TEN YEARS GONE: Lead, Don't Lord

Peter, Servanthood, and the Difference Between Leaders and Bosses

Do not lord it over those in your charge …

— I Peter 5

When all of the stories and teachings of Peter are placed together, what emerges is not the picture of a polished religious figure, but an ordinary man who became extraordinary because he had been with Christ and believed in Him.

Peter feels real to me in a way that many Biblical figures do not. He was practical, impulsive, emotional, hard-working, and by all accounts physically tough. He was a fisherman, which meant he probably knew how to fix things, carry things, survive storms, work long hours, and lead other men. He had a wife and family. He argued. He blundered. He occasionally spoke before thinking. He failed publicly and painfully.

And yet Christ chose him.

Not because he was flawless, but because beneath all of that roughness there was something deeply human in him: a trusting heart, a passionate spirit, and eventually, real humility.

That humility seems to become one of the defining features of Peter’s later teachings. By the time we reach I Peter, the swaggering young disciple who once drew swords and made bold declarations has become an older man warning leaders not to become domineering.

“Do not lord it over people.”

That phrase still lands hard today.

There is a difference between leadership and control, though people often confuse the two. Real leaders usually teach, model, encourage, and serve. They set a direction and invite others to walk with them. They understand that authority is a responsibility, not a personal entitlement.

Bossiness, on the other hand, usually comes from insecurity. Some people discover that having a title, money, status, physical presence, or institutional power allows them to push others around, and they begin feeding emotionally on that feeling. Ordering people becomes a way of reassuring themselves that they matter.

But Peter, who once desperately wanted to matter, eventually learned something better.

Christ washed feet.

And the closer Peter grew to Christ, the less interested he seemed to become in power for its own sake.

That may be one of the clearest marks of spiritual maturity. Truly strong people do not constantly need to remind others that they are in charge. They do not need to dominate every room, win every argument, or force every outcome. They become calmer, steadier, and more focused on serving well.

Lead, yes.

Teach, yes.

Protect, guide, build, organize, and sometimes make hard decisions.

But do not lord yourself over people merely because you can.