"If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet" (John 13:14).
THEME
SERVANTHOOD
Albert Einstein once remarked, "Setting an example is not the main means of influencing another, it is the ONLY means."
In washing the disciples' feet, Jesus shocked His followers. This was not the beginning of the first valet school; Jesus was not some water-basin wonder. With a towel around His waist, Jesus washed soiled feet, but He was more interested in dirty people than dusty toes.
The disciples had been vying for leadership positions, and Jesus played chief footwasher to clean their hearts rather than their feet. Knowing that He would be going away, Jesus acted as a servant to combat the hotshot attitudes of the disciples. He hoped they would recall and imitate His humility.
The Old Testament writers described Abraham, Moses, Joshua, David, and Daniel as servants. Humble and caring leaders before God and others, they led without service charges.
In coming to this earth, Jesus became part of a long-running play, but He was not acting. He took the servant part for some thirty-three years to show people how to live (Philippians 2:7). Those who follow Him lead by example. They never make a grand entrance; they come in the service door, and others soon come after them.
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OCT 28
JOHN 13:1-17
"I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you" (John 13:15).
Jesus Christ visibly demonstrated the love of God when He was on earth. In stooping to wash His disciples' feet, He mirrored the submissive step He had taken when He left heaven to become a man. He lived with the limitations of humanity, yet He healed the sick, reached out to the despised, and endured bitter hatred as His reward. He died like a criminal on a Roman cross. All of these things reflected God's love, for Jesus said, "He who has seen Me has seen the Father" (John 14:9). Jesus is no longer with us in His physical body--He now sits at God's right hand in heaven. Therefore, if God's love is to be embodied on earth today, it must be done through those of us who are Christians.
Not long ago, sixteen women from Evanston, Illinois, beautifully demonstrated God's love by rearranging their schedules to give round-the-clock nursing care to Martha, a 26-year-old woman with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or Lou Gehrig's disease). They bathed her, fed her, talked with her, prayed for her, and witnessed to her. Martha, who had not accepted Christ as her Savior and couldn't understand how a loving God could let her get ALS, saw His love in these women and eventually became a Christian. Although feeble and unable to speak clearly, she gave a testimony of her faith and was baptized in a local church. A short time later, she died. She is with the Lord today because sixteen women, following Jesus' example, personified God's love.
--H.V.L.
My life helps paint my neighbor's picture of God.
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OCT 29
MATTHEW 20:20-28
"Whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant" (Matthew 20:26).
When Pastor Howard Sugden preaches on the upper room, where Jesus washed the disciples' feet, he speaks of "God with a towel in His hand." That towel symbolizes One who "did not come to be served, but to serve" (Mt 20:28). Yet how quickly we reverse the pattern and expect others to serve our needs. We may even go so far as to complain when other believers disappoint us and don't do as we expect. That's why we need to keep Jesus' example before us.
Vernon Grounds, then president of Denver Conservative Baptist Theological Seminary, challenged the graduating class of 1973 with the truth of John 13. Dr. Grounds gave the graduates a tangible symbol that he said would help them in their future ministries. As the classmates filed quietly to the front, they expected a special Scripture verse, a little book, or an inscribed medallion. To their surprise, he gave them a small square of white terry cloth. One graduate, who has served as an overseas missionary, says, "We were commissioned to go into the world as servants. That small piece of towel, frayed and grubby from years in my wallet, is a constant reminder of that moving moment and of our basic call to serve."
The example Christ gave in the upper room challenges us to ask ourselves if we have a servant's attitude. Perhaps it's time for us to realize that the "towel in our hand" is a servant's towel.
--D.C.E.
The believer's talents are not to be laid up for self--they are to be laid out in service.
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OCT 30
MATTHEW 23:1-12
"But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant"
(Matthew 23:11).
Music lovers, brace yourselves. Some of the greatest orchestral conductors of the past were sometimes podium tyrants. In an article in THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR, Robert Baxter wrote, "Their heyday came in the 1930s and '40s when Artur Rodzinski carried a loaded revolver to rehearsals, when Arturo Toscanini broke batons, . . . when Fritz Reiner pierced musicians with his laser-like eyes, and George Szell slashed them with his razor-sharp tongue." One player recalls, "Playing under them was like being in an open field during an electrical storm." Once an offended musician stormed out of rehearsal, shouting to Toscanini, "Nuts to you!" Toscanini bellowed back, "It's too late to apologize!" With such disharmony in relationships, it's a wonder these geniuses could get such beautiful music from their players.
Strong leaders don't need to instill fear and be autocratic to command respect. Jesus, the only perfect leader this world has ever known, showed us a better way. His podium was not the Mount of Transfiguration, where He revealed His deity. It was a Roman cross, where He served our deepest needs by paying the penalty for our sins. Now He draws beautiful music from sin-ruined lives--first by surrounding us with His love and forgiveness, then by serving through us as we joyously yield to His direction.
Those in positions of leadership can look to Jesus to learn