Day 13 — Jesus: The Servant Leader
21 Days of Jesus, A Devotional
by Pastor Juston Warthen
“The greatest among you must be a servant.” — Matthew 23:11
“Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names,” — Philippians 2:9
Who desires to be a Leader among you?
One of the most popular trends in America is “Leadership Development.” Typing in the phrase “leadership books” on Amazon yields more than 200,000 results. Why is leadership so popular? According to the Bible, as it concerns the church, only some are called to be 5-fold ministry leaders. (Ephesians 4:11). If this small percentage correlates with the marketplace, then why are so many leadership books available when only some of the world’s population will lead?
Aside from being leaders, God put a desire in each and every one of us to be great. (Genesis 12:2). When God told Abraham, the Father of our Faith, to leave his native country, He promised him that his name would be great. A promise for obeying God is that your name will be made great! It’s common to equate greatness with the popular definitions of being a leader. Who wouldn’t want to be a leader if it’ll make you great? The truth is that, aside from desiring to be great, God has called every believer to be a leader. But the call is for us to be leaders according to His definition of leadership and not one that we develop personally or socially.
“But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant.” — Matthew 20:26
The words of Jesus are truth and life. That is to say that His words are the blueprint for how God designed life to be. While teaching His disciples the difference between the Kingdom’s way of leading and the world’s way of leading, Jesus said “Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant.” (Matthew 20:25). Here, Jesus clearly explains that leadership is not a chance to lord power over the person who is being led. Instead, leadership gives opportunity for the leader to be a servant and an aid to the one who is following.
“After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.” — John 13:5
Jesus is the ultimate servant leader.
The washing of the disciples’ feet is only a glimpse at the true servant heart that Jesus possessed. Jesus took this opportunity to teach His disciples that serving is a posture of humility and discomfort. During this time in history, it was common to wear sandals or go without shoes. Stone highways were rare and asphalt roads didn’t exist. As an example for all of His disciples to follow, Jesus took the humble posture of washing his disciples’ feet and drying them with a towel that was wrapped around Him. Let that sink in for a second. (John 13:8).
Jesus took our filth so that we may be clean.
What could’ve motivated Jesus to have such a willingness to serve mankind, even to the point of death? (Philippians 2:8). Besides serving those He led, Jesus made himself a servant to His Father. (Luke 22:42). The Greek transliteration of servant is diakonos, meaning, “one who executes the commands of another.”
“Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” — Luke 22:42
Jesus was and is willing to serve people because He was first willing to serve the will of His Father. He obeyed His Father’s will even unto death. He understood that His life rested upon the grace of God especially when it seemed tough. It is the tough moments in life that reveal the character and motives of a true leader. Who you are is more important than what you do. A secret to developing solid character is to understand that all authority comes from God. (Romans 13:1) Deceiving your way up is not God’s way. The bible teaches the “low road” of humility as God’s way of promotion. Your character is tested when you trust God. Scripture teaches that all authority should be honored; not because of their actions but for their position.(Daniel 3:17–18;1 Timothy 2:1–3; Romans 13:1)
Don’t allow your past to keep you from experiencing the future that Christ has for you.
If you will allow the Holy Spirit to create a servant’s heart within, there’s no limit to the impact that you can have on the lives of others!
How do you develop a servant’s heart?
Start by submitting your will completely to God’s. Ask Him to forgive you of your wrong view of authority and rebellion. Choose to forgive all who have wronged you. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you His truth where you’ve believed a lie. Believe what He says and agree with Him out loud. Ask Him to give you a servants heart.
By doing these things, you’ll begin to see the heart of Jesus cultivated in you. You’ll see His passion for serving others burn in your heart as you give your time to see a positive difference in other’s lives. You’ll experience what it truly means to be a leader the way God intended it to be and you’ll begin to mirror the life of Jesus — our servant leader.
