I feel like I could write a whole book on the importance of teaming leadership and humility. Not because I’ve mastered the dynamic duo, but because I haven’t. I understand from failure why I can’t be trusted as a leader if pride is the gate guarding my high place. I also understand it from a wounded follower perspective. And, thankfully, I’ve experienced humble leadership by some really great people.
This summer at Kids-A-Flame camp we prayed for kids who felt like they were going to be worship leaders. One of the things that the Lord burned in my heart was humility. As I began to pray for them, I realized that I was actually interceding for worship leaders everywhere. I groaned and wept over humility. Since then, the Lord has been revealing all that I was praying for and why. Because worship is the act of bowing down whether it’s physically or spiritually (to whatever is in the highest place), it makes sense the humility plays a key part.
A couple of weeks ago I talked about some passages of scripture that describe two kings and why they were dethroned (Is.14, Ez.28). Some theologians believe the prophetic scriptures are also referring to Satan, describing how he was kicked out of heaven. Regardless of who it was referring to, I don’t want to be that guy! The Ezekiel passage says he was beautiful, without blemish until unrighteousness came into his heart. It was pride that created a desire in him to be worshiped rather than to worship. His leadership became faulty because humility was gone and he was no longing serving.
Leadership requires an even more intentional stand against pride. 1 Peter 5:5 says, “Clothe yourselves in humility toward one another.” My friend Eddie Taylor says that as leaders we are first leading ourselves and then others. We have to be mindful that whatever is reigning in our hearts, soul and mind is what we lead other into, even if it is unintentional. Leadership and servanthood should not be at odds with each other. They are a beautiful, pure combination. When I have guests in my home I serve and lead them. Yes, I’m serving them food, but I’m leading them in what to eat because I prepared it. I lead them where to sit, I lead them to the bathrooms, I’m responsible for making them feel comfortable or uneasy. If a tornado were threatening us then I would lead them to safety.
For the purpose of letting the importance of humility, worship and leadership settle in all the nooks of crannies of our being, which is where pride breeds, let’s consider Jesus’ example:
Jesus. He is God. He is the word. He was has always been. He never changes. Everything exists through Him. There is no one like Him. His name is above every other name. He is the way. He is the truth. He is Life. The list goes on and on and on. Yet, he tells his disciples that He came to serve. He serves all of humanity by giving them the greatest gift ... His life that reconciles us back to the Father. He washes away our sin with His blood. When I give blood at the doctors office they either prick my finger or withdrawal it from my arm. When Jesus shed His blood it was to point of being beyond recognition. To His death he served all of humanity and made a new and living way. He was a servant clothed in humility. He was rejected. He was ripped apart. He spilled out. He served us in the greatest of display of humility.
Not to mention, the measure of gentleness Jesus displayed to the people He came in contact with. His gentleness displayed to the Samaritan woman at the well changed the atmosphere of fear and tradition around them and caused her to believe and bring back a city who also believed. His gentleness got Zacchaeus out of a tree, called Lazarus out of the dead, fed 5,000 people, and so forth. Did I mention he was born in a barn?
His birth, His life, His death, everything about Him is one enormous (how high, how wide, how deep) display of humility.
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