Turn in your bible and read John 13:1-17. What a beautiful picture of a servant leader!
NBA coach Pat Riley wrote about the "danger of me." He said,
"The most difficult thing for individuals to do when they're part of a team is to sacrifice. It's so easy to become selfish in a team environment. To play for me. It's very vulnerable to drop your guard and say, 'This is who I am and I'm going to open up and give of myself to you.' But that's exactly what you've got to do. Willingness to sacrifice is the great paradox. You must give up something in the immediate present - comfort, ease, recognition, quick rewards - to attract something even better in the future."
What's true on the basketball court is true in all of life. Serving others can be tough; expending your energies and resources in the interest of others can be exhausting. Yet the most effective leaders are servants.
Nobody demonstrated this better than Jesus on the night prior to His crucifixion. Alone with His disciples in a room in Jerusalem, Jesus did the unthinkable. When there was no servant to carry out the custom of foot washing, Jesus assumed the role. The Master became the servant! The greatest and most high became the least and the lowest.
Jesus was able to do this because He was secure in Himself. He knew who He was and where He was going (vs. 3). But Jesus also served His disciples because He loved them (vs. 1). While these two reasons would be adequate in and of themselves, the Lord had another reason for His actions. When He finished washing the disciples feet, Jesus told them He had set them an example to follow (vs. 15). The Lord didn't tell them to do what He had done. He commanded them to do "as" He had done. They weren't to become full-time foot-washers, but rather full-time servers of men and women. They were to be servant leaders!
Are you a follower of Jesus? Do you desire to be His disciple? Then make a commitment to do as He did and expend your energies in service to others.
Comments