By: Dale Weckbacher
Matthew 23:11-12
But he who is
greatest among you shall be your servant.
12 And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles
himself will be exalted.
NKJV
Jesus spoke the words of Matthew 23:11-12 in the context of
a people dominated by the dictatorial rule of Caesar. In the minds of these individuals, leadership
meant someone lording over them and not someone humble desiring to serve the
individual. In other words, those
hearing Jesus’ words on leadership would have considered them radical but most
likely a welcome change.
In the ultimate show of servant leadership, Jesus, on the
eve of his crucifixion on the cross, stooped to the level of servant by washing
the feet of His disciples (John 13:12). In
the time of Jesus, people often walked from place to place. As such, when they would arrive at someone’s
home for dinner, their feet would be dirty.
Usually, the owner of the home would have one of their lowly servants
wash the feet of their guests but in a showing of servant leadership, Jesus
chose to take on that role Himself.
One of the main reasons outsiders, the insurgent candidates,
are doing so well in this election cycle is that the voting public is tired of
wishy-washy, self-serving leadership that uses fear to maintain control over
those they lead. (1) Instead, the voting public seeks leadership
committed to serving those they lead, inspiring them to be great, and pointing
them to what will lead to that greatness.
In other words, they are seeking one like Jesus who did not feel it
demeaning to wash the feet of those following Him and then willingly went to
the cross for their sins in order to make it possible for humanity to choose
the path of eternal life (John 3:16).
To voters, insider candidates represent more of the same
squishy, self-centered, fear mongering leadership that has brought the nation
to the brink of disaster upon which it is currently finds itself. These voters are turning to outsiders in the
hope they will bring in fresh ideas that are not self-serving and instead
inspiring. However, as these voters look
to outsiders to help turn the country around, we must remember that Barak Obama
was an outsider too. Therefore, just
because someone is an outsider does not necessarily mean he or she is the right
leader for the country.
I therefore urge voters not to simply vote for someone
because they are an outsider but take the time to measure their qualifications
against the qualities of servant leadership demonstrated in the life of
Christ. We must insure our next leader
is,
1)
Not squishy – Our next President must be someone
loving the United States. He or she must
be committed to keeping the nation safe from enemies foreign and domestic. He or she must be committed to following the
Constitution they swear to uphold when sworn into office.
2)
Not be self-serving – Instead of focusing on
building their own legacy, they must have a commitment to the people that voted
them into office. When addressing
foreign dignitaries, they must stand up for the citizens of the United States
instead of being concerned about how they look to foreign leaders. Even though the United States is not perfect,
it is not the job of the President to apologize for the country they lead. Instead, the President must be a leader
showing these dignitaries how the United States became great and encouraging
them to follow our lead. Instead of
building a self-serving legacy, lining their own pockets with exorbitant
speaking fees and book advances, we need a leader who builds a legacy where
people remember them as a leader that led the nation back to greatness by
pointing the nation back to what made it great.
3)
Not
leading from behind using fear to push people into things they do not want but
instead inspiring people to follow them forward into greatness – In the most
selfless act ever, Jesus suffered the most brutal death anyone could suffer in
his time by crucifixion. However, he willingly
performed this selfless act in order to make a path for us to have eternal life
(John 3:16, Philippians 2:8, Colossians 2:14, Hebrews 12:2). Jesus does not push anyone to accept Him as
his or her Savior but instead makes a path to salvation for us and stands ready
to lead us down that path, the path to eternal life with God as God intended us
to have.
Perhaps you are reading this desiring an end to squishy,
self-centered, fear mongering leadership, and are seeking such a leader this
election cycle. However, if you have not
already done so, I want to extend an invitation to come to know the greatest
servant leader of all, Jesus Christ. I
want to introduce you to Jesus Christ a leader who abandoned all self-interest
by leaving the glory of heaven and coming to earth among us (Philippians2:5-8). A leader that does not lead by
spreading fear but instead, a leader leading by example pointing people to
eternal life.
If you want to meet that leader, pray this prayer with me,
Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans 3:23) and know
that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans 6:23). I ask you to forgive me of my sin and cleanse
me as you promise in your Word (1 John 1:9).
I believe you died, was buried, and resurrected from the dead and now
declare you Lord of my life.
You now know the greatest servant leader to ever walk the
face of the earth. Now in this election
cycle, let us seek leaders that demonstrate the same servant leadership
qualities understanding that even though they cannot achieve the same
leadership level of Jesus Christ, leadership demonstrating these qualities is
what is necessary to turn our nation back to what made it great.
1. Schultz, Howard. Five Reasons Servant
Leadership is Relevand. www.cairnway.net. [Online] Cairnway Center for
Servant Leadership Excellance, August 10, 2015. [Cited: December 5, 2015.]
https://www.cairnway.net/five-reasons-servant-leadership-relevant/.
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