“Remove the dross from the silver, and out comes materials for the silversmith; remove the wicked from the king’s presence, and his throne will be established through righteousness.” – Pr 25: 4-5

There is an unhealthy trend in the world that the leader serves in isolation while the followers judge from the outside waiting to catch the leader in a mistake. There is a lack of team spirit and it seems like the leader’s greatest opposition are the people he is leading. Instead followers should be totally behind their leaders. They should remove wicked things from before them, and surround them in support and prayer. All their actions should protect their leaders and not looking for ways to bring them down.

Both Joshua and Caleb responded by faith and brought back good report after spying the land, but the leadership position was only passed on to Joshua. We need to respect people like Caleb who was willing to be the second, a great example for the faithful followers. “But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly…” (Nu 14:24) As faithful followers we need to have a different spirit.

Every great leader must learn to be a faithful follower first. For forty years Joshua served under Moses in the wilderness as assistant and servant. (Ex 24:13; 33:11) Great leaders are great servants of the Lord who have no problems in serving others if that is their lot in life. The process of following will help to prepare them to lead indeed. Great leaders do not get puff up as they know they are followers themselves. Whatever our position is, we need to know it is God ultimately we are serving.

Let’s pray.

Lord, please give me a spirit of humility to be a faithful follower of the leader you had installed in my life. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

Before we go, take a look at the questionnaire below:

1. From your perspective, why are leaders often prone to isolation within a team? What practical actions can we take to support and stand by our leaders?

2. Why are Christians called to follow Caleb’s example—willingly taking a secondary role and serving faithfully? In what ways does such an attitude benefit teamwork?

3. How do you interpret the statement, “A great leader must first be a great follower”? What implications does this have for our daily lives and work?