Feet!?

Feet!?

 “Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. ”

John 13:14 NIV

In a recent message I said, “There are two kinds of people in our world, those who divide people into two groups and those who don’t.” Biblically, I think there ARE two kinds of people in our world . . . those who serve without giving it a second thought, and those who like to be served. My church family is probably tired of me saying that service is not an option for the Christian. It’s an expectation. Practically speaking, haven’t you noticed that there are people who go out of their way to serve others and there are people who make life all about themselves, no matter what they’re doing or where they’re going?

One of the greatest moments in the life of Jesus is recorded in John chapter 13. On the night before He would give His life on the cross to redeem humankind, Jesus knelt before His disciples and washed their feet. Normally a chore that was performed by a household servant, that night, in a rented room, Jesus took the servant’s position. And when He was finished, He said, “Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.”

I don’t understand how God can be so kind to us, but He is. In Christ, God kneels before us, takes our feet in His hands, and washes the dirt of this world from them. And as Jesus washed His disciples’ feet, He was washing our feet. That was us being cleansed, not from our dirt, but from our sins.

Did you notice what He told Peter in John 13:8? “If I don’t wash your feet, you aren’t one of my people.” He said that because we can’t remove our own sins. We need Him to do it.

To put our feet in Jesus’ basin is put the filthiest parts of our lives in His hands. You can imagine that in Jesus’ age, people’s feet would have been caked with mud and dirt. The household servant would have seen that the guests’ feet were cleaned. Jesus is assuming the role of the servant, offering to wash the grimiest part of your life. And then He commands . . . not suggests . . . that we, also, serve others in the same way.

         While we can, indeed, forgive others when they sin against us, we also can serve others with the same kind of love that Jesus served His disciples. Doing so will require us to become humble as we set aside our own schedules, our own agendas, and our own priorities so that we can put others before us.

         How can you wash someone else’s feet today? How will you serve others? Let’s make a difference in our world today by NOT demanding first place in line, by NOT running ahead of others, but by assuming the role of the servant. If we’re going to turn the tide of selfishness in our culture, it must begin with each of us. Go ahead. I dare you to put others first today!

Thanks for reading Pastor Dale’s Mid-Week Encouragement.  If you’re a regular attender or member of the Mt. Laurel Church of God, you might want to consider reading Isaiah 5:1-7 to get yourself ready to hear God’s message through Pastor Dale this coming Sunday, August 17.

Called to know the Way, go the Way, and show you the Way,

^{Pastor Dale}

Pastor Dale (PD) and Pamela his wife are honored to serve the Mt. Laurel Church of God. If this Mid-Week Encouragement has helped you, perhaps it may encourage someone else. Feel free to share this message with anyone you choose. And if you'd like to receive PD's Mid-Week Encouragement, just send an email to (kingdomguy@gmail.com) and I'll accommodate your request.