"...esteem them very highly..."

When I was younger, my church leaders seemed almost heroic. They were men who knew so much about the gospel, seemed to have every answer, and didn’t seem to have any flaws at all. This is a quasi confession, but the older I get the less I see these same qualities in my current church leaders. I realize that none of us (especially me) are perfect; that we are all trying the best we can to lead those of which we have stewardship. I don’t know if it is my pride or the fact that I have seen a variety of different leaders since I was younger, but I tend to compare them all, and the shortcomings that some have compared to others, make it difficult for me to have complete trust and faith in them.

Toward the end of his first letter to the Thessalonians, the Apostle Paul gave some advice that hit me like a ton of bricks in this regard. He says:
“12 And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you;
13 And to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. And be at peace among yourselves.” (1 Thessalonians 5:12-13).

I have noticed over the past several months that my attitude has digressed a little, and I have tried to make goals to improve my perception of local church leaders, although it has been slow going. As I read this short exhortation, it hit home to me that the leaders serving in local congregations truly are laboring among us and we should esteem them highly for their willingness and ability to serve the Lord in whatever capacity He has called them.