“whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister” – Matthew 20:26 KJV
Many want to be leaders but few are willing to be servants; yet all are servants but not all are serving God. A servant of the LORD must be discerning; for if he’s on a path that doesn’t lead to imitating the character of Christ then he really isn’t serving God, but something else instead. The presence of Christ must be sought for diligently, that we may avoid falling into Satan’s snares. One look away from Jesus is enough to put us in peril. To avoid such danger we must look to and connect with Jesus Christ at all times.
Unfortunately, many people make the mistake of measuring the quality of their relationship with Jesus Christ by their feelings, assuming that just because it feels right that means it is right, while believing that if it doesn’t feel right then it must not be right. Yet serving Jesus isn’t necessarily going to feel good all of the time. Does it feel good to be persecuted or rejected? No. But these are things that we must endure if we seek to take the right path. To avoid these things altogether is to compromise with the world and thus move away from God. So don’t assume that your life isn’t right with Christ because you are experiencing adversity. Remember, the right path isn’t going to be popular with the world, but its end results will always prove to be the best choice. For “we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28 KJV).
Furthermore, be careful not to assume that by receiving many encouraging words that means you are on the right path. Life in Christ is not about being politically correct or gaining a large following; rather, it’s about walking in the light as He is in the light, and about accepting the truth as it is in Him—even when it’s unpopular to do so (1John 1:6-7; Ephesians 4:17-24). There are many who started out with good intentions but have gone away from the truth; yet they think that they’re doing something good because people express a liking to what they see in them. And thus they are led to believe that they don’t have to change their sinful ways.
Indeed, encouraging words can be used to influence you to take the wrong path and they can be used to encourage you to walk with Jesus, which is why it isn’t wise to place our trust in words alone. Our lives must be measured by the fruits of the Spirit, which means our actions must be tested by what we see in the life of Christ as disclosed in the Bible (2Timothy 3:16-17; Galatians 5:19-26). Are our choices reflective of what He would do? If not, then we better stop leaning on our own understanding and start listening to God.
What we choose to do with our time will be reflective of how much time we’ve spent at Jesus’ feet. And if we truly have a desire to serve God then we will sit at the feet of Jesus, seeking to learn from Him day by day. Thus, we will discover what leadership is all about, and we will better serve God as a result of it. But are we really willing to sit at Jesus’ feet? Do we really want to serve God? Our works will surely answer these questions. Yet not our works only, but also the attitude that is present within us while we’re doing the work.