Stewardship and the Servant Leader Concept

The genuine servant leader’s highest ambition (regardless of their position or profession) is to successfully help others reach God’s best for their lives.

He or she is not actively looking for promotion and is not found “tooting their horn” about their own achievements and then condesendingly expect others to “bow in fear and awe” before them with lowly groveling. That’s an ego gone wild!

Servant leaders don’t need to have a suffocating grip of control over every event, and will supply their spheres of influence with fresh streams of information and expression, rather than, they themselves being the center of “all wisdom.”

Those who aren’t servant leaders are suspicious and can be jealous of other leaders or gifted individuals who don’t seem to fit the mold of “their” expectations.

Servant leadership is not so much what we talk about “being” as it’s who we actually ARE when we are in action or are under pressure.

When we have Christ’s humility and look for ways to serve, rather than to be served — that is beautiful servant leadership!

The final facts and realities of the matter are rather anticlimactic for those seeking trophies or notoriety.

The clear, uncluttered truth is that we are to simply be humble stewards, not “LORDs and sergeants” of all that is put into our care.

The authority of God puts us in our place, and that place is to be in God’s humble service.

The Heavenly view of a steward is amazingly simple and easy to understand. The steward is someone who manages and leads what is not his/her own, and he/ she leads knowing that they will give an account to the LORD as the owner and ruler of all.

Just look at all of the leadership failures and crises that daily have glaring headlines.

Many, if not most of those failures began with the leader’s arrogance or bloated use of false authority in areas they overreached in.

Steward/servants can’t afford to be arrogant, and they must quickly learn the danger of overstepping their assigned place of influence.

However, stewards are expected to act and not to stand by and be slothful, passive observers who expect those they mentor to do all the workload.

Stewards work alongside those they apprentice in order to observe, advise and applaud their progress.

Of course Leaders are supposed to lead, but to lead in humility and with honor, knowing that we are leading on another’s behalf. (Hint: we are to represent Christ… not try to reform or revise HIS model.)

Be integral leaders of God’s flock, the believers who are under your care. Serve as their humble leader.

Don’t serve them because you have to! Instead, do it because you want to! That’s what God wants you to do.

Don’t do it because you want to get more and more money. Do it because you really want to serve, (1 Peter 5:2 NIRV).

Leaders – no matter how important their title is or how broad their influence may reach– are to be servants… …plain and simple.

“For even the Son of man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many,” Mark 10:45.

 

In His Shadow,
~ Mary Lindow ^©

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” THE MESSENGER ” ~ Mary Lindow
www.marylindow.com
Global Prayer Rooms

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Mary Lindow has a passion for encouraging others – all generations, careers or vocations to live expressing excellence through personal integrity, healthy accountability, and wise management of talents and skills. She’s a sought after keynote, inspirational, humorous speaker and teacher across the USA and internationally in Ministers & Spiritual leaders Conferences, and training seminars for various organizations.

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