On December 15, 2015, my maternal grandmother went home to be with the Lord. I sat at her funeral listening to her pastor and others share her legacy of service. For nearly an hour, people recounted how “Sister Monroe” gave her heart to serving others. I knew my grandmother was a servant. She had served me since the day I was born. She also served my immediate family, cousins, aunts, and uncles—almost 60 people in our family alone. Even in the face of conflict and adversity, she remained faithful.

I remember asking her one day why she never quit, and her response was, “God sent me, so I had no right to remove myself or my service.” Jesus said, “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant” (Matt. 20:26). My grandmother was a leader, though she held no title.

“Those who are the greatest among you should take the lowest rank, and the leader should be like a servant. Who is more important, the one who sits at the table or the one who serves? The one who sits at the table, of course. But not here! For I am among you as one who serves” (Luke 22:26-27)

To the natural mind, it doesn’t make sense that Jesus would say such a thing. To be great, you must become less? How does one become greater through decrease? Jesus exemplified this through His humility. Philippians 2:6-7 tells us Jesus did not consider equality with God something to be used to His own advantage, but instead gave up His divine privileges and took the humble position of a slave.

The world is filled with people longing to be leaders. They push, strive, and strain to be out front and on top, but the message of Jesus is clear—if you want to be on top, get on the bottom. You’ll find that Jesus spoke less of leadership and more of servant ship. When we busy ourselves serving others, making others better, we become leaders in the process.

The transliterated Greek word for serve is “diakonos,” which translates as “attendant, minister, one who executes the commands of others.” This is what it means to serve, but it is also the purest definition of a leader—someone who unselfishly waits on another.

The greatest leader who ever lived was Jesus Christ because He was the greatest servant. In Mark 10:45, Jesus is quoted saying, “I didn’t come so that others could serve Me. I came to serve and to give My life as a ransom for many people.” Serving and giving is why we are here.

Experience has shown me that the one who doesn’t care about being in front, the one whose ultimate desire is to help others, is oftentimes the very one God puts in front. In the eyes of God, true leadership is not about receiving recognition or the accolades of men. It’s about serving others. Unfortunately, many people are not as interested in true leadership as they are in recognition and accolades.

I remember the story of a missionary named Rachel. She saw marvelous miracles while serving on the mission field, and God used her to bring healing and deliverance to many. After returning to the States, she found herself working as a nursing assistant. One of her assignments was the daunting task of cleaning bedpans. As she cleaned the bedpans, one day she began to pray and cry out to the Lord, saying, “You’ve used me all over the world. I’ve seen miracles and people saved and healed, and this is how it ends up for me. Cleaning bedpans?”

The Lord spoke to her saying, “Rachel, would you clean those bedpans for Me? Would you remove your pride and humbly serve the people using those bedpans? Would you do that for Me?” Rachel fell to her knees crying and asking for forgiveness. She began to pray over the bedpans as she cleaned them. One by one, miracles happened as people used those bedpans. That’s the power of having a servant’s heart. When her attitude shifted from focusing on herself to focusing on others, God used her to bring healing to those He wanted to bless.

Instead of making your primary focus to be a leader, or to be out front, determine in your mind and heart to be a great servant. The more genuinely and humbly you serve, the more you will become a leader in the eyes of God, and the greater He will be able to bless others.