The Leadership ChallengeSample

Challenge 48

TIMOTHY, A SELFLESS LEADER

READ: Philippians 2:19–29

Timothy, whose name means “honoring God” was the child of a godly mother and grandmother who taught him the Scriptures from a young age. From Paul’s accounts it appears that the apostle himself led Timothy to Christ and mentored him in almost a father-son relationship. In addition to selecting him as his traveling companion on many of his missionary journeys, Paul uses him as an emissary to a number of churches and eventually establishes the relatively young man as a pastor in the church at Ephesus. There he represented Paul and oversight for the churches in the region. From other letters of Paul, we glean a few things about Timothy’s character. He appears to have been a little timid, at least compared to Paul, and self-conscious about his youthfulness. Yet Paul’s high regard for Timothy can be seen in our text. Paul describes him as a faithful and selfless colleague—he has no one else among his companions who will be as genuinely concerned for the welfare of God’s people. That is quite a commendation! This type of selflessness and care for the well-being of others is another critical hallmark of a servant leader. Selflessness is a desperately needed quality in today’s self-absorbed culture.

How does our text describe those who are not selfless leaders? What steps can you take to become selfless in your leadership roles?