When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:41-45

There are as many different styles of leadership as there are leaders. One thing is constant among all of them: leadership is a position to be leveraged. Every leader has some measure of authority, earned, given, or otherwise. Like any resource, the position over another can be used multiple ways. In the passage above we get a glimpse into the difference between man's view of authority and God's. Jesus speaks directly to His disciples in a way that should resonate with all those seeking to follow Him. We are instructed on how to think about and use the position of leadership.

Jesus does not say that seeking greatness is a bad thing, but He does include a major gut check. Leaders should not opt to use position to take; they should use their resource as a way to give. Being first is proven out by choosing to be last. Jesus had all the rights of equality with God, and He leveraged them by humbling Himself. Keep in mind that this principle played out means that the higher the authority, the greater the humility. The higher the position, the lower the task. And the best example of this is Jesus.

DO THIS TODAY: Go out of your way to serve someone.