Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoeverwants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. Mark 10:43–44 (NLT)
If you think you don’t struggle with pride, it’s pretty safe to say that you do. We all fight the temptation to become overly focused on our needs and wants or trying to look good in the eyes of others.
James and John had this focus when they asked Jesus if they could each secure a position beside Him in Heaven—one on His right hand and one on His left. But Jesus didn’t get angry with them. He didn’t reprimand them or call them selfish.
Jesus knew that they were accustomed to a very positional kind of leadership. Leaders of their time took leadership by force. They fought and pushed others down to get ahead because that was how leaders gained respect. They demanded it.
It’s not so different today. By default, we seem to think that we need to fight, manipulate and demand to get our needs met. But what Jesus proposed next was revolutionary. He taught them to have a completely different focus.
Jesus basically said that if you want to be a great leader, you have to put those you lead before yourself. He also taught us to turn from our selfish ways, take up our crosses and follow Him (Luke 9:23, NLT).
Jesus addressed the heart issue behind how we interact with others. Anyone can serve others, but if you are only doing it for what you get out of it, you need to check your motives. Jesus looks at the heart.
Today as you read over this devotional, ask yourself, “When I lead others, am I making it all about me?”
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