Being Useful before Being Important
Written for Bible Journey Plan. Our editorial standards.
But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
Matthew 20:26-28 KJV
You may want a position because you have good ideas. You may also want people to notice that you have them. The desire to help and the desire to be important can sit close together in the same heart.
Jesus' disciples needed correction about status. He taught them that leadership among His people takes the shape of service. He then pointed to His own coming death, the ransom that only He could give.
Look for a useful task that does not require a title. Prepare carefully, help someone learn, or finish work that others leave behind. That does not mean your abilities should never be recognized. It means recognition should not be the condition for using them well. Christ's love gives a better reason to serve than the hope of being admired. Faithfulness in ordinary work helps prepare a person to carry responsibility without treating people as a ladder to climb.
Put the passage into practice
Leadership can attract us because it offers recognition or control. Jesus redirects ambition toward service and places His own costly mission before the disciples. His death as a ransom accomplishes what our service never could, but His example governs how we treat others. When responsibility is given to you, prepare well, listen, and take a fair share of the difficult work. The title is less important than whether people are being served faithfully under your care.
Keep the passage in context
Jesus corrects His disciples' desire for status and presents His own service and ransom as the pattern. His saving death is unique; our service does not add to His atonement.
Read further: Matthew 20 in the King James Bible.