Chapter 20

"And whoever wishes to be first [among you] must be your willing and humble slave;"

Influence, money, and power, these three would probably go down in history as the best assassins of men & women. There is an undisputed public pressure to be the best among your peers, the best in the office, or even more, the best in your class. Methods of rating this "BESTIFICATION" would be measuring how much influence you have, what you can afford, and how many people are at your beck and call. All this would be consciously or unconsciously geared towards you being a leader of your "pack".

Jesus talks about this in Mathew 20:25 "25 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 26 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,".  This completely throws the human "SCALE OF POPULARITY" out the window.

We all act in roles of leadership, supervision, or facilitating. The human inclination is to always want to use your influence and "power" to make yourself bigger or greater [according to the image in your mind]. This leads to difunctional teams and groups where the leader has metamorphosed into a fire-breathing dictator who is ruling his kingdom with an iron fist. This leads to the dictator having a subconscious fear of losing his influence over his team; he gradually slips into a more insecure and feisty character. As we all have seen, countries with this kind of dictatorial leader eventually break down, the same with the team.  

Jesus calls all leaders to be servant leaders, not dragging people across, but lifting them up to their full potential. This right here is what makes leadership a complex task.  It demands we know and interact closely with those we facilitate, steward, lead, or supervise.  This also calls for a more involved approach in leadership, not just dictating and taking off, but being yourself to help, explain more, and better the team.

The influence or "power" that comes with leadership should not lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy. This influence should be used to elevate others, not ourselves. It should be used as a tool for humility, service, and putting others before ourselves.  Finally, Jesus says in Matthew 20:27, "whoever wishes to be a leader must subject themselves to the humility of servant leadership". Thomas Reid says, "A chain is only as strong as its weakest link". Same with humans, a team is only as strong as its weakest member. As a leader, it is my duty to always make sure my teams grow holistically, with the help of Jesus.

Our prayer today is that God may help us be servant leaders. We pray that we may not use our roles and influence to be overloads but to elevate those we facilitate and lead. Jesus, we pray for strength and guidance in this, for only you know what our teams, workmates, and those we supervise need. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

"Seek to elevate others not yourself"