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“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to
give his life as a ransom for many.” –Mark 10:45
There is
something dynamic, exciting, appealing and magnetic about some people.
They draw others to themselves simply in the way they carry themselves during
stressful and turbulent times. Have you ever had a boss, a teacher or a
leader that you would follow no matter what, even to the ends of the
earth? It is often stated that the cornerstone of great leadership is to
serve. Give back to those that are following and support their needs in a
manner that demonstrates their relevance and importance in the vision.
Everyone wants to contribute in a meaningful way if and only if they see a
vision and direction that is worth following. To lead takes a special
character, someone who is willing to take the back seat for the benefit of the
group as a whole. Traditionally, it is someone with humility and a
selfless attitude that can put the needs of others before their own.
Think about those that you have followed in your past and ask yourself who was
the most influential and genuine in their practice. I propose to you, if
you carefully thought about their style and approach it would have a flavor of
one with a heart to serve.
Throughout time there have been countless books, tapes and DVDs about
leadership. I point to two well known authors: John C. Maxwell and Ken
Blanchard. Each have books focusing on the art of leadership and
successful leadership in the 21st century. Both fundamentally will point
to a single thread that ties their quilt of advice and mentorship together and
that is to serve those that follow. In Ken’s book, The Secret, he outlines that the
secret to leadership is simple, “great leaders serve their followers”. He
then portrays the word SERVE as an acrostic:See the future
Engage and develop others
Reinvent continuously
Value results and relationships
Embody the values
Jesus Christ asked others to, ”Follow me” and they did. Twelve ordinary men gave up everything they had and followed after this man who in turn promised them nothing in this world. Jesus spent His brief ministry serving mankind. Through his actions of love, humility and forgiveness, He spent His time nurturing those who followed Him. He painted a vision and a perspective of the future that entailed a Kingdom under the one and only God Almighty. He built trust and loyalty through His loving abundance and willingness to lighten their load and carry their burdens. One quote from Jesus comes from, Matthew 20:16, “So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen. “ Here, we find Jesus clearly stating that the first (Leader) must come after the last (follower).
Most will think of Jesus act of washing the disciple’s feet (at the Last Supper) as the ultimate level of service, and by human standards they would be accurate in this assessment. But, let us keep in mind that Jesus was not being judged by human standards. He was held to a much higher calling. He was living up to the perfection of God the Father in His life on earth. As the Son of God, the ultimate act of serving others came when He suffered and lovingly carried His cross to Calvary and allowed them to drive the nails through His flesh, and place a crown of thorns upon His head. He did this not for His gain, but for ours. In an unbelievable, selfless act of dying on that cross He entered into a covenant with God the Father for the souls of mankind forever more. He did this so that those who likewise picked up their cross and followed him would be ushered into eternity in the last of days. Serving others is a direct request of the Lord himself, “Come enter in Heaven….For whatever you have done for the least of these, you did unto Me” and likewise in condemnation to the others, “Depart from me . . . Whenever you neglected to do unto the least of these, you likewise neglected to do unto Me.” We are asked to “Love one another as I have loved you.” This is the embodiment of Jesus’ servant’s heart. He loved us all the way to the grave, to ensure that we would find salvation through Him.
The question then becomes, “Are you willing to follow Him?”
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