"Line Rider"
He’s just an old line rider,
No many know his name,
He’s just an old nobody,
No money, clout or fame.
But when you make a gather,
He’s one you want to go,
He has a way of knowing where,
The cattle hide and so,
No matter who’s invited,
Or comes out here from town,
The cowboy boss sends a rider,
To bring the old man down.
He smiles with deep, old wrinkles,
All around his eyes,
And says how so plumb honored,
He feels with us to ride.
And off on his roan pony,
Never takes the lead,
But back behind the cow boss,
And farther back indeed.
He doesn’t draw attention,
The younger ones do that,
His outfit’s seen a better day,
He wears a sweat-stained hat.
But careful with his pony,
It's not so hard to see,
That he is a true horseman,
And one we’d like to be.
And when the gather’s finished,
He always brings the most,
But praisin’ all the others,
As if he was the host.
He steps up on his pony,
After supper and his fill,
And there he goes in moonlight,
Ridin’ over that last hill.
I can’t help but think it,
He leads the servant way,
And guess he’s bout the greatest,
That’s what Jesus had to say.
“Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant…” (Mt. 20:26, NLT)
Jesus put a high priority on having a servant’s heart. In fact He said service was the avenue to promotion and leadership. This goes against the grain of how the culture advises us to advance. The world’s advice is based upon self-promotion. The Kingdom of God is based upon self-denial. The world praises those who accumulate wealth. The Kingdom of God places value on giving it away. The world glorifies physical beauty. In the Kingdom, God does not even look on the outward appearance but entirely upon the heart. The world says to demand your rights. The Kingdom says relinquish your rights to Jesus. Being a servant in order to follow Jesus and have His blessing is the greatest honor of all.
Lord, teach us to lead by serving, in Jesus’ name.
Art by Shawn Cameron, shawncameron.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Shawn, and God bless you.