“The leader should be like a servant.” Luke 22:26 NLT
“This is Jesus’ model of leadership: lead by serving!”
My thoughts today are about “servant-leadership.”
My friend, Campbell, once said in his lyrical, Scottish brogue, “If you think you are a leader and you turn around only to find that no one is following, you are not leading; you are just taking a walk.” Whose name comes to mind when you think of a leader? What qualities meet the criteria for your trust and cooperation? Too much of what you may have seen has not always been very authentic examples of trustworthy leadership – in marriages, families, business, religion, and government.
But you have also seen real leaders – maybe a parent, teacher, friend, pastor, coach, business owner or supervisor, mentor, or a civic leader, often with or without titles or position. You will recognize a leader when you see them, even when they were not what you were expecting to see. There will be people wanting to follow them, not blindly but confidently and happily. I think the quality of people, not the quantity, following someone speaks profoundly of the character and value of that leader. Almost anyone can get some crowd to feed their ego and follow their foolishness.
A true leader does not gather a crowd of followers for his or her own advancement and profit; a real leader inspires followers to be what they ought to be, and do what they ought to do, for the others’ development and benefit.
There is a myriad of books written describing leadership, listing its best traits and responsibilities. You will find no book on leadership better than the Bible, because there is no clearer example of Godly, effective servant-leadership than Jesus. “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45 NIV. Jesus was clear that the primary quality of a leader is their personal desire and practice of serving – humbly, honestly, and sacrificially.
This is Jesus’ model of leadership: lead by serving! “And they began to argue among themselves as to who would be the greatest in the coming Kingdom. Jesus told them, ‘In this world the kings and great men order their people around . . but among you, those who are the greatest should take the lowest rank, and the leader should be like a servant.’” Luke 22:24-26 NLT. God made you to desire greatness, but greatness in God’s eyes is not about impressive things you do; it is about who you are and a greatness of heart as evidenced in the influence of your life on the wellbeing of others’ lives.
Another thing my friend, Campbell, taught me about servant-leadership is this: “If you want to know how you are doing as a servant, notice how you react when someone treats you like one.” His words still shape my life even after his death, because his words were consistently true to his exemplary life. I hope that will be said of me. You will do better by faithfully serving others, than to waste your time trying to impress them.
My prayer for you today is to let Jesus be the standard of how you share your life.