Conquer Pride

And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death– even death on a cross! Phil. 2:8 NIV

Think for a second: what’s the first image that comes to mind when you hear the word leader?

For a lot of us, being a leader sends the image of expensive suits, nice cars, and a LOT of power or influence. In other words, positions where we men could become prideful. But Christ redefined our understanding of leadership.

If you look at Jesus as a leader, we can see that He had several goals in mind–one of which was the redemption of the human race. To accomplish this goal, He shed all pride and glory, becoming the most despised and ridiculed Man on the face of the earth. He did the jobs that no one wanted to do (washing dirty feet for example) all the while keeping His priorities straight.

Every man should follow His example.

Conquer your pride to achieve a greater goal.

Sometimes we’re reluctant to apologize and our reluctance to admit our faults hinders the greater goal of rebuilding a relationship.

Perhaps we dream of leading an organization or a church and we hesitate to start from the ground up. Ask yourself: are you willing to mop floors and clean toilets?

You see, we’ve been conditioned to think that leaders are at the top, dictating downward. Christ shows us that a real leader is at the bottom, lifting everyone else up.  Quoting from Matthew 23:11, “The greatest among you will be your servant.”

Jesus not only talked about conquering pride, He actually did it. His death was one of naked humiliation… but in the end, He achieved the goal. The price for redemption was paid and nothing would ever be the same again.

Live inspired.