Jesus Devotional - Day 6
Day Six
Jesus: Real, Relevant, and Radical!
It’s Not My Job
Luke 22:24-27 (NLT) “Then they began to argue among themselves about who would be the greatest among them.”
John 13:6-8 (NIV) “He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, ‘Lord, are you going to wash my feet?’ 7 Jesus replied, ‘You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.’ 8 ‘No,’ said Peter, ‘you shall never wash my feet.’ Jesus answered, ‘Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.’”
“It’s not my job. It’s not my responsibility. I am not getting paid for this.” Some of us are quick to play the card of “not my responsibility.” Peter recognizes the significance of Jesus washing his feet! He understands that the servant is not greater than the Master, and here is His Master washing his feet. He struggles with it and, at first, refuses to be served! Jesus makes a powerful statement to Peter, to the point where He says, Peter, “If you don’t want to serve, you need to get out because my Kingdom is built on the very foundation of serving others!”
The Bible doesn’t tell us exactly who was arguing about who was the greatest, but I have a sneaky suspicion about who was in the middle of the conversation. Peter is always the first to speak up, and it’s rarely, except for a few occasions, driven by great wisdom. When you read the account of the Last Supper in the Book of Luke, you can see that Luke immediately writes about Jesus’ warning to Peter regarding being sifted like wheat. Luke 22:31-33(NLT) “’Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift each of you like wheat. 32 But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers.’ 33 Peter said, ‘Lord, I am ready to go to prison with you, and even to die with you.’”
John 13:1 (MSG) “Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father.” Notice the timing of Jesus serving the disciples. He is about to go to the cross and die for the sins of the world. The holiest act of service, laying down His life for others. Yet even then, His focus is on serving others. He could’ve said, “Wait a minute here. I am about to be nailed to a cross for all of you, and I have to wash your feet! That is not my job. I am Jesus. I go to the front of the line. As a matter of fact, I don’t stand in lines.” The timing of Jesus serving, as well as who He is serving, is profound.
John 13:2 (NIV) "The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus.” I must admit, this is a tough one. Jesus washes all of His disciples’ feet, including Judas Iscariot, His betrayer. We have a tough enough time serving people we genuinely like, but Jesus sets the bar pretty high. He serves Judas, who has already succumbed to Satan’s deception and betrayed Him. This is someone who has walked with Jesus, shared life with Him, seen the miracles—opening the eyes of the blind and the ears of the deaf. Judas saw Jesus call Lazarus from the grave, yet he sold Him for 30 pieces of silver. Still, Jesus stoops down and washes and dries his feet. The ability to serve selflessly like that, regardless of who we serve, comes from only one place.
John 13:3 (NIV) “Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God.” Jesus can do anything because He knows Who He is. The problem with some in the church today is that the little authority we have goes to our heads because we don’t truly know who we are. So, we try to prove ourselves to others. Jesus had nothing to prove, nothing to lose, and nothing to hide. He knew the extent of His authority, where He came from, and where He was going! When you know who you are, you don’t need to show off. You understand that you are not defined by a job, a title, or even what your enemies think of you. True service can only come from those who know who they are and are secure in who God has made them.
If we truly grasp this, it could revolutionize not only our lives but also spark a spiritual awakening. Picture a church where people are not obsessed with titles or positions. Envision a church where the goal is more important than the role. Imagine a church where we all begin to serve one another selflessly, without expecting to be served in return. Imagine a church where we have nothing to prove, nothing to lose, and nothing to hide. Visualize a church where no one is jockeying for status or dominating others, but instead, everyone lovingly serves one another.
Imagine a place where we pick up our basin and towel and do what Jesus did. Imagine a church where no one says, “It’s not my job...” Imagine a church where we carry the load together. Imagine a church where people are so excited about serving that there's an atmosphere of anticipation. Imagine a church full of selfless people with only one desire: to serve. Serving not for selfish glory or pats on the back, but because they are so grateful for what God has done in their lives that they cannot help themselves.
Imagine those people being unleashed on a self-absorbed society that has lost its God-given identity and is so confused about who and what they are. Now imagine these servant-hearted individuals entering the world to care, share, and love — not just with words, but through their actions.
Matthew 20:28 (NLT) “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
How do you know you have a servant’s heart? The only difference between having a servant’s heart and not having one is where you place the towel. You can use the towel as a napkin around your neck to serve yourself, or you can use it as a towel around your waist to serve others. The choice of where you place it is yours! Feed me, serve me, or I will serve you!
Within a twenty-four-hour period, we see the Bible refer to two basins. Matthew 27:24(MSG) “When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere and that a riot was imminent, he took a basin of water and washed his hands in full sight of the crowd, saying, ‘I'm washing my hands of responsibility for this man's death. From now on, it's in your hands. You're judge and jury.’" In the same twenty-four hours, we observe the difference between courageous servant leadership and political self-preservation leadership. Pilate says, “I am not responsible. I am washing my hands of this responsibility because I really don’t know who I am. I am more afraid of what the people will do than of doing what is right!” Jesus, on the other hand, knowing who He is, where He came from, and where He is going, picks up the basin and washes the feet of those who needed to wash His feet.
Everything in our culture centers on self-absorption and being served instead of serving others. Decide today to live according to Kingdom Culture by finding a place or a person to serve. Which basin will you choose—the basin of service or the basin of non-responsibility?
Prayer:
Jesus: Real, Relevant, and Radical!
It’s Not My Job
Luke 22:24-27 (NLT) “Then they began to argue among themselves about who would be the greatest among them.”
