008: Leader is friends to everyone

In the use of His time and efforts on earth, Jesus modeled sacrificial passion for ensuring that His followers were equipped to carry on the movement. Jesus lived His legacy in intimate relationship with those He empowered with His work experience.

"I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you." 

John 15:15

Simple prayer: Best friend, You have loved me into relationship with You and have called me Your friend.   May all of those I lead find me as faithful as You have been to me. In Jesus' name, amen. 

007: As A Leader, Servant Is The Act of Service

Servant leaders look at leadership as an act of service. Self-serving leaders are addicted to power and recognition and are afraid to loss of position. 

Most leaders act as 'self-serving' leaders where their position and recognition is far more important for them than anything else.

A servant leader? “oh..come on. Be real!” This might be our first reaction when we hear the word servant-hood. Being a leader is a tough job. It doesn’t just requires a lot of discipline but it demands an everyday check-up in our actions, words, thoughts, and decisions made. It is a question of are we leading or are we just walking alone? Self-serving or Servant?

As you consider the heart issues of leadership, a primary question you will continue to have to ask yourself is: “Am I a servant leader or a self-serving leader?” It is a question that, when answered with brutal honesty, will go to the core of your intention or motivation as a leader.

One of the quickest ways you can tell the difference between a servant leader and a self-serving leader is how they handle feedback, because one of the biggest fears that self-serving leaders is to lose their position.

Self-serving leaders spend most of their time protecting their status. If you give them feedback, how do they usually respond? Negatively. They think that your feedback means they don’t want their leadership anymore.

Servant leaders, however look at leadership as an act of service. They embrace and welcome feedback as a source of useful information on how they can provide better service.

Another way to tell a self-serving from a servant leader is how they approach successful planning.

Self-serving leaders who are addicted to power, recognition and who are afraid of loss of position are not likely to spend any time or effort in training their replacements.

For Matthew 20:26-28 says:

 "²⁶ Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, ²⁷ and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— ²⁸ just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

So, my question is: Are you a Servant Leader or a Self-serving Leader?

006: Guarding Your Heart

As you consider the heart issues of leadership, a primary question you will continue to have to ask yourself is: "Am I a servant leader or a self-serving leader?" It is a question that, when answered with brutal honesty, will reveal your true motivation as a leader.

"Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." Proverbs 4:23

Simple prayer "Lord, I want to be a servant leader and to lead by Your example. Bring my heart, my thoughts, my words, and my actions into alignment so that I demonstrate Your character to those I love and lead. Amen!

005: "Love Others like You have love me"

Whenever we have an opportunity or a responsibility to influence the thinking and the behavior of others, we must first choose to benefit those we are leading, rather than to act out of self-ineterest.

"But now that you have been set free from sin

and have become slaves to God, the benefit you

reap leads to holiness and the result is eternal life. 

-Romans 6:22-

Remember that God has made you and He loves you. Help us God to remember that You love other in the same way You love me. May God helps us to love and cherish each person I encounter today in the way You would. 

004: The Heart of Leadership

Leadership is first and foremost a matter of the heart!

"The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and

the good stored up his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil

stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks."

-Luke 6:45-

We should ask God to restore our heart today so that the good that is often hidden will be released and the evil that is so often prevalent will removed.  

003: Lean on God

The truly exciting part of following Jesus is that He never sends you into any situation with a faulty plan or a plan to fail. 

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." -Matthew 11:28-30

As followers of Christ, we need to ask God to teach us how to lean on Him and to trust the Lord to provide all that we need for this day. Often times we struggle ourselves with the problems we face. We pray to Him, but still do not fully trust the Lord. 

Proverbs 3:5 says to

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart; and lean not unto your own understanding."

Most of us want to be 'self-sufficient, and not have to rely on anyone for anything. That is a natural reaction from an adult. The child always leans on the parents for security, but, adults either feel secure without 'leaning', or, they try to make others feel they are secure. But, most of us need someone to lean on, especially in hard times. We aren't the strong people we make others think we are, at times. And, there's nothing wrong with being insufficient at times, that we need others to help. That is why leaning on God is very important; trusting Him with all your heart is necessary.

002: Leadership is Service

Jesus sent a clear message to all those who would follow Him that leadership was to be first and foremost an act of service. 


"Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
-Matthew 20:28-


We should do the same, we should learn that leadership is about service. It is how we serve the people around us. Being a servant to other people than being a commander. 
Here is an example in the Bible where Jesus is being a servant to His disciples.
John 13:3-17 (It is where Jesus washes the disciples feet)


Jesus was not supposed to be on his knees cleaning his disciples’ feet, but through this he showed them that they that they are called to be a servant as he is. Jesus understood God had given him all this power, but also understood God trusted him with it. One of the challenges of servant leadership is understanding what a servant is. A lot of times associate a servant as a few actions, but Jesus understood it wasn’t just what he did, but who he is. Servanthood is a lifestyle without pride and ego, and with confidence in one’s self, and authentic love for others. Jesus showed his disciples servanthood by getting on his knees to wash his disciples’ feet. How can we serve others around us?

001: Humble Leaders

"The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted."

Thoughts:

Business and beliefs. 

Jesus and your job.

Personal and professional. 

Servant and leader.

Even seeing those words paired together makes many people uneasy. Our sophisticated culture encourage us to draw lines and keep spiritual lives separate from our secular lives.

Like the verse said that we need the Lord God to teach us that we should not separate God from any part of my life. It is also important that you shall be transparent both as a leader and a follower. Ask the Lord, so that we are reminded that faith is not only just for Sundays but for every day and that without faith, it is impossible to please God. 

Just like in Hebrews 11:6 which says "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek Him" 

We must remember that a leader must have a humble heart and become a servant instead of becoming the boss that command other people what to do. Most of us forget that. When we are assign to become a leader in a group, we tend to give out orders to other people and not being the one who is behind helping the followers.