1 Timothy 6:11
“But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.”
Do you remember as a child playing the game, “Follow the Leader?” Whoever was chosen as the leader would go wherever they wanted, and the followers followed every action and step the leader took.
Following the leader in life can be dangerous. Even good people can be led into destructive places and actions. Yet, God tells us to follow the leader in six areas of our life. If we follow the leader in each of these areas, we will end up in a good destination.
In your actions, follow the leader of righteousness. The word “righteousness” means, “righteous acts.” In other words, if you’re going to copy any actions, make sure the only actions you copy are righteous ones. It’s sad that many people tend to copy the idiosyncrasies of people when they should be copying the righteous acts they perform. I have watched preacher boys copy the mannerisms of their favorite preachers, and though this is not bad in itself, it would be better to follow their righteous acts. Instead of following the mannerisms of your parents, preacher, church leaders and people whom you respect, you would be wiser to follow after their righteous acts.
In your character, follow the leader of godliness. The word “godliness” means, “God likeness.” Your character should remind people of God. Every Christian should have godly integrity. The character of Jesus Christ was one that He did right in spite of persecution or the crowd. This is the type of character you should desire to have.
In your beliefs, follow the leader of faith. Be careful about blindly following people into false doctrine. Many people foolishly follow the faith of a man, when they should let the Scriptures determine their faith. Always base everything you believe on the Scriptures. Let the Scriptures be your basis of your faith.
In the treatment of others, follow the leader of love. Love is an amazing leader. Love will cause you to look past the situation or dress of someone. Love will cause you to stand with someone when all others forsake them. No matter how others treat you, be sure you return love back to them.
In unsettling circumstances, follow the leader of patience. Be patient with every situation. Don’t be so quick to give up on people. Don’t be one who is impatient and doesn’t wait on God. Patience should be the leader you follow with every circumstance you face in life.
Finally, follow the leader of self-control. Meekness is power under control. Don’t always have to show your power. Learn to keep yourself under control. Just because you have the power to do something to those you’re over doesn’t mean you should do it. Be patient with people and practice self-control. When others wrong you, practice meekness and let God take care of the situation. Though you may have the power to destroy a person, keep your power under control and give the situation to God.
Following the leader in life can be dangerous. Let these six leaders be the one’s you choose to follow. They will always lead you in the right direction, and you will never regret following them.