“Entering the house, they saw the child with Mary His mother, and falling to their knees, they worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” (Matthew 2:11, HCSB)
Falling to their knees, they worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts. It is so easy to tell when a person is truly God’s leader … they are fully sold out to Jesus! What do I mean by that?
Just look for a couple traits. They are so easy to spot. The first trait is the easiest to see: They are surrendered. Did you see what the wise men did first when they found Jesus? They fell to their knees.
Surrender is such a difficult concept in our 21stCentury world. Everyone wants to be a victor, a winner. No one wants to be the conquered, the loser. And so, in our “me-only” society, we shun the concept of bowing before anyone. Ego is too great to allow us the possibility that this is the place of refuge, provision, and happiness.
For the wise men– I hope you didn’t miss their title, wise men – surrender is the most important character trait for blessing and honor. In their yielding to Jesus as King, there is a faith that He will be their Protector. This is the tradeoff. Either we are able to defend ourselves from all attackers or we trust another King, more powerful, to do so. For the Magi, Jesus was the King who was worthy of that role.
Worship, the second trait, is foreign today among the people of God because most associate it with singing. And, while singing is a small part of worship, the core of this concept is to declare that another is worthy of all of our praise and adoration. It is a very me-emptying event.
And how does one show they have emptied themselves of themselves? The easiest way is to sacrifice what they value most to the One they believe is worthy of their worship. For the wise men, they brought expensive gifts, treasures. It cost them greatly as they worshiped Him briefly!
What are you willing to do to show that you are a sold-out servant of the King of kings? How does that reflect the sacrifice of your heart?
Willing Worker Wednesdays are dedicated to explaining the core realities of servant leadership – the Biblical principles and methods used by God’s faithful people throughout time. They further reflect the lifestyle of Jesus, the King of kings and Lord of lords as He walked on this earth announcing the Kingdom of God had arrived. These brief lessons are written by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith, Executive Director of Eagles In Leadership, and come from his extensive ministry within the local church, in higher education, in church consulting and as a Biblical author and leader. He welcomes your comments below.
