I don't understand how God can be so kind to us, but He is. He kneels before us, takes our feet in His hands, and washes them. Please understand that in washing the disciples' feet, Jesus is washing ours. You and I are in this story. We are at the table. That's us being cleansed, not from our dirt, but from our sins…
Don't miss the meaning here. To place our feet in the basin of Jesus is to place the filthiest parts of our lives into His hands. In the ancient East, people's feet were caked with dirt and mud. The servant of the feast saw to it that the feet were cleaned. Jesus is assuming the role of servant. (John 13:4-17) He will wash the grimiest part of your life, if you let Him. The water of the Servant comes only when we confess that we are dirty.
We tend to be proud like Peter and resist. "I'm not that dirty, Jesus. Just sprinkle a few drops on me and I'll be fine." What a lie! "If we say we have no sin, we are fooling ourselves, and the truth is not in us" (1 John 1:8). We will never be cleansed until we admit that we are dirty. We will not be pure until we confess we are filthy. And we will never be able to wash the feet of those who have hurt us until we allow Jesus, the one we have hurt, to wash our feet.
You see, that is the secret of forgiveness. You will never forgive anyone more than God has already forgiven you. Only by letting Him wash you feet can you have the strength to wash those of another.
(Excerpt from A Gentle Thunder by Max Lucado)
Will you be the one to be the servant to others, or do you find yourself not able to clean the dirt off of your neighbor? Off of your friend? Off of yourself? Let Jesus wash you clean today. Be the servant of your guests, neighbors, and fellow man/woman.
In Christ,
Rick
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