walk with Christ how can they ask other people to join them in serving?
I will encourage my pastor and other church leaders so that they will be eager to continue serving God.
Help your bride Lord to see how ugly she can be, help us to serve humbly as we seek to make you famous one person at a time.
