5 I left you on the island of Crete so you could complete our work there and appoint elders in each town as I instructed you. 6 An elder must live a blameless life. He must be faithful to his wife, and his children must be believers who don’t have a reputation for being wild or rebellious. 7 A church leader is a manager of God’s household, so he must live a blameless life. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered; he must not be a heavy drinker, violent, or dishonest with money.
8 Rather, he must enjoy having guests in his home, and he must love what is good. He must live wisely and be just. He must live a devout and disciplined life. 9 He must have a strong belief in the trustworthy message he was taught; then he will be able to encourage others with wholesome teaching and show those who oppose it where they are wrong.
There it is: the perfect job. It’s the one you’ve dreamed about, prepared for and always wanted. It’s there in the ad, an email, or at the end of the boss’s sentence—‘We’d like to talk to you about an opportunity.’
In Titus 1:5-9, Paul lists the job description for such an opportunity—church leadership. His want ad used words we still find in effective leaders today: blameless, faithful, not overbearing, not quick-tempered, self-controlled, holy and disciplined—even being a good parent is covered.
As individuals, spouses, and parents, we have the responsibility to lead.
But, maybe thoughts of leadership bring feelings that say, "not worthy, ill-equipped—terrified!"
We may shy away from leadership. We don’t have or want a title or position that includes it. What we do have is a Savior who says ‘Lead!’ In John 21:15-17, Jesus tells Peter to feed and care for His sheep. As Christ followers, we lead others to know who Jesus is and share what He is doing in our own lives.
Each Christ follower is a leader—with a job description just like Paul gave to Titus—whether we are at home, with friends or on the job. As individuals, spouses, and parents, we have the responsibility to lead.
Most of us look into the future dreaming of the position we wish we had. God calls us to be responsible for the one we already have—showing the world Jesus by being like Him.
