Why Servant Leadership is NOT About Self Advancement!

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

He or she isn’t looking for lofty promotions by climbing up on the backs of others and isn’t found “tooting their horn” about their own achievements and then condesendingly expecting others to “bow in fear and awe” to them with lowly groveling.

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

Those who aren’t servant leaders, are suspicious 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 is 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 servant leadership.

The bottom line is this – we are simply to be humble stewards, not lords, of all that is put into our care. The Divinity of God puts us in our place, and that place is in God’s service.

The biblical concept of a steward is so simple and so easy to understand.

The steward is someone who manages and leads what is not his or her own. And, he or she leads, knowing that they will give an account to the Lord as the owner and ruler of all things.

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.

Stewards can’t afford to be arrogant, and must quickly learn the danger of overstepping their realm of influence. However, stewards are required to act and not to stand by and be passive observers.

Leaders are to lead, but carefully must remember to lead in humility and with honor, knowing that we are leading on another’s behalf.
(Hint: we are to represent Christ… not reinvent his model).

Leaders – no matter what 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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