For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and give his life as a ransom for many. Matthew 20:28 (NLT)
When Jesus first brought the concept of “servant leadership” to the world, it blew people away. At the time, the Romans led the Israeli people by domination and fear. They didn’t serve people; they demanded submission.
The Israelis were accustomed to this leadership style, so they expected their Saviour to take over, not to serve. But Jesus’ way of leading proved to be so much better.
Being a servant leader didn’t mean that Jesus allowed others to dominate Him. In fact, no one took His life from Him; He laid it down willingly (John 10:18). He demonstrated how you can passionately lead while abandoning the desire to dominate others. Jesus completely changed the world’s perception of leadership.
We are all leaders in varying capacities. If you’re a parent, you lead your kids. Older kids lead younger kids and they can even become a leader of their peers. As John Maxwell teaches, we can all be 360 degree leaders—influencing everyone around us including the leaders we report to at work.
But as we lead, we need to make sure that we guarding our hearts against getting caught up in positional leadership. Positional leaders guard their turf. They resort to pulling rank and they dominate or manipulate to maintain control. Jesus’ way is much better. He didn’t need to enforce His leadership. People wanted to follow Him.
As you lead in life, make sure that you remember to lead like Jesus. Pray for guidance in this area and continue to develop a heart that loves to serve others.