For you were called to this, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in His steps.     1 Peter 2:21 HCSB

We all like to consider ourselves independent. We like to think we make it on our own, but this is not the case. We all have that person who serves as a mentor, whether they even know it or not. You may be someone’s mentor and have no idea they are following you. Let me stop right here and say I’m not talking about following you on social media, although they may do that as well. I am talking about watching you and imitating you, whether they even realize they are doing this or not.

What truly makes a great leader is someone who has been where you are, suffered the things you have suffered, and come out on top or victorious. When we see someone like this, we can identify with them, and we want to succeed as they have succeeded.

When someone leads us, we want to know they have been where we have been. They have walked a mile in our shoes. We also want to know that they don’t ask us to do anything they are unwilling to do. We want to know they are willing to support us and are willing to fight alongside us. We want to know they have our back when the going gets tough.

As we study the New Testament, we realize that Jesus is the perfect leader. He is someone we should be following and doing our best to imitate. Throughout the New Testament, we see examples of Jesus’ obedience to God the Father. We must remember that He came from his throne in heaven to be born of a virgin not only to die for our sins, but also to set an example for us. He faced temptation just as we do, but never sinned.

If you continue reading in 1 Peter 2:22-23, it tells us, “He did not commit sin, and no deceit was found in His mouth; when He was reviled, He did not revile in return; when He was suffering, He did not threaten but entrusted Himself to the One who judges justly.”

Jesus dealt with rejection. He suffered ridicule. He faced numerous attempts at entrapment. And through it all, He remained obedient to the Lord, His Father. He was obedient to the point of dying on a cross to save us from our sins.

What we must keep in mind is that following someone leads us somewhere. We must be careful that whoever we follow is going to lead us to a place we want to go. Some leaders are so lost, they will lead you into turmoil and chaos if you aren’t careful.

It is so important that we know and understand who we follow. It’s important that we can clearly see where they are leading us. We need to know the route and the path we will travel. We need to understand any perils we will face along the way.

Maybe, however, you are a leader. If this is the case, you need to do a self-assessment. What kind of leader are you? Where are you leading your followers? Can your followers count on you? Are you leading them to eternal salvation or eternal damnation?

Even if we are leaders, we still follow someone. We have that mentor or boss or someone we follow. When we follow Jesus, we can’t go wrong. When we fail to follow Jesus, we are lost as a baseball in high weeds, as our pastor often says.

Leadership is a big responsibility. If you are leading others, be sure you are following Jesus. Otherwise, you are lost and leading others astray.

If you are lost, you can call on Jesus. He will be happy to guide you and lead you in the right direction.

Have a great day!