Great Servant Leadership is Developed at Home!

Good Morning My Loves,

Great servant leaders are not born, they are developed in the home. In other words, “Servant leadership begins in the home!” God has given each of us a gift, and our gift is not for ourselves, it’s for others. When we are intentional to use our gifts to serve our spouse, our children, our parents, etc.., we are practicing and developing the “heart” of a servant leader long before we begin using them in the church. I’ve seen many people wreck their families and marriages because they neglected to serve their spouse and family well, and instead put all their time and energy into using their gifts for others outside the home. They left a trail of destruction that only God, and them refocusing their priorities can bring restoration too. Daddy and mama Chalk were some of the greatest servants to their family that I’ve ever seen. Mama Dee Dee Barth is another example. These godly parents made sure their husbands, wives, children, and homes, were TOP PRIORITY. I’m so grateful to have their examples of what it looks to like spend myself for others. Mama Chalk always said in her sweet southern drawl, “Honey, charity starts AT HOME! If you can’t love and humbly serve the ones closest to you, in the house that God gave you, you have no business trying to hold a position of authority within God’s house!” MC

Even though that is not an actual verse in the Bible, the Word of God does support that statement. 1 Timothy 5:8 (ERV)

8 Everyone should take care of all their own people. Most important, they should take care of their own family. If they do not do that, then they do not accept what we believe. They are worse than someone who does not even believe in God.

Leadership Key #6-Before you can be a great servant leader in God’s house, you must FIRST be a servant leader in your own home!

“If serving is beneath you, then leadership is beyond you!” Are you serving your spouse? Are you serving your children?

Are you serving your parents, or do you expect them to just serve you? Those that expect others to serve them do not carry the heart of Jesus. Jesus had the opportunity to come to this earth in all His glory and majesty, but He didn’t. He humbled Himself and lived a lowly lifestyle of a son to Mary and Joseph. He was the King of kings and Lord of lords, and He helped his mama and daddy. He worked as a carpenter in his daddy’s wood shop. It was here that He modeled the heart of a servant. He learned to be hospitable and to think of others. In fact, the King of kings and Lord of lords had no problem kneeling at the feet of his disciples and washing their nasty, dirty and dusty feet. He showed us that we are ALL called to serve. None of us are ABOVE our Master! John 13:14-17 (ERV)

14 I am your Lord and Teacher. But I washed your feet. So you also should wash each other’s feet. 15 I did this as an example for you. So you should serve each other just as I served you. 16 Believe me, servants are not greater than their master. Those who are sent to do something are not greater than the one who sent them. 17 If you know these things, great blessings will be yours if you do them. Jesus also said in Luke 22:27, “But I am among you as the one who serves.”

-We are all called to clean toilets. -We are all called to do the dirty jobs.

-I think we need more dirty Christians, who are willing to roll up their sleeves and do the dirty work like our Lord, and embrace the menial jobs with joy. The strength of our families, our businesses, and our ministry will SKY-ROCKET when we develop this kind of heart. Leadership Key #7-Servanthood is a choice. It is developed by intentional action to do what our flesh doesn’t want to do. It is not discovered through doing what feels good to our flesh.

“Mature fruit is realized through the crucible of serving our families first! I believe the reason we have so many immature leaders who leave trails of destruction, is that they were given a position of power, without first having a posture of serving!” Let’s love and serve our families well. If we do, we’ll serve God’s house and family well. I love you all! PV