35 Bible Verses about Watchfulness, Of Leaders
Most Relevant Verses
"Son of man, I have appointed you [as] a watchman for the house of Israel. When you hear a word from my mouth, then you must warn them from me.
"And you, son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; if you hear a word from my mouth, then you must warn them from me. {When I say} to the wicked, 'Wicked [one], you will certainly die,' and you {did not speak} to warn [the] wicked from his way, he, [the] wicked, will die by his guilt, but his blood I will seek from your hand. But, you, if you warn [the] wicked from his way, to turn from it, and {he does not turn} from his way, he will die by his guilt, and you will have saved your life.
He said to him again a second time, "Simon [son] of John, do you love me?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." He said to him, "Shepherd my sheep!"
{When I say} to the wicked, 'Surely you will die,' and you do not warn him and you do not speak to warn [the] wicked from his wicked way {so that he may live}, that wicked [person] will die because of his guilt, and from your hand I will seek his blood.
It is like a man away on a journey, who left his house and gave his slaves authority--to each one his work--and to the doorkeeper he gave orders that he should be on the alert. Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming--whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or early in the morning--
Obey your leaders and submit [to them], for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account, so that they can do this with joy and not [with] groaning, for this [would be] unprofitable for you.
Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day [for] three years I did not stop warning each one [of you] with tears.
Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock among which the Holy Spirit has appointed you [as] overseers, to shepherd the church of God which he obtained through the blood of his own [Son].
Therefore the overseer must be irreproachable, the husband of one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, skillful in teaching,
For it is necessary [for] the overseer to be blameless as God's steward, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not addicted to wine, not violent, not greedy for dishonest gain,
shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not by compulsion but willingly, in accordance with God, and not greedily but eagerly,
"Truly, truly I say to you, the one who does not enter through the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up at some other place--that one is a thief and a robber. But the one who enters through the door is the shepherd of the sheep. For this one the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.
preach the word, be ready in season [and] out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all patience and instruction. For there will be a time when they will not put up with sound teaching, but in accordance with their own desires, they will accumulate for themselves teachers, {because they have an insatiable curiosity}, and they will turn away from the hearing of the truth, but will turn to myths.read more.
But you, be self-controlled in all [things], bear hardship patiently, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
holding fast to the faithful message according to the teaching, in order that he may be able both to exhort with sound instruction and to reprove those who speak against [it]. For there are many rebellious [people], idle talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, whom it is necessary to silence, whoever are ruining whole families [by] teaching [things] which must not be [taught] for the sake of dishonest gain.
I am not writing these [things] to shame you, but admonishing [you] as my dear children.
Now I exhort you, brothers, to look out for those who cause dissensions and temptations contrary to the teaching which you learned, and stay away from them.
envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, [things] which I am telling you [in advance], just as I said before, that the ones who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Finally therefore, brothers, we ask you and appeal to [you] in the Lord Jesus that, just as you have received from us how it is necessary for you to live and to please God, just as indeed you are living, that you progress even more.
I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues written in this book.
I have appointed watchmen upon your walls, Jerusalem; all day and all night they shall never be silent. You who profess Yahweh have no rest. And you must not give him rest until he establishes, and until he {makes} Jerusalem {an object of praise} in the earth.
Also, as for me, far be it from me {that I should sin} against Yahweh by ceasing to pray for you! I will instruct you in the good and righteous way.
For God, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, is my witness, how constantly I make mention of you, always asking in my prayers if somehow now at last I may succeed to come to you in the will of God.
do not cease giving thanks for you, making mention in my prayers,
always in my every prayer for all of you, making the prayer with joy,
for which [purpose] we also pray always for you, that you may be considered worthy of the calling of our God, and he might fulfill every desire for goodness and work of faith with power,
But Peter said to him, "Even if they all fall away, certainly I will not!" And Jesus said to him, "Truly I say to you that today--this night--before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times!"
Therefore the overseer must be irreproachable, the husband of one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, skillful in teaching, not addicted to wine, not a violent person, but gentle, peaceable, not loving money, managing his own household well, having children in submission with all dignityread more.
(but if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?), not newly converted, lest he become conceited [and] fall into the condemnation of the devil. But [he] must also have a good testimony from those outside, in order that he may not fall into disgrace and the trap of the devil.
Practice these [things]. Be [diligent] in these [things], in order that your progress may be evident to everyone. Fix [your] attention on yourself and on your teaching. Continue in them, for [by] doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.
If anyone is blameless, [the] husband of one wife, having faithful children, not {accused of dissipation} or rebellious. For it is necessary [for] the overseer to be blameless as God's steward, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not addicted to wine, not violent, not greedy for dishonest gain, but hospitable, loving what is good, prudent, just, devout, self-controlled,
Not many should become teachers, my brothers, [because you] know that we will receive a greater judgment.
All wild animals [in the] field, come, to devour, all wild animals in the forest! His watchmen [are] blind, none of them know. They [are] all dumb dogs; they are unable to bark, panting, lying down, loving to slumber. And the dogs {have a greedy appetite}; they {are never satisfied}. And they are [the] shepherds! They do not have understanding. They all turn to their [own] way, each one for his [own] gain, {every one of them}.read more.
"Come, let me take wine, and let us carouse [with] intoxicating drink, and tomorrow will be like today, {very great indeed}."
And the word of Yahweh {came} to me, {saying}, "Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and you must say to them, to the shepherds, 'Thus says the Lord Yahweh: "Woe [to] the shepherds of Israel who were feeding themselves! Must not the shepherds feed the flock? The fat you eat, and you clothe [yourself] [with] the wool; the well-nourished [animals] you slaughter, [but] you do not feed the flock.read more.
The weak you [have] not strengthened, and the sick you [have] not healed, and {with respect to} the hurt you have not bound [them up], and you [have] not brought back the scattered, and you [have] not sought the lost, but [rather] you ruled over them with force and with ruthlessness. And they were scattered {without} a shepherd, and they were as food for all the animals of the field [when] they were scattered. My flock went astray upon all of the mountains and on every high hill, and [so] upon all the surface of the world my flock were scattered, and {there was no one seeking them}, and {there was no one searching for them}." Therefore, hear, shepherds, the word of Yahweh: "{As I live}," {declares} the Lord Yahweh, "{Surely} because my flock have become as plunder, and my flock became as food to all the animals of the field, since there was not a shepherd, [since] my shepherds [have] not sought my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, and they fed not my flock,'" therefore, O shepherds, hear the word of Yahweh, 'Thus says the Lord Yahweh: "Look! I [am] against the shepherds, and I will seek my flock from their hand, and I will put an end to them from shepherding flocks, and the shepherds will {no longer} feed themselves, and I will deliver my flocks from their mouth, so that they will not be as food for them."
Because the household gods speak deceit, and those who practice divination see a lie, and the dreamers of vanity speak in vain. Therefore [the people] wander like sheep; they are afflicted because there is no shepherd. {My anger burns} against the shepherds, and I will punish the leaders, because Yahweh of hosts watches over his flock, the house of Judah; and he will make them like his majestic horse in war.
