By Olubunmi Adebayo
*Today, we shall conclude our discussion on yesterday’s Reflections about the fact that most great leaders God ever raised, he raised them from the furnace of deep seated and heartfelt free service to others.*
*3) JOSEPH : Right from a very tender age, Joseph had been displaying the mind of free service towards humanity and life issues.*
*Please consider this :*
*Gen 37:[13] And Israel said unto Joseph, Do not thy brethren feed the flock in Shechem? come, and I will send thee unto them. And he said to him, Here am I.*
*[14] And he said to him, Go, I pray thee, see whether it be well with thy brethren, and well with the flocks; and bring me word again. So he sent him out of the vale of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.*
*At the simple directive of Jacob his father, Joseph set out for the good and welfare of his senior brothers. While he brought the brothers food and provisions, the brothers reciprocated with wickedness. But Joseph didn’t allow the attitude of his brothers to deter him in rendering free services to humanity.*
*When Joseph got to the house of Portiphar as a slave, what pecuniary gains can a slave be expecting other than to work and meet the expectations of the owners?*
*Genesis 39: [1] And Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hands of the Ishmeelites, which had brought him down thither.*
*One thing was sure, God was ever with Joseph because of the type of mind of service he had :*
*Gen. 39: [2] And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.*
*[3]And his master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand.*
*At the next stage of his life as a prisoner, Joseph was a chief servant of free service in prison as seen by his supervisory roles and responsibilities – he worked tirelessly without expecting any pay or compensation whatsoever.*
*It was this mentality of free service that worked for Joseph and took him to the palace.*
*4) THE JESUS EXAMPLE.*
*Everything about Jesus epitomizes free service :*
*Matthew 20: [28] Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.*
*John 4:[34] Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.*
*Acts 10: [38] How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.*
*In fact, the greatest free service anyone can render is in surrendering his life for others, and this Jesus Christ did :*
*John 10: [15]As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.*
*John 15: [13] Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.*
*5) THE BRITISH EXAMPLE :*
*Right from a very tender age in Britain, children are exposed to free service of different dimensions without the expectation of any compensation or remuneration for such. This is a society where people are raised to participate and value free service.*
*One of the causal factors of our leadership failure in this part of the world is a leadership that is incubated in pecuniary gains and material and financial compensations.*
*This silent social law is not different from the way God schemed it : leaders emerged from the furnace of free service. Again take a look at what Jesus Christ said :*
*John 9:[4] I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.*
*How much is your life driven by the mind of free service to humanity?*
*This is the sure way out of the leadership logjams in our nation, Nigeria, and in many parts of the world where financial gains and material possession have been escalated to unimaginable heights.*
Top of the day to you 👍
©️ Olubunmi S Adebayo.
