And while we are the authorities, we are also the protectors. Mrs. Tommy Lee not only shared her joy, but she told me where her joy came from. She not only shared her love for music, but she shared how music was all throughout the Bible. Everything I emulated had a deeper meaning that she gave away too.

Good leaders love well. They serve without question and sacrifice themselves for the good of the people. They are the first to arrive and the last to leave. They take the heat for decisions and protect the well-being of their followers. And they want others to become as they are. John 13:35 (NIV) says, By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.

Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans. Proverbs 16:3 (NIV)                 For months we prepared. We read books, memorized scripture, learned key words in a new language, studied culture, and physically trained. Each of us, all from different geographic locations, readied ourselves for the adventure of a lifetime. Then we finally met in San Francisco and spent five days of intense training and team building. We learned to trust each other. Lean

  For the traditional public school, there are teachers and paraprofessionals who are in charge of implementing best practices in the classroom. Many of them are part of a team where they take concerns to a team leader. Beyond the team leader the principal or assistant principal. Then these administrators report to the superintendent.

In our opening verses, Paul reminded the believers at Rome to submit to rulers and authorities. He didn’t stop there; he instructed them to be obedient, ready to do good, never speaking evil of others, being gentle without quarreling, and showing courtesy to all. Why would he add those instructions when talking about submitting to rulers and authorities?

Pride stands in direct opposition to the authorities in our lives. We think we know better and don’t need anyone to tell us a different way. Pride is protective. Aggressive. Defensive. And destructive. Even when the authority figure doesn’t act in a way we understand or like, God still instructs us to obey the authorities in our lives.