VEHICLE No. 4 [SERVING]
It’s not all that difficult to serve the people we love. You know the kind of people: your kids, your mom and dad, or the guy at work you play hoops with, or your best friend who thinks you can do no wrong. Serving those people is easy! But in order to get to the heart of what Jesus is asking you to do, when it comes to serving others, you must open the circles you serve in to include people who don’t deserve it, who can never pay you back, or who might not even think of saying, “Thank you.”
It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. John 13:1-5 (NIV)
Jesus knew Peter was about to deny Him publicly. He knew that Judas was in the process of betraying Him and handing Him over to the Roman officials to be beaten and murdered, yet He got down on His knees and washed their feet. He served the very people who were about to hurt Him worse than anyone ever had. And by doing so, He showed us how to serve!
When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” John 13:12-15 (NIV)
Sure, Jesus is God, but He is telling us to love and serve even those in our lives who might least deserve it. This kind of obedience will change other people’s lives, it will change our lives, and it will bring us closer to God in a real and tangible way.
Movement Day 23
TO DO
- Ask God for the strength to begin loving and serving people in your world who don’t deserve it.
- Talk to God about how you’re currently doing in this area, and ways that you might take it to a whole different level.
- Ask God to allow you to experience His presence today as you invite Him into your thinking and your life today.
TO READ
- MATTHEW 23
- PROVERBS 23
- Write down one thought.
TO REMEMBER
God wants you to experience something real and authentic with Him today. He has loved you and He died for you when you didn’t deserve it, and now you have the opportunity to demonstrate the same level of servitude to someone else.
VEHICLE No. 4 [SERVING]
Today concludes our daily thoughts about Vehicle No. 4: SERVING.
Look around your neighborhood, your family, your work, and your school. Ask God to show you, on a daily basis, ways you can get involved in helping others. Get involved at your local church. Serve in the church on the weekends and get involved in projects where you can serve the community around your church. SERVING others will allow you to live a life that really matters, changes others’ lives, and establish a life-altering connection with God. As a fairly well-known shoe company says, “Just do it!”
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