The greatest leader of all time was Jesus Christ. He had an impact on people’s lives that is unparalleled. Nowadays the lives of thousands of people still change daily because of the influence of Jesus Christ. What a leader! What an example to follow!
The first characteristic about leadership that I want to highlight is that a leader is always a humble person who is willing to serve others. This is certainly the one characteristic that distinguishes Jesus from all other great and well-known leaders through the ages. He wasn’t just an example of what humility is. No, Jesus was humility. Philippians 2:7 and 8 describe the humility of Jesus precisely:
..rather, He made Himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled himself by becoming obedient to death – even death on a cross! – NIV
Jesus wasn’t the type of leader who was too grand or important to mix with and be associated with the people. No, He was constantly with and among the people. He did not elevate Himself to a throne. On the contrary, He was down to earth. He wasn’t served all the time and nor did He order people about. He is the One who ate with the common people. Jesus came for the lost and He moved among them. He wasn’t afraid to get His hands dirty and serve others. Dwight Moody said the following about this:
The greatness of a person isn’t measured by the number of servants you keep, but by the number of people you serve.
In John 13 you read again how Jesus washed the feet of his disciples. Think about this one carefully: Jesus, the teacher and leader, washes the feet of His disciples! He then clearly instructs us to do this to others. He sets the example and expects His followers to do the same. This is a different type of leadership to what you and I are accustomed to in the world. Everyone here wants to be a leader because there is some or other glamour in it. Jesus comes and removes the so-called grandeur of leadership and shows it is to lead by your example of service and being a servant to your followers.
Think of typical leaders of today and you’ll see a very low service ethic. When you think of leaders you can think of heads of state or top business leaders and you immediately see shiny, huge, luxury cars. You see huge palatial houses. They live in the best suburbs in the smartest houses and drive the most luxurious cars. How does this rhyme with the example set by Jesus to be a humble servant to his followers?
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