Image via WikipediaA marriage relationship where the wife lords over her husband is considered dysfunctional, a child who tries to force their will as opposed to the parents creates a dysfunctional home. An employee who thinks they can boss the boss creates a dysfunctional work relationship. We would think it strange if someone tried to arrest a policeman just because he gave them a ticket.
Where there is humility and mutual submission there is peace and harmony.
Leaders who lack humility can become manipulative tyrants or too timid to address or accomplish anything. Avoidance for the sake of convenience and comfort is self serving and lacking humility. Being a tyrant is about the same thing but achieved in a different but more obvious way.
Leaders aren’t perfect just as those who follow aren’t perfect. Leaders are placed in authority by someone else in authority. It always has to come from someone with greater authority. There will always be leaders and followers. Although it is true leaders aren’t perfect it is still possible to have good leaders and still have conflict and tension.
Knowing our place is important for more reasons than we realize.
Submission and a gracious response to authority on any level is most difficult where there is a lack of humility in either the authority themselves or the one under authority.
Philippians 2 has some very eye opening and heart challenging revelation about the character of Christ in it.
Philippians 2:1 ¶ So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 12 ¶ Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. 14 ¶ Do all things without grumbling or questioning, 15 that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,
Wow! Even Jesus knew His place.
