This morning I woke to discover the news that the Golden State Warriors were NBA Champions. I admit I was pulling for Curry and the Warriors. There was a lot of talk as to whether Lebron should be the Finals MVP even if the Cavs lost. Now, taking nothing away from Lebron, his stats were amazing and he will go down as one of the greatest of all time. And there is little arguement about who is the Cavaliers MVP. But all of the talk made me think, What does it take to be the MVP, the Most Valuable Player, in a series? It is tough to make a case for the MVP coming from the losing team. But what makes a person an MVP?

MVP, to this sideline analyst, is all about leadership. Are you able to lead your team through a struggle, a battle, 4 post season playoff series, and come out victorious? Are you able to make your team better? As a leader, the emphasis is on your team performing well. It is making all of your teammates better players by the way you perform your job as leader.  Many leaders forget that what makes them great, or at least appear great, the thing that adds most to their success, is the other players on the court, on the field, in the office around them. While we must constantly be developing our own skills, we must diligently work at developing those around us. When we make ourselves better and we make each individual around us better, we make the team better.

Humility is the key to making those around you better. If you are the star, everybody knows you are the star, you don’t need to tell people you are the star. I am always a little put back, when I hear the post game interviews and there is the constant talk of “I”, “Me” and little about those around you. If you are leading your church or organization, and you are experiencing success humility allows us to share the credit, share the success.  Our highest praise should go to those on the team.

And what is the key to humility – understanding our true identity and worth. John the Baptist understood this better than anyone. Many mistook John to be the Messiah, the one Israel had been waiting for centuries to come and save them, their savior, their hero, their MVP. Humility allowed John to maintain a right perspective on success. John said, even with all of his success, he was not even worthy to tie the straps of Jesus’ sandals. John knew that personal victory was tied to the person of  Christ. John understood that his personal success came in the understanding the Jesus must increase and he must decrease (John 3:30). The Apostle Paul understood it when he told the Philippians, “I can do all things through Christ we give me strength.” (Philippians 4:13)

Jesus said, “I am the vine, you are the branches…apart from me you can do nothing.”

As leaders we must always be aware of our own true importance to the church or organization. Your success is only partially wrapped up in YOUR abilities, and even that must be attributed to Jesus. If we are leading with a correct attitude, we will be developing MVP’s around us. We will be sharing the success. We will understand that any accomplishment we may gain, any success we have, comes only through our dependence on Christ. He must increase and I must decrease.

Now think about who on your team is the MVP. Who do you need to thank today for the job they are doing?