Jesus Came To Serve

Jesus bent down to wash their feet. This act speaks volumes about what true leadership is. He was gathered together with those He was leading at a pivotal moment in His life. It was just hours prior to His arrest and crucifixion. No doubt, He had a lot on His mind at that moment. He knew exactly what was about to happen to Him, yet He grabbed a bucket of water and a towel and humbled Himself to wash the feet of His disciples.

As Jesus performs this humbling act, He instructs His disciples that He is showing them an example of how they are to do life. He is schooling them on what true leadership looks like. Jesus had invited each of these men in that room to follow Him at some point. While that invitation would require something of them, it was more about Jesus pouring His life into them. Jesus did not invite these men to follow Him because He "needed" them. His invitation wasn't because He needed people on board to help Him achieve His dreams and goals. His invitation wasn't to gather a group of men around Him to serve Him. His invitation to follow Him was for the purpose of them serving them. Jesus came to serve them.

In our "selfie" world, its so easy to give into the temptation to lead for selfish reasons. Whether you are a business owner, church leader, business executive, coach, teacher, manager, parent, or some other form of leader, I would challenge you to ask yourself, "why it is you do what you do?" Do you view those you are leading as tools to simply achieve what you want to achieve? Do you view them as a means to your desired goals? That model of leadership is so far removed from the concept of leadership that Jesus modeled for us.

Stop for a moment and reevaluate your motives for leading people. Ask yourselves the following questions:

Am I pouring into the lives of those I am leading?

How can I serve those I am leading?

What can I do for those I am leading that will result in their personal growth?

Why has God placed me in a position to lead? What do I bring to the table for those I have the privilege of leading?