The first must be the last..

 [41] When the ten other disciples heard what James and John had asked, they were indignant. [42] So Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt [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.”  Mark 10:41-45 NLT

 

Isn’t it shocking that Jesus responded to His disciples by stating that the greatest leader must be a servant—or even a slave to others? I can only imagine how these words sounded to them, especially when their desire was to attain high honors alongside Jesus. Yet, here He was, introducing a leadership model unlike anything they had ever known—one that seemed almost foolish and completely contrary to what they were used to. 

 

What I love most is that Jesus didn’t just speak about servant leadership—He lived by it. He had the power and authority to rule over people, to command anything He wished, yet He chose instead to serve. He demonstrated humility through acts of compassion, healing, and miracles. He always prioritized His Father’s will, never seeking to surpass or act independently of Him, even though He could have. He placed the needs of others above His own, regardless of exhaustion or personal inconvenience. One of the most profound examples of this was when He washed Judas’ feet, fully aware that Judas would betray Him. Through it all, Jesus showed that leadership was never about status or himself—it was about serving others.

 

As a leader, I must adopt the same mindset as Jesus—to set aside my own desires in order to serve the people God has entrusted to me. However, embracing this mindset requires an honest evaluation of my motives. First, I must acknowledge that Jesus placed me in this position to represent Him. Therefore, my decisions, actions, and thoughts must reflect the Kingdom I belong to. Second, I must recognize that everything belongs to God and should be used for His honor, glory, and praise. But true servant leadership is only possible when I allow God to shape my character through a personal relationship with Him because my ideal must align with His ideal. 

 

At times, it might sound like Jesus does not care about our needs, but the truth is the opposite—when we take care of God’s business, He takes care of ours. For that reason, my mindset has to shift from What can I gain from this position? to How can I serve better, like Jesus? Have I failed to exercise patience as I should? Do I need to be more accessible, as Jesus was—friend with sinners and welcoming all? Are there insecurities or fears that I need to surrender to Him? Who am I not serving simply because it is inconvenient to me? 

 

All this to say, I know there are still areas where I need to grow to become a servant leader like Jesus, but with the help of the Holy Spirit, I am ready to embark on this journey—relying on God's heart rather than my own skills. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

My route to leadership

  I used to think leadership was for people who were gifted with public speaking (a.k.a. the gift of talking), those comfortable with the pulpit, or those in positions of power and it made sense to me.  In my understanding, leadership was for the qualified, not for people like me who preferred to stay behind the scenes and didn’t like speaking in front of others. But guess what? Today, despite my shyness and fear of crowds, I am a leader.   Growing up, I was a quiet and shy child. I didn’t play much with other kids and was content being by myself. I always had one or two close friends, at most. High school is usually the time when people start forming groups, but I never liked the idea of constantly engaging with a group of people. What would happen instead is that my best friend would pull me into her group. In other words, I would walk in her shadow. I was a good follower, but I never wanted to be a leader.  By now, you have pro...
Read more

When the wait wears you down

 Lately, I’ve been thinking about the waiting seasons—and how no one really talks about how hard it is to wait on God. Everyone loves to share once they’re on the other side of it... but what about when you’re still in it? What do you do when God is taking His time? When He’s not healing you? When everyone around you is getting married but you? When the spouse or family member you’ve been praying for isn’t getting saved—and instead seems to be getting worse? What do you do when the promotion still isn’t happening? What do you do when you honestly don’t feel like “the wait is worth it”? What do you do when you know He can do it in a second—but He’s choosing not to?  By the way, I don’t have an answer to these questions... I just think we don’t talk enough about the heavy moments—the ones where you don’t even feel like praying anymore because the wait has worn you down. We rarely talk about the discouragement that comes when the promise is delayed... or how frustrating it feels ...
Read more

When the Ordinary Becomes Fearless

If someone had told me that “to the ends of the earth” could begin right in the middle of my small, everyday life, I’m not sure I would have believed them. I used to think making a difference for God required a platform, a passport, or at least a perfect plan. But then I remembered something: Jesus didn’t start with famous people. He started with fishermen. He didn’t look for those with polished résumés or perfect records — He looked for the willing. And somehow, that truth gives me hope that the same Jesus who turned ordinary lives into movements still chooses people like you and me. When I think about the disciples, I’m reminded that they rarely understood what Jesus was doing. They asked questions, doubted, and even failed Him yet they stayed close. They were simple men who said “yes” to a journey they couldn’t fully see. And that’s the beauty of it: obedience made them part of a story bigger than their imagination. Their “yes” turned fishermen into fishers of men, tax collectors...
Read more