“Brothers and sisters, we ask you to respect those who are working with you, leading you, and instructing you. Think of them highly with love because of their work. Live in peace with each other.” 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 NIV
I believe our leaders have been chosen by God to becomes ministers. Most of them have attended specialized training or seminary schooling, so that they are educated in the bible and the doctrines of the particular denomination that they are going to preach in. They have worked hard to learn and understand spiritual concepts as well as how to hear from God the guidance that they seek.
A large number of ministers today do not wish to be thought of as being above the people in their congregations. They want to be seen as being ‘one of the congregation’, unfortunately that is difficult for me because the rest of the congregation was not called by God to go into full-time ministry. By accepting that calling on their lives, they became different, they accepted a higher level of responsibility and should be shown the respect that they have earned.
This verse instructs us to think highly of them because of the work that they do. We will not always agree with our spiritual leaders about how they handle a situation but we are instructed to give them the respect they deserve and love them. I heard a wise man once say that it is easy to judge how a leader handles situations until you step back and remember that you didn’t accept that calling to be a leader. It is in those moments that, if you are truthful with yourself, you can appreciate how difficult a job it is to be the shepherd of diverse individuals.