Servant Leadership: Serve First

“In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” (Acts 20:35, NIV)

The purpose of a servant leader is first to serve, then to lead. In our passage from Acts 20, Paul is on his way to Jerusalem where the Spirit is telling him he will end up in prison. Despite knowing his future is in chains, Paul continues giving, preaching, serving God by serving his fellow man the best way he knew how. Paul spent the end of his life serving the Church in stark contrast to the bulk of his life, when he persecuted it.

How many times do we, as servant leaders today, ask ourselves, “what good will it do” to ‘serve’ that boss or this co-worker when all he does is take credit for your accomplishments, turn it against you, or place the blame on you when she made the decision that led you to that point? I think it probably happens frequently enough that you are sitting there nodding your head right now because you’ve walked a mile in those shoes. You have thought those or similar words more than you care to admit. I know I have.

Ours is not to question God’s plan for someone else, but to follow His plan for us. And that plan starts with service.

Jesus is our shining example. Is there any doubt He is the greatest leader in the history of mankind? After the cross is there any doubt He is the greatest servant of all time?

“…whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matt 20:27-28, NIV)

Serving others is not just a command from Christ, but a means to His end. Service sets the tone for the day. It strengthens relationships. It reminds us of our place in the cosmos, and His place at the right hand of God. As Matthew wrote, Jesus didn’t come to lord His kingship over us. No. He came to serve us by taking our sin on Himself, carrying it to the grave, and freeing us from the hell that awaits us the first second we sin.

Few if any of us will ever have the opportunity to serve another person that completely. But as servant leaders, we can still serve others with our complete heart. So just remember the next time you dread service to someone, it is not they who deserve your service, it is God who commands it. And if anyone has earned the right to ask for your obedience, it’s Him.

“Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, ‘Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.’” (Mark 9:35, NIV)

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