“Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls and will give an account for their work. Let them do this with joy and not with complaints, for this would be no advantage for you” (Hebrews 13:17 NET).
The faith and love displayed by the New Testament-era churches at Philippi, Thessalonica, and Colossae led Paul the Apostle to express his thankfulness to God for them. Paul’s attitude toward those congregations captured the spirit of our text from Hebrews 13:17: “Give them reason to do this with joy and not with sorrow. That would certainly not be for your benefit” (NLT).
Modern-day readers of this epistle also possess the ability to inspire others to maintain an attitude of thankfulness to God. For instance, we can motivate others to thank God by the way we live and the choices that we make. Therefore, we should prayerfully seek to become the kind of people who inspire others to say, “Thank God for him/her” whenever they think of us.
While the world may be filled with those who do little to inspire others to thank God, we can be different. Much like those who attended the churches at Philippi, Thessalonica, and Colossae, we should strive to inspire others to thank God for the impact we make upon their lives.
This leads us back to our passage from Hebrews 13:17. While problems and disagreements are inevitable, every Christian carries a general obligation to act courteously and respectfully when interacting with those in positions of spiritual leadership. This does not mean that we cannot be realistic about the strengths and weaknesses of such leaders, nor does it mean that we are obligated to blindly and unquestionably follow others in positions of authority. However, it does mean that we should seek to maintain a gracious attitude that minimizes the potential for strife, division, or gossip.
One source helps us strike the proper balance in this regard…
“This word of encouragement to submit to Christian leaders is much needed in our day of disrespect for authority of any kind, and an overemphasis on the rights and powers of the individual. God has placed some as leaders among His people (note Num. 16:3-5). We honor them because of their call, training, commitment, and service.
However, there is an opposite ‘ditch.’ God’s calling has been abused by some authoritarian personalities. There must be a balance, a mutual respect, a co-operative spirit between God’s people and God’s leaders. All believers are called to be subject to one another out of respect for Christ (cf. Eph. 5:21).” (1)
(1) Dr. Bob Utley, Hebrews 13 [13:17] Copyright © 2014 Bible Lessons International https://www.freebiblecommentary.org/new_testament_studies/VOL10/VOL10_13.html