What would the world look like if we all truly lived by the message of Ephesians 5:21?

Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Let’s break this down. According to the dictionary, the word reverence means “a feeling or attitude of deep respect tinged with awe”. I recently heard a Pastor define submit as, “to leverage all I have for the greater good of others”.

So my deep respect for God should lead me to leverage all I have for the greater good of everyone I interact with. All I have would include my time, resources, and knowledge, or in other words anything the individual needs. I think that summarizes servant leadership pretty well.

So what is a simple way to maintain this attitude of submission to others on a daily basis? Six words: What can I do to help? I believe if we always lead with this thought process it would change the game in our society and the world in which we live.

Jesus certainly was great in modeling this question. God saw the world deteriorating in sin, and Jesus asked his Father, “What can I do to help?” He responded to God’s answer, came down to earth, took sin upon his back to the cross, and died for us. Wow!

Within our families, if spouses, parents, and children always led with “What can I do to help”, I believe it would lead to elevated and enhanced relationships.

Within the business world, if all of us always asked, “What can I do to help” it would lead to servant leadership being the predominant way to lead and much more prosperous organizations.

So let’s get in this habit. Can you say it with me?

What can I do to help?

Mark Deterding

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Romans 5:6