John 13:6-8 (NIV) “He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, ‘Lord, are you going to wash my feet?’ 7 Jesus replied, ‘You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.’ 8 ‘No,’ said Peter, ‘you shall never wash my feet.’ Jesus answered, ‘Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.’”
“It’s not my job. It’s not my responsibility. I am not getting paid for this.” Some of us are quick to play the card of “not my responsibility.” Peter recognizes the significance of Jesus washing his feet! He understands that the servant is not greater than the Master, and here is His Master washing his feet. He struggles with it and, at first, refuses to be served! Jesus makes a powerful statement to Peter, to the point where He says, Peter, “If you don’t want to serve, you need to get out because my Kingdom is built on the very foundation of serving others!”
The Bible doesn’t tell us exactly who was arguing about who was the greatest, but I have a sneaky suspicion about who was in the middle of the conversation. Peter is always the first to speak up, and it’s rarely, except for a few occasions, driven by great wisdom. When you read the account of the Last Supper in the Book of Luke, you can see that Luke immediately writes about Jesus’ warning to Peter regarding being sifted like wheat. Luke 22:31-33(NLT) “’Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift each of you like wheat. 32 But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers.’ 33 Peter said, ‘Lord, I am ready to go to prison with you, and even to die with you.’”
John 13:1 (MSG) “Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father.” Notice the timing of Jesus serving the disciples. He is about to go to the cross and die for the sins of the world. The holiest act of service, laying down His life for others. Yet even then, His focus is on serving others. He could’ve said, “Wait a minute here. I am about to be nailed to a cross for all of you, and I have to wash your feet! That is not my job. I am Jesus. I go to the front of the line. As a matter of fact, I don’t stand in lines.” The timing of Jesus serving, as well as who He is serving, is profound.
John 13:2 (NIV) "The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus.” I must admit, this is a tough one. Jesus washes all of His disciples’ feet, including Judas Iscariot, His betrayer. We have a tough enough time serving people we genuinely like, but Jesus sets the bar pretty high. He serves Judas, who has already succumbed to Satan’s deception and betrayed Him. This is someone who has walked with Jesus, shared life with Him, seen the miracles—opening the eyes of the blind and the ears of the deaf. Judas saw Jesus call Lazarus from the grave, yet he sold Him for 30 pieces of silver. Still, Jesus stoops down and washes and dries his feet. The ability to serve selflessly like that, regardless of who we serve, comes from only one place.
John 13:3 (NIV) “Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God.” Jesus can do anything because He knows Who He is. The problem with some in the church today is that the little authority we have goes to our heads because we don’t truly know who we are. So, we try to prove ourselves to others. Jesus had nothing to prove, nothing to lose, and nothing to hide. He knew the extent of His authority, where He came from, and where He was going! When you know who you are, you don’t need to show off. You understand that you are not defined by a job, a title, or even what your enemies think of you. True service can only come from those who know who they are and are secure in who God has made them.
If we truly grasp this, it could revolutionize not only our lives but also spark a spiritual awakening. Picture a church where people are not obsessed with titles or positions. Envision a church where the goal is more important than the role. Imagine a church where we all begin to serve one another selflessly, without expecting to be served in return. Imagine a church where we have nothing to prove, nothing to lose, and nothing to hide. Visualize a church where no one is jockeying for status or dominating others, but instead, everyone lovingly serves one another.
Imagine a place where we pick up our basin and towel and do what Jesus did. Imagine a church where no one says, “It’s not my job...” Imagine a church where we carry the load together. Imagine a church where people are so excited about serving that there's an atmosphere of anticipation. Imagine a church full of selfless people with only one desire: to serve. Serving not for selfish glory or pats on the back, but because they are so grateful for what God has done in their lives that they cannot help themselves.
Imagine those people being unleashed on a self-absorbed society that has lost its God-given identity and is so confused about who and what they are. Now imagine these servant-hearted individuals entering the world to care, share, and love — not just with words, but through their actions.
Matthew 20:28 (NLT) “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
How do you know you have a servant’s heart? The only difference between having a servant’s heart and not having one is where you place the towel. You can use the towel as a napkin around your neck to serve yourself, or you can use it as a towel around your waist to serve others. The choice of where you place it is yours! Feed me, serve me, or I will serve you!
Within a twenty-four-hour period, we see the Bible refer to two basins. Matthew 27:24(MSG) “When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere and that a riot was imminent, he took a basin of water and washed his hands in full sight of the crowd, saying, ‘I'm washing my hands of responsibility for this man's death. From now on, it's in your hands. You're judge and jury.’" In the same twenty-four hours, we observe the difference between courageous servant leadership and political self-preservation leadership. Pilate says, “I am not responsible. I am washing my hands of this responsibility because I really don’t know who I am. I am more afraid of what the people will do than of doing what is right!” Jesus, on the other hand, knowing who He is, where He came from, and where He is going, picks up the basin and washes the feet of those who needed to wash His feet.
Everything in our culture centers on self-absorption and being served instead of serving others. Decide today to live according to Kingdom Culture by finding a place or a person to serve. Which basin will you choose—the basin of service or the basin of non-responsibility?
Prayer:
- Pray for the Lord's strength to serve, including those who oppose you.
- Pray that your focus remains on others instead of just yourself.
- Pray that your security is rooted in Jesus and Him alone.
- Pray that you will be filled with the Spirit of Jesus instead of operating with Pilate's attitude.
Posted in Jesus Devotional