"To Elders" - 1 Peter 5:1-5

"5 Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, 2 shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; 3 nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock. 4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. 5 You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble." - 1 Peter 5:1-5 NASB

     Peter's instructions here to elders are great.  I often find myself in a discipling position, so I am going to be speaking from a place of being an elder.  Peter tells elders to "exercise oversight not under compulsion."  This should not be a chore, or something we feel obligated to do.  We should eagerly desire to invest in those around us that God has equipped us to help.  We have experience and we have gained wisdom because of it and that wisdom is valuable to others who have not yet had the experiences we have had.  I feel like we need to have this attitude more in our churches, that we make it a point to take those younger than us under our wing and invest in the next generation.
     He also points out that elders should have the right motivations and attitudes, that you should not be an elder for gain, or to hold your position over others.  We are to adopt the same attitude as Christ and be servant leaders.  Christ did not lord his position over His disciples, He took the lowest place among them and washed their feet.  He was the ultimate example.  If we elders lead like this, then we will be rewarded with glory when Christ comes back.  Rather than pursuing glory in the eyes of men now for your station as a leader, covet the glory which Christ gives to those who are faithful.
     Peter also calls younger people to submit themselves to the wisdom of elders, and to be humble towards all.  I think it is extremely valuable to recognize how little you know and to adopt a teachable attitude.  God is opposed to the proud.  God is the only one who has it all together, and when we act like we do, it is an affront to truth.  The truth is, we are all incomplete and imperfect and we should look to God as glorious and not ourselves because any glory we can muster pales in comparison.