Servant Leadership: Cultivating a Servant’s Heart

• January 19, 2022
• By Holy Yoga

Servant Leadership: Cultivating a Servant’s Heart

Leaders are Developed, Not Born

Jesus chooses those who are willing to open their lives to His love and sacrifice, for

the benefit of others and ultimately His glory. This process with those of us who are

courageous enough to enter into a lifelong journey of coming into community with the

triune God will transform us into His greatest assets on earth. Oftentimes the

individual spends years in development before been given a platform.

Consider:

• Numbers 11:28: Joshua succeeded Moses only after proving himself since

youth as his assistant.

• 1 Samuel 3:5: Samuel first served Eli hand and foot before God called him to

be a prophet and judge.

• 1 Samuel 17:17-19 & Psalm 78:70-72: David served Jesse in the field before

God called him to lead His people.

• 1 Kings 19:21 & 2 Kings 3:11: Elisha long served Elijah before rising to the

role of prophet.

• Philippians 2:22: Timothy served under Paul before being entrusted with a

ministry of his own.

Notice that God uses mature leaders to groom/mentor those He calls. God will at

some point place you in a position to help others (empower) grow in their calling.

First, let’s look at what it takes to maximize your influence for Christ.

Servant leadership is influencing, equipping and empowering people to

accomplish God’s purpose and plan. It is serving others unselfishly while influencing

and empowering them to grow in a Christ-directed, purposeful direction. Finally, it is

leading with the recognition that the same propensity to sin exists in our own hearts,

alongside deep wounds and suffering, as opposed to believing we are somehow

above the broken condition of humanity. Holy Yoga has a strong leadership culture

built around the Biblical principles found in 1 Peter 5, Nehemiah, and other scriptures

that indicate that through the experiences of struggle, sin and failure, God’s leaders

are completely reliant on Him alone and not themselves.

• Surrendering – loving relationship with God

• Willingness – obedience

• Going Low – humility

• Doing it Afraid – courage

• Recognizing brokenness – repentance

• Leading with a Limp – vulnerability/authenticity

• Giving God credit for any and all success – gratitude

• Desiring to see others exceed you in all areas of life and leadership –

celebration

Servant leadership is NOT manipulation, exploitation or personal

agendas which are all too common today in the business world as they were in Jesus’

time. Dr. Richard J. Krejcir writes that, “…rotten leadership is more destructive than a

legion of demons, as it corrupts godly principles and displays a skewed

understanding of our call to follow Christ. It seeks its own, and not the Word. Being a

servant leader is never a force of personality; it is earning that respect because you

love and care” (www.intothyword.org).

“To find life you have to lose it. To broaden your effectiveness, you have to

narrow your focus. To grow in confidence, connectedness and success, you

have to admit for all to hear that you are a failure. Few leaders operate out of

confidence built on anything but the crumbling foundation of arrogance. Few

know peace that is not dependent on performance. Few exercise freedom and

creativity that are not bound to conventionality. And few possess the capacity to

care for people that is not shadowed by either the urge to please others or to

knuckle under the tyranny of should. Take a different path. As an act of

leadership, consider the risk of giving up your life through facing, naming and

bearing your weaknesses, and imagine the paradoxical yet promised benefits.

Let’s walk into that reality, but it’s imperative to remember that all movement into

reality requires enormous faith” (In the Name of Jesus by Henri Nouwen p. 7-8).

The Bible is full of examples of leaders who exemplify additional traits that God uses

to lead His people. All of these examples come directly from these people’s intimacy

with God.

1. Optimism: David (“What’s next?” vs. “Why me?”)

2. Love: Jonathan

3. Integrity: Joseph

4. Wisdom: Solomon

5. Emotional Authenticity: Jeremiah

6. Courage: Esther

7. Intensity: Paul

8. Boldness: Peter

9. Patience: Nehemiah

10. Righteous anger: Nehemiah

We study each of these biblical leaders and so much more in our Ignite Leadership Training starting soon!