The many qualified elders around the world are to be commended for devoting the fruitful years of their lives to what is described in 1 Tim. 3:1 as "a good work." I am thankful for such men. We need some more of them.
Though the work of elders is a big responsibility and sometimes a very unappreciated task, elders who rule well will derive a great deal of personal satisfaction from the knowledge that they have done what they could in a much needed function. Qualified men are not impelled by motives of glory and grandeur. Neither are they bothered with the lust for prestige and power. The work requires a sense of dedication of the highest order. It can be such a demanding work as to shorten one's life span but it will bring forth rewards that are for eternity.
In Heb. 13:17 elders "watch for your souls..." What an awesome responsibility! To be one of God's watchmen over the souls of His saints is a stewardship of the highest order. The Hebrew writer further adds that those who serve as elders must "give account" for this stewardship. If members would meditate on this verse a little more they would have more regard for the work done and the men who do it. It might cut down the number of troublesome sheep in the flock. Hopefully elders will be able to give account with joy and not with grief.
The work of gospel preaching can be most rewarding in the knowledge that one has contributed to the salvation of souls who otherwise would have been lost. Elders are charged with the task of trying to keep the saved in a saved condition. This, too, is most rewarding. This is by far the more difficult task. Thus, in a well-ordered church that is going about the master's business, stable and steady under the firm guidance of the elders, let none think for a moment that this all occurred by some coincidence or big accident. It takes a lot of continuous effort, heartache, midnight oil, soul-searching, and an abundance of prayer to bring this about. The joy experienced when this is true is part of an elder's reward.
By far, however, the greatest reward will be in the hereafter as we all stand before the righteous judge, Jesus Christ, to know that some of those present who will be bidden to "enter into the joys of thy Lord" will be able to do so because of some godly elders who watched diligently over their souls and would not relent.
The eternal rewards of serving in the capacity of an elder will far outweigh the difficulties and painfulness that sometimes accompany the work, "And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; and to esteem them highly in love for their work's sake. And be at peace among yourselves" (1 Thess. 5:12-13).
- Searching the Scriptures, April, 1983, edited