Daily Bread

Foot Washing Lessons

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Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. John 13:5 ESV

If you search for leadership training programs you can find 389 millions results in under a second; but not so many on learning to be a servant. But looking at the teachings of Jesus; we see Him stressing the exact opposite.  Most stunning among His lessons was the night Jesus became the foot washer for His disciples. On the evening that Jesus instituted what we celebrate as communion, He concluded the supper with a simple act of service and left us an example to follow.

close up photography of hands and feet

Photo by Min An on Pexels.com

First Jesus did some planning. His foot washing wasn’t just some spur of the moment action. Jesus had everything prepared ahead of time so that when the moment came He was ready. For us to be a good servant we need to invest time and effort and do so with excellence. Secondly, Jesus shows us is that He served unexpectedly. When He stepped out to get the basin and the towel and then reentered the room His disciples were shocked. Most of us treat service as if it were just an option that we might consider until our pastor or some other church leader asks us repeatedly to help out. Last; Jesus chose the lowest job of all to express His love. As He began to wash and dry their dirty feet he was showing us that there was nothing He would not do to wash us and prepare us to follow Him. Then God asks us three questions. How can we get ready to serve: What unexpected blessing could we give: And what job is needed that no one else wants to do?

Man of Sorrows – God of Comfort

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He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.          Isaiah 53:3 KJV

“Man of Sorrows what a name?” begins the hymn by Phillip Bliss, that points us to Jesus, who understands our grief because He has walked in our shoes. And if even Jesus, the Son of God, could not escape sorrows; how much more can we think that they will not invade ours without warning? The Sunday before my mother died I was leaving church when my friend Jerry stopped me to ask how she was doing. For a moment I stumbled over a few words trying to explain and then the dam of my emotions broke. “Not good Jerry; not good at all!” I choked out and then I sat down in the closest pew and began to weep. Suddenly I was surrounded not only by Jerry but by my wife and several of our friends as a tidal wave of memories, regrets and grief swept over me.

I am still so thankful for their love and quiet comfort that day because it helped prepare me for the phone call from the hospice just a few days later telling me that she was gone. Really tough times are impossible to plan for. For every one of us there will come a point where we have nothing left and there only grace remains. There Jesus; who was called a man of sorrows, comes with comfort. Sometimes He gives us a sense of His presence; sometimes He reminds us of His promises and at others He uses the arms of family and friends to hold us close to His heart.

Imported from phone 229

Hey! Break it Up!

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Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Philippians 4:8 ESV

“Dad! Chris is hitting me!” my youngest shouted through the door. I rushed in to find our sons once again locked in combat over their Lego construction projects.

“My brother’s a jerk!”  Our seven year old retorted as he stood with arms crossed. “He knocked over what I was building with and so I hit him!”

“Okay you guys, go sit on your beds!” I snapped. This was the umpteenth tussle between them just in the last week and I searched my mind for a way out of the vicious cycle. “Now you’re going to sit there until you can tell me ten things good about your brother.” I sternly told them. Our youngest sat deep in thought, then burst out in frustration, “But there’s nothing good about my brother!”

Do you ever feel like that about somebody in your life? Often healing in a relationship won’t begin until we ask God to help us see something good in the other person.   On the cross, Jesus couldn’t see anything and yet He said, “Father forgive them. They don’t know what they are doing.”  He was thinking of His love for us when He chose to give His life. Jesus remembered our weaknesses and not our sins. Jesus believed we were worth dying for. When we see something good in someone else He will help us to see something excellent and worthy of praise in our brother.