"To Love And Serve" or "To Boss and Demand"

Reference: Mark 10:42-45 So Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. 43 But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. 45 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.” 

Observation: The first thing that ought to impress us about this passage is the incredible thought that God Himself would be humble enough to serve mere man. How can God be humble? It is almost more than we can comprehend.

Jesus served and gave His life, in part, to be an example for us about how we should lead and influence others. We don’t do it by command, demand or enforced authority of any kind. The power we have to lead or influence comes from our willingness to love and serve.
Even those outside of the kingdom are learning that a leader’s job, if they are going to be effective, is to serve those they lead. To constantly ask; “What can I do to help them be more effective, to enjoy their jobs more and to be more fulfilled in what they do?”
It is the leaders who ask those kinds of servant questions that become effective leaders. 

Application/Confession: At times I am tempted to lead from my position rather than from relationships. It just seems that it would be easier to get things done by simply demanding that someone do them and my ego would get a boost too. However, that is not the kind of leadership that Jesus demonstrated or requires. If I am going to lead as He did, I must always put relationship and service before position. In the end, it is not just the right way to lead; it is the most effective as well. 

PRAYER: Lord make me a servant. A servant to my family and to the people of the church I pastor. If You, God Himself, can lead that way, so can I. Heal up in me the need for power; the desire to make myself feel better by being able to “boss” others around. Teach me to get all of my worth and value from you alone.