Servant Leaders Don't Stay Down, They Get Back Up
Servant leadership is a complete paradigm shift from worldly leadership. In a fallen world, leadership is motivated by self-preservation and scarcity. Worldly leaders are self-confident, ambitious, and independent. They are empowered by their personality and create their own modus operandi in which they win at the expense of others.
Not so with servant leaders.
Servant leaders are confident in God, self-sacrificing, and God-dependent. They are empowered by the Holy Spirit as they seek and follow God’s system in which everybody wins.
Since the fall, man has had a natural bent towards worldly leadership. But this is opposed to God’s original intent for mankind. "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.” (Genesis 1: 26-28 KJV)
God meant for us to be like Him - servant leaders. Before the fall, Adam and Eve enjoyed what human nature was intended to be, free individuals in perfect relationship with God and kings in His Kingdom on earth. They had the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control), yet they gave up the fruit of the Spirit for the fruit of the flesh. God being just couldn’t allow for this sin to go unpunished and the punishment was death. In order to remain wholly just, God had to execute the full punishment for sin. Man was doomed.
Here’s the Good News: God is wholly just but He is also wholly merciful and loving. He is a servant leader. To be great in the Kingdom of God is to be a servant to many and the greatest in the Kingdom of God is the King of Kings - Jesus Christ, our Lord and our God!
The only way man could be redeemed was through the ultimate blood sacrifice, atoning for our sins. God’s Word made flesh, came to earth with the Kingdom on His shoulders to show us what it means to be a servant leader. Jesus was faithful to God, dependent on God, and sacrificed His entire life for others. He was empowered by the Holy Spirit and constantly and consistently sought out and followed God’s plan to save mankind, even unto death on the cross.
Yes, Jesus died for us. But He also resurrected for His glory and our good!
By resurrecting from the dead, He released the Holy Spirit into His Church to restore their relationship with God the Father and restrain the kingdom of darkness until His Second Coming. And that is precisely what we celebrate on this Easter Sunday - the fulfillment of the atonement by the spotless Lamb of God, the victorious resurrection of Jesus Christ, and His promised return.
If you are reading this post, it's not by accident. You made it this far down the page for a reason. God wants you to become the servant leader He made you to be. He is calling you to the cross of Christ today and if you would accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, as the Redeemer of your soul, God will adopt you into His Kingdom as a king - as a servant leader.
Give your life to Christ through this honest prayer: Almighty God, I have sinned against You and come before you today in earnest thanksgiving for sacrificing Your only begotten Son for the redemption of my soul. Through faith in You and the resurrection of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, I give you my life. Make me new and by the power of Your Holy Spirit cultivate me into the servant leader you created me to be. I ask this in the precious name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
If you are reading this as a servant of God, may God give you the perseverance to keep fighting the good fight of faith.
He Is Risen Indeed! Happy Easter.