Remember Judas and John from the Bible — two of Jesus’ most well-known disciples? They both spent loads of time with Jesus. They both witnessed miracles and experienced hours and hours of His teaching. They both sat at Jesus's table during the last supper, but their hearts towards their Leader were worlds apart. 

John was a loyal follower. He esteemed the Lord. He did his best to follow his commands and live a life that would honor Jesus. 

Judas was the opposite. He was a betrayer. He was skeptical and critical. He was a thief who was all about the money. 

>> The main encouragement for today is this: be like John, not like Judas! 

We live in a culture where everybody thinks they have the right to say anything they want about any leader, whether spiritually, politically, your boss, or anybody else. While you may have “the right” to do so, it’s not going to help you spiritually.

The Bible tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13, “And we urge you, brethren, to recognize those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. Be at peace among yourselves.”

We are to be like John and esteem our leaders. We are to honor their example, love them and pray for them. Why? So that we can be at peace amongst ourselves. 

I promise you this: Judas was not at peace. In fact, he was so tormented after betraying Jesus that he took his own life. Even if it seems like it might “feel good” at the time to say something bad about your leaders or give them a piece of your mind, it will ultimately hurt you more than it will them. 

At the end of the day, we want to be like John and not like Judas! 

(If you’re following along in our “Getting A Grip On The Basics of Serving God” workbook, this lesson is from Chapter 7: How to follow God’s plan for spiritual authority.) 

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