{John 13:17} (NIV 1984)
What a truth is shared in these words! A general truth to be sure, but a truth that needs to acted on. The Lord lays out in these words, in the clearest terms, the principle of God’s blessing. He blesses those who do what they know. Do you know that Jesus gave His life for yours, so you could escape eternal death? Have you gone to Him? Have you obeyed His command to be born again? Knowing that Jesus died for the sins of the world will not bring you the blessing of eternal life! Only those who do what they know, only those who turn from serving sin, and serve the Lord Jesus Christ will receive eternal life.
So it is with every command in the Bible. The blessing comes only to those who do them. This part of John’s book is about the command to love each other. Our Lord sets the standard. Loving others is not about gracing them with our presence. Or giving them the opportunity to serve us! No! To love others is to serve them. Nothing is beneath us when it comes to loving others. There should be nothing we are not willing to “stoop” to do for others. Our Lord stooped and washed the grime from these mens' feet. A disgusting, nose-offending task, which was the job of a lowly servant.
Well, you say- these men were chosen apostles, they were special men who gave everything to follow Him, and who treated Him with respect. These people that are around me treat me badly. Think for a moment about these men. One was Judas who would sell the Lord for money. One was Peter who not once, but three times, denied that he knew the Lord. The rest of these men would flee His side and leave Him to face execution by Himself. The Lord loved these men by serving them, not because of how they would treat Him, but because He was the true Son of the Most High God and He would serve all in love, no matter what they would do to Him.
May each of us this day accept His loving service in our lives, and as we lovingly serve others around us, may God bless us.
No comments:
Post a Comment