Serving With Love

N.T.#763 "Serving With Love"

March 27, 2026 

John 13-Part 5 

LET IT GLOW

Washing dishes, washing dirty clothes, and washing smelly feet, wipe up vomit off the floor-that takes love to do those remedial jobs. The One who created everything humbled Himself to show His disciples and us how to express love.

It was a humbling thing for one to wash another's feet. You bow before them, lower than they are sitting. Washing stinky, sweaty feet is not pleasant, either. Peter didn't want Jesus doing that to Him. After all, Peter had proclaimed earlier that Jesus is The Christ, the Son of the Living God. 

Then Peter, not understanding what Jesus was demonstrating, told Jesus to give him a bath. Jesus set Peter straight-one who had taken a bath only needs their feet washed. Dirt with sweat, walking in sandals, could have made quite messy feet during that time. Jesus recognized that all were clean, except one of the disciples. (Jesus knew it was Judas who would betray Him for money.)

LET IT GROW 

The disciples rightly called Jesus their Teacher/Master and Lord. Yet He had rinsed their feet like a servant. If He would do this for them, they should do this for one another. Jesus did not give them a third ordinance, but an example to follow. It was a lesson on humility. 

All Christians need a lesson on humility every now and then, right? Instead of climbing the ladder of success, we ought to be content to perform the lowest service to the glory of God. 

[Resource: The Gospel of John: Invitation to Life by Herschel H. Hobbs]

Oswald Chambers had this to say in his devotional, My Utmost for His Highest:

To have a master means that there is one who knows me better than I know myself, one who is closer than a friend, one who fathoms the remotest abyss of my heart and satisfies it, one who had brought me into secure sense that he has met and solved every perplexity and problem of my mind. To have a master in this and nothing less-One is your Master, even Christ. The only word to describe mastership in experience is love. (my italics)

We show that we love God and Jesus when we obey them. Actions speak louder than words.

The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. (Swindoll) (Galatians 5:6)

James 2 tells us faith without works is dead, useless. 

I Corinthians 13 tells us if we don't have love, then our words are as noisy cymbals; If we have faith to move mountains without love, then it is nothing; If we give our body to be burned or possessions to the poor, yet without love, then it is for nothing. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.

I have some things to work on, friend. How about you? 

LET IT GO 

We let go of everything, Jesus and lay it at Your feet.

Let us be Your servant today.

May all we do be done for Your glory, Father God.