Servant Leadership

Hello Everyone,

This week as we celebrate Labor Day I am going to dive into the biblical principles of servant leadership.

In Exodus 18:17-26 Moses' father-in-law Jethro teaches Moses about servant leadership. This is the first place where I can find any written examples of servant leadership. He has Moses pick leaders to oversee smaller things. They bring the harder things to Moses but make decisions on the lesser ones. This is a principle I am familiar with as this is the principle used by the leadership of the company I am employed by.

Christ in John 15: 13-15 takes this principle further. He no longer thinks of his disciples as servants but calls them friends. Do you think of your coworkers as friends? The person that works just below you, have you asked him or her recently how his family is doing? Do you know his wife's name? Do you no how many children he has and what there names are?

This week we need to take the "servant out of servant leadership" and to realize we are all serving someone higher than us, our lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

Have a blessed week!
Billy

Exodus 18: 17-26
17 Moses' father-in-law replied, "What you are doing is not good. 18 You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone. 19 Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. You must be the people's representative before God and bring their disputes to him. 20 Teach them the decrees and laws, and show them the way to live and the duties they are to perform. 21 But select capable men from all the people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain—and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. 22 Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you. 23 If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied."
24 Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said. 25 He chose capable men from all Israel and made them leaders of the people, officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. 26 They served as judges for the people at all times. The difficult cases they brought to Moses, but the simple ones they decided themselves.

John 15:13-15
15I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 17This is my command: Love each other.

Colossians 3:22-24
22Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. 23Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, 24since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.