Leadership is a God-given privilege. There is no greater satisfaction than what comes from unselfishly seeking the physical and spiritual welfare of those entrusted to our care or supervision.

William Wilberforce, popular leader in England from 1780 to 1833, died with the satisfaction that the emancipation bill for which he had expended so much of his time and energy would be passed. The end of slavery in the British Empire was assured.

On the other hand, leadership is not always given recognition. A woman I knew, whose role had been that of mother and Sunday school teacher, faced death with contentment. She expressed gratitude to the Lord for entrusting these responsibilities to her and enabling her to fulfill them honorably.

Leadership, however, can be abused. Those who vie for prestige, power, and expensive perks will someday appear before God to give an account. Psalm 82 describes God's judgment of self-serving leaders.

We too will one day give account for our lives. So let's fulfill our God-given role with the solemn realization that "to whom much is given, from him much will be required" (Lk. 12:48).  — Herbert Vander Lugt