Servant of All - Part Deux

"When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you?  You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am.  If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet."  John 13:12-14

It's backwards, isn't it?

Our culture's idea of climbing the ladder of work and success to be more and more catered to and served, stands in stark contrast to God's way.  In God's World it is the servant of all who is greatest of all.  

As we grow in our relationship with Jesus, we become less and less comfortable with creature comforts of culture and more and more comfortable with service to our fellow man.  We find great wealth in giving away the earthly wealth Jesus has given us to steward from His limitless storehouse of blessing, and we learn what it really looks like to store up treasure in Heaven.

For me, personally, this has been a very hard lesson to learn.  In my immaturity, I have often, sadly, tended to the world's way of storing up treasure here on earth.  But God, in His lovingkindness was not content to leave me there, allowing me to miss out on the blessing of full faith and dependence upon Him.  

He lovingly and patiently continues to teach us all day-after-day the truth of Psalm 34:10, which says, "The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing."  

It is a profound truth. Experiencing God's complete care in this way frees us to serve others well.  

To put it another way, if we are not serving others in obedience and teaching others to obey His truth, then we are not following the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20).  That doesn't mean teaching others our own brand of truth or some watered-down version of truth that makes people feel good about their pet sins.  Service to others includes speaking God's truth in love (Ephesians 4:15) because it communicates His very best for their life.

Luke 12:37 tells us, "Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them."  

I can't even begin to imagine what that will be like.

Day-by-day and moment-by-moment, may we learn to clean between the toes of those whose feet we are blessed to wash.

Goodnight, Runners.