Kneeling to Lead: A Kingdom View of Greatness

Mark 10:43–45 (NIV®)“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.”

Servant leadership is often misunderstood, yet Jesus modeled it for us perfectly through His humility. On the night of His betrayal, He chose to kneel before His disciples and wash their dusty feet.

If we’re honest, most of us would rather be served than serve others. It takes an intentional choice to say, “I will look for opportunities to serve—in my marriage, in my family, in my church, in my workplace, and in my community.”

Jesus reminds us that greatness in God’s Kingdom looks very different from greatness in the world. True leadership begins with serving others. It may look different in different seasons of life, and we won’t always get it right—but when we follow Jesus’ example, our influence grows deeper, not louder.

And here’s the beautiful truth: when we choose the path of a servant, God shapes our hearts more than our titles, our humility more than our image, and our love more than our platform. The world measures leadership by how many people follow you, but heaven measures leadership by how many people you lift up.

Every act of service—seen or unseen—becomes a seed planted in the Kingdom of God. When you speak encouragement into someone who’s weary, when you give generously without expecting anything back, when you forgive even when it’s hard, when you choose kindness over convenience… you are leading like Jesus.

We don’t need a pulpit, a position, or a polished plan to serve.

We only need a willing heart. The greatest leaders in Scripture were often the most unlikely servants—shepherds, fishermen, young people, overlooked people—until God breathed purpose into their obedience.

So today, may we ask the Lord, “Show me one person I can serve.” Because when we kneel to serve, we rise to lead.