Foot Washer For Jesus.

"[NOW] BEFORE the Passover Feast began, Jesus knew (was fully aware) that the time had come for Him to leave this world and return to the Father. And as He had loved those who were His own in the world, He loved them to the last and to the highest degree. So [it was] during supper, Satan having already put the thought of betraying Jesus in the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, [That] Jesus, knowing (fully aware) that the Father had put everything into His hands, and that He had come from God and was [now] returning to God, got up from supper, took off His garments, and taking a [servant’s] towel, He fastened it around His waist. Then He poured water into the washbasin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the [servant’s] towel with which He was girded." (John 13:1-5 AMP)

I recently read these verses a few evenings ago. I usually don't like to read my bible at night, at least not for my devotional time. I typically read through my devotions in the mornings. I feel like it sets me up for good days when I read in the morning. It gives me the strength I'll need to go through my day. There have been times when I've slept in and I've had to wait to read my bible at night. Usually I'll read before bed and read something that could've helped me during that day, and at that moment I regret not taking the time that morning to have read.

So I read through John 13, along with Jeremiah 7-9 that night.
I've been tossing the whole foot washing thing around in my head for the last few weeks. I've been thinking how revolutionary it was for Jesus to serve His disciples in that way. At that time, within the Jewish religion, that's not how things were done. The master or leader would've never done anything like this. Leadership, especially within the church at the time, was like the golden ticket in life. The leaders of the day would never consider serving the people below them and if they did serve, it would typically not be derived from a pure heart.

The concept of being foot washers within church leadership is one of the most profound lessons we can learn. As somewhat of a church leader myself, I find pressure applied to my heart when I read the verses above. Jesus, the great example of who we as Christians are to become, washed the feet of His disciples. If Jesus washed His disciples’ feet, what more should I do for the lives of those in my church and community?

When I read the first words above I see something of, what I consider, great significance. The words say that Jesus knew His time was coming to a close on this earth. That He would soon return to the Father. What was the next move of Jesus? He washed the disciples feet. Jesus didn't take them back and show them how to make mud to cure the blind, He didn't show them once more how to deliver the oppressed and possessed, nor did He reveal some new mystery of the angels or of heaven. Nope, He washed their feet. What does that tell us of the rank of important things in the life of Jesus?

I will assume that serving others is among the most important within the list of qualities of godly leadership. Is praying for the sick important? Yes. Is preaching? Yes. Is teaching? Yes. Is counseling, mentoring, discipling, loving, etc.? All answers are yes. And all of those things listed above fall under the rule of serving. Choosing to serve others encompasses everything good and pure. When you pray for the sick, love the unloved, share faith with the "lost", preach in church, teach in the classroom, usher freedom into the captives’ hearts, you are serving. The importance becomes to what degree can I serve Your body, oh Lord? How can I become servant to those brothers and sisters of mine? When we seek to serve others, to serve others in love, kindness, and pure motives, then we are seeking His kingdom and we are establishing room for Him to infiltrate our lives and our communities.

Above all else, I encourage you to seek the heart of the servant. When thinking of those whom you know, those whom you love, ask yourself and ask God "How can I serve these people?" I'm confident that asking that question will usher into your life a new understanding and sense of pure and unbiased love.

- Cheers.

Lessons we can learn from the Pharisees

And yet [in spite of all this] many even of the leading men (the authorities and the nobles) believed and trusted in Him. But because of the Pharisees they did not confess it, for fear that [if they should acknowledge Him] they would be expelled from the synagogue; For they loved the approval and the praise and the glory that come from men [instead of and] more than the glory that comes from God. [They valued their credit with men more than their credit with God.] 
(John 12:42-43 AMP)
 
So, we've got these authorities and nobles, or local church leaders, that believed in Jesus. Because of the church leaders' fear of the Pharisees and because of their love for attention and admiration from men, they refused to publicly acknowledge Jesus as the Son of God. That's basically what's going on in these verses.
What draws my attention to this scripture is not only that these things happened in the bible, but that these issues are still alive in our church today.
 
Judging from the portion that says "For they loved the approval and the praise and the glory that comes from men..." I'm going to say these authorities and nobles were well off. They probably had a large family, lots of property and money, etc. And I'm not saying being wealthy and having a good family are bad things; they are not. The point I'm trying to make is that these authorities and nobles were probably so comfortable that they didn't want to risk their comfortable life to follow or confess their belief in Jesus. They figured religion would provide more benefit to their lives than Jesus could.
Unfortunately, this issue still exists in our modern churches. It plays itself out in different ways, but it's there none the less. For some, the issue looks exactly like it does in these verses; the belief that what we can create is better than what God can create for us. For some it comes in the way of comfortability. We become so comfortable in our special box that when the Holy Spirit enters the atmosphere and decides to change things around, we resist Him at every turn. We assume that radical change must not be from God. We say things like "But I get more people in attendance when I water down what the Bible says". In reality, God is telling us to preach His word without bias.
 
There is a great lesson every Christian can learn by simply reading about the actions of the Pharisees. Basically, you should do the opposite of what they did!
 
I believe this is one issue that is running around most churches today. This is an issue that can very easily be fixed. It requires everyone to stop, relax, and ask God "what do YOU want me to do?". There is a freedom released when we take our motives out of the equation and allow God to move. Matthew 6:33 says "But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides. (AMP) 
 
I'll end this brief post by saying, I am not against the church, and I am not against church leadership. As a former leader in the church, I am as guilty of this issue as anyone else. Noticing there are issues in our churches does not give us the right to point the finger and cease from showing honor to church leadership. 
 
There is a book by Kenneth Hagin titled "Plans, Purposes, and Pursuits" and it clearly defines what we, as church leaders and Christians as a whole, should focus on. 
"For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:9 AMP)