Leadership is to Serve Others

They were on their way up to Jerusalem, with Jesus leading the way, and the disciples were astonished, while those who followed were afraid. Again he took the Twelve aside and told them what was going to happen to him. "We are going up to Jerusalem," he said, "and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles, who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later he will rise." Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. "Teacher," they said, "we want you to do for us whatever we ask." "What do you want me to do for you?" he asked. They replied, "Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory." "You don't know what you are asking," Jesus said. "Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?" "We can," they answered. Jesus said to them, "You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared." When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. Jesus called them together and said, "You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

Mark 10:32-45

As I think about the upcoming election, I wonder what the true motives are of the two candidates; I wonder what the true motives are of my own heart in choosing one candidate over another. I was at a business seminar last week where I heard a speaker suggest that voting for a particular candidate would undoubtedly assure a huge rise in taxes for me personally and at first that sounded like a good enough reason for me to choose the other. After a wake up call this past Sunday from a leader who I respect and admire very much, I am convinced that to base my vote on personal gain is not how God would want me to choose. No, Jesus is very clear here that to be His follower, to be a leader, to be a citizen that reflects His image is to make decisions that are based, not on my own personal gain but on the personal gain of others who may be just a little less fortunate or who may be lonely or lost or unemployed or most of all who need to experience God in the same way that I have been so richly blessed. As you ponder the election in the coming weeks, remember this quote from NBA legend Michael Jordon who once said:, “Heart is what separates the good from the great”. Where is your heart? Is it focused on yourself or focused on others as a result of the great and awesome God that you serve? Choose today to be great by living your life today and every day with a heart that is servant of all.