"But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them.
But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;
And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:
Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many."
Matthew 20:25-28
I like the idea here of Christ's leadership style... not authoritarian or power mad, but rather loving and serving and helping, like the idea in Jacob 5 of the Lord of the Vineyard, nourishing and trying to save the olive trees.
I think we misunderstand power sometimes, thinking that it exists to push people around and exercise dominion, because so many people try to use it in that way... but God has ALL power, and he doesn't use it that way. He uses it to create, to assist, to help, and to love. He very specifically refrains from treading on our fragile ability to choose, even though he could at any time, because he wants us to figure out who we are, and who we want to be, and have a chance to develop that.
He asks us to act similarly... to give ourselves in the service of others, to love and help them rather than "bossing them around." :) Today, let's take some time to think about how to lead through service and let go of our pride and our need to be in control just a little bit more, moving closer to God's path. None of us are perfect at it, but the more we talk to God about it and involve him in our lives, the more he will teach us to lead and love as he does.
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