We know that Jesus had a great passion for the lost: “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). Christ’s main passion and overwhelming burden for the lost was that they would be saved.

But Jesus’ burden for His leaders was manifested in an upper room hours before Calvary when He washed their feet and said:

If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him.—John 13:14–16

As I recently read this passage in my morning devotions, I was struck by the importance Christ placed on Christian leaders serving one another. We often pray for His passion for souls, but do we pray for His passion to serve?

Remember, this time of foot washing was just before Judas would betray Christ and before He would endure the horrors of the cross—and He knew it. Yet, He was passionate about teaching these men what leadership is all about—serving one another.

Serving—particularly serving each other—grates on our flesh. It exposes petty differences for their insignificance, and it exposes our competitive ambition with other leaders for what it is.

Like the disciples, we easily condemn sin and even minister to sinners. But serve each other? It’s easier to criticize, marginalize, or ignore.

So here’s the question: Who are you currently serving?

What Christian leader who is just a little outside your alma mater circle are you reaching out to?

Which younger leader are you investing in?

Whose feet are you washing?