Being a Leader Worth Following

Many people have an expectation that they have a right to voice their opinion and when they speak people should listen. The assumption is that leadership and influence are an automatic right and anyone who declares themselves a leader ought to be respected. Others see leadership as something to be earned and obtained over time with age and experience. Once a person has paid their dues and earned their position to have leadership and influence then their position must be protected and never passed on. We usually see these false views of leadership displayed and the age-old tension between generations.
“Older people have always found it difficult to accept young people as responsible adults in their own right, let alone as leaders. And young people are understandably irritated when their elders keep reminding them of their immaturity and inexperience and treat them with contempt.” -John Stott
Being older does not guarantee one should have influence nor does youth exclude the possibility of leadership and influence. Many people have gifts, talents, and dreams of great things. The greatest danger comes when a leader's giftedness or ambition leads them further than their character can sustain them. “The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them (Proverbs 11:3).”
In 1 Timothy 4:11-16, Paul is challenging Timothy to be the leader God has called him to be. Additionally, Paul challenges Timothy to not let age or youthfulness be a self-defeating excuse or a label for others to disqualify him with.
Here we can gain some great insight into what it means to be a leader worth following.