NIV Leadership Bible Reading PlanSample

Servant Leadership

Pat Riley, outstanding NBA coach, wrote about the "danger of me." He said, "The most difficult thing for individuals to do when they're part of the team is to sacrifice. It's so easy to become selfish in a team environment. To play for me. It's very vulnerable to drop your guard and say, 'This is who I am and I'm gonna open up and give of myself to you.' But that's exactly what you've got to do. Willingness to sacrifice is the great paradox. You must give up something in the immediate present – comfort, ease, recognition, quick rewards – to attract something even better in the future." (Riley, The Winner Within, 53)

What's true on the basketball court is true in all of life. Serving others can be tough; expending your energies and resources in the interest of others can be exhausting. Yet the most effective leaders are servants. Nobody demonstrated this better than Jesus on the night prior to his crucifixion. Alone with his disciples in a room in Jerusalem, Jesus did the unthinkable. When there was no servant to carry out the custom of foot washing, Jesus assumed the role. The Master became the servant. The greatest and most high became the least and the lowest.

Jesus was able to do this because he was secure in himself. He knew who he was and where he was going (see v.1). But Jesus also served his disciples because he loved them (see v. 1). While these two reasons would be adequate in and of themselves, the Lord had another reason for his actions. When he had finished washing the disciples' feet, Jesus told them, "I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you" (v. 15). The Lord didn't tell them to do "what" he had done. He commanded them to do "as" he had done. They weren't to become full-time foot washers, but rather full-time servers of men and women. They were to be servant-leaders.

Are you a follower of Jesus? Do you desire to be his disciple? Make a commitment to do as he did and expend your energies in service to others.

Why are we so impressed with what Jesus did? Why is it so hard to be a servant-leader? How can we follow the Lord's example? Read Isaiah 53 to gain additional insights into the character of Jesus as a servant-leader.