Lead by Serving (Luke 22:26)

But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves.
– Luke 22:26

Jesus here is contrasting the world and the way leadership in the world looks with the way leadership in His Kingdom looks. Because the disciples are disputing among themselves about who of them is the greatest. And Jesus says basically, “What are you guys doing? The kings of the gentiles, the way the world’s power and pattern of leadership looks is to exercise lordship over others, but that’s not the way it should be with you. Instead, if you want to be great, you become the youngest, like a child in the room when it comes to status, not necessarily immaturity. And then if you want to lead, you need to be the one who serves.

Luke 22:26 provides a counter-cultural pattern for leadership.

It’s such a simple yet counter-cultural picture that Jesus models. At the end of these couple of sentences, Jesus says, “I am among you as the One who serves”. In other words, “Follow Me”. Which, by the way, is an astounding truth that Jesus serves us. And so I just want to encourage you today to see yourself as a servant of the people around you. Look at every single person you interact with and ask the question, “What would it look like for me to serve them right now?” And that might play out in the words you speak to them, that might play out in things you do for them, that might play out in simply praying for them. That might play out in so many different ways. But what would happen if we saw ourselves as others’ servants? Jesus is saying, “This is what leadership and love look like in my Kingdom”.

And He shows us that by serving us even today, all that we need. Even as we’re praying, we’re going to God as the One who serves us. Oh God, we praise You, Jesus. We exalt You as the Perfect Servant. Jesus, we praise You for dying on the cross, for our sins, for serving our every need, and for supplying our every need. We praise You for helping us. Oh God, please help us then to reflect Your servant heart for others today. God, we pray You would help us to view ourselves as servants of the people around us today. Help us to serve with the Spirit of Jesus in us today, and particularly in any leadership positions You’ve given to us, and any positions of influence You’ve given to us. God, help us to discharge, to carry out these positions and responsibilities of leadership by serving others. God, we pray that we would be the servants in the room wherever we find ourselves in many ways that others will not see, but that You alone will see.

Prayer for the Kalagan People

And God, we want to serve others by praying for them. Even right now. We want to pray specifically for the Kalagan people of the Philippines. God, we want to serve them by interceding for this people group of a hundred thousand plus Muslims that we’ve never met. God, we pray, please cause the gospel to spread to them. Bless your Church in the Philippines, to spread the gospel to them, your church, and other places. God, we pray. Open their eyes to your love for them, to all you’ve done, to serve them, to save them. God, we pray, we intercede for the Kalagan people. Please hear our prayers, cause your glory, your love to spread for their good. We pray, oh God, help us to serve others all day long today, even as you serve us all day long today. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.