Not About Me

I had the privilege of speaking at a missions conference this past weekend, and I almost missed the point.

As I prepared, I thought about how I’d be received. In some ways, it’s a legitimate concern. It’s important for a guest speaker to establish rapport. One of the biggest challenges in speaking to new people is earning trust.

The problem is that I began to focus on myself, rather than on the people to whom I’d speak. Instead of trying to serve and bless them, I was thinking about me.

They say that a poor leader walks into a room and thinks, “Here I am!” A good leader walks into a room and says, “There you are!” Big difference.

My speaking ministry isn’t about me, and neither is my ministry. I’m a servant, and servants exist to serve others, not themselves.
   
“If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all” (Mark 9:35). It’s a simple lesson, and a profound one, and it takes a lot longer to learn than you’d think.