Scripture:
John 13:3 “Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God,”
Observation:
Before Jesus rises from the table to perform one of the most humble acts in the history of time, the apostle John gives insight to the state of Jesus, His heart and mind before He does this. Jesus knows fully who He is, what He’s doing and where He’s going. This is essential to serving the needs of others before yourself.
Application:
Serving other people can be exhausting. Especially when those other people do not respond the way that you would hope for them too. These same feet of the disciples that Jesus washed, in just a matter of days would run away from Him and abandon Him in a time of need. The key to laying our lives down in service to people who many times don’t respond the way we hoped, is having a clear heart and mind on who we are, what we’re doing and ultimately where we’re going. Without this clarity, serving others, sacrificing for others, just gets old. The first step to pushing away from the table and committing ourselves to being contributors instead of consumers is clarity on whose we are, who we are, what we’re doing, and where we’re going.
Prayer:
Father I’ve been tested the last couple days in multiple ways with people who don’t respond the way that I would hope they did. Thank you for this reminder. My heart and mind have to be in the right place or I will find myself getting frustrated. Thank you for your perfect love and for your example. May I serve from your love and not my own.