I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Mark 10-11

I see a connection between Jesus’ interaction with the rich man and His teaching about leadership.   The rich man came to Jesus because he felt that something was missing in his life.  He felt this way despite the fact that he had kept all of the commandments from a young age.  Yet despite the feeling of emptiness he felt, he was unwilling to take that next step.  We usually read Jesus’ instructions to the rich man as being about wealth.  However, in light of Jesus’ teaching about leadership a few verses later, this teaching appears to me to be more about serving others than about wealth.  Actually, that is not true.  Jesus’ instructions to the rich man were to use his wealth to serve others.  Those same instructions apply to all of us.  We should use whatever gifts we have, whether that be wealth, a skill, or something else, to serve others.  We miss that Jesus’ teaching about wealth is really the same as His teaching about leadership.  In order to accumulate wealth as God measures wealth we must use our material resources to help others.  This is the same as Jesus’ teaching about leadership.  Those with authority as God counts it use their authority to serve others.  True leadership is service.  True wealth is giving to others.