Theme of the Week: Servant Leadership
Bible Verse: “But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:26-28 NLT
Scripture Reading: Matthew 20:16-28
This week, we’ll be reflecting on serving others. We will discover what Jesus taught about servanthood and how He lived it out in His own life. This may be a tune-up that improves the way you already serve; for others this could be a seismic, but godly, shift in the way you treat other people.
Jesus could deliver a powerful truth within a seemingly self-contradictory statement. One of the paradoxes He taught His disciples was about serving. Jesus tells us if we want to lead well, we first need to serve well. In other words – first, we serve. It’s easy to put serving at the bottom of the priority list, and usually leave it for someone else to find.
Jesus served first.
As the disciples were trying to scoop their jaws from the floor, Jesus used Himself as an example, declaring how He came to serve and give His life. This is where we start making a difference – first, we serve.
Don’t postpone your serving. Don’t leave it for a select group of people—those with the “gift” of service. This can test your motives, but that’s exactly what Jesus wanted. He wants us to develop a drive to serve, not to rule over.
Jesus modeled this kind of servanthood. All the good He did, He did for others…including you and me. He never forced His way into people’s lives; instead, He served and invited. He offered His life. We all need Jesus’s lesson here: When we try to make an impact through coercion, manipulation, and selfish ambitions, we alienate people, and can even hurt them. People can usually sniff out opportunists and users (the world is full of them).
Servant leadership means we are more concerned with the person, than our power. We may (naturally) want to exercise our leadership by taking charge, but Jesus said we should be motivated to serve, not an agenda to rule.
First, we serve.
Prayer: Father, help me start leading like Jesus by serving like Jesus. Help me see the people in my life more than I see opportunities for power and leverage. Help me to begin truly serving others, starting today. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Reflection: A lifestyle of serving others is easier than you think once you realize you can begin anytime. There’s no need to wait. Just look at the people around you right now and start with them. Is there a way to make their life a little easier through your kindness and help?
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