{"id":4243,"date":"2020-03-14T20:32:28","date_gmt":"2020-03-14T20:32:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/davesali.wordpress.com\/?p=4243"},"modified":"2020-03-14T20:32:28","modified_gmt":"2020-03-14T20:32:28","slug":"servant-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/savedali.com\/index.php\/2020\/03\/14\/servant-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Servant #1"},"content":{"rendered":"

And they spake unto him, saying, If thou wilt be a servant unto this people this day, and wilt serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be thy servants for ever.<\/span> – 1 Kings 12:7<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

What does it mean to be a leader?<\/p>\n

That’s the question that Rehoboam was really being asked when Jeroboam and his delegation came to him in 1 Kings 12:4<\/p>\n

Thy father made our yoke grievous: now therefore make thou the grievous service of thy father, and his heavy yoke which he put upon us, lighter, and we will serve thee.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In fact, that’s the question we’re all asked any time we’re presented with a problem that demands to be solved.<\/p>\n

What does it mean to be a leader?<\/p>\n

As far as those who are followers are concerned, a leader is someone to whom you bring your problems to be solved.<\/p>\n

The expectation is that you, the leader, are responsible for finding a solution to the issue or dilemma at hand.<\/p>\n

As far as Rehoboam’s young advisors were concerned, a leader is someone who asserts his or her position as leader by using their power and might to threaten, intimidate and keep their followers in fear. (1 Kings 12:10-11)<\/p>\n

Sadly, this is a mental model that is followed by many of our political and corporate leaders.<\/p>\n

Church leaders fighting Church wars to build the biggest following and create the strongest (and most lucrative) personal and ministry brand.<\/p>\n

Elected officials focusing their campaigns on maligning the opposition instead of on delivering on the promises they made to get elected in the first place.<\/p>\n

Power-hungry men and women obsessed with their personal egos and committed to taking credit and dishing out blame (instead of the other way around).<\/p>\n

But what we learn from the old men who counseled the wisest (and most foolish!) man who ever lived, we see a different definition of a leader.<\/p>\n

We see that a leader is actually the greatest servant.<\/p>\n

We see that to lead is to serve.<\/p>\n

And we see that to be a great leader is to be a great servant.<\/p>\n

Others will serve you, follow you, do what you say because <\/em>you are serving them.<\/p>\n

You are solving their problems, thinking long-term and innovating solutions on their behalf.<\/p>\n

You are helping them fulfil their potential and leading them to a place they’ve never been, but one where they will be glad to have reached.<\/p>\n

As always, Jesus said it best in Matthew 20:25-28<\/p>\n

\n

But Jesus called them <\/span>unto him<\/em>, and said, <\/span>Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them.<\/span><\/p>\n

26 <\/a> <\/span>But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;<\/span><\/p>\n

27 <\/a> <\/span>And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:<\/span><\/p>\n

28 <\/a> <\/span>Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

That’s what you were signed up for the moment you came out of your mother’s womb.<\/p>\n

Because to be human is to be a leader. (Genesis 1:28)<\/p>\n

And to be a leader is to be Servant #1.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

And they spake unto him, saying, If thou wilt be a servant unto this people this day, and wilt serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be thy servants for ever. – 1 Kings 12:7 What does it mean to be a leader? That’s the question that Rehoboam … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Servant #1”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4243","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/savedali.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4243","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/savedali.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/savedali.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/savedali.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/savedali.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4243"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/savedali.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4243\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/savedali.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4243"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/savedali.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4243"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/savedali.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4243"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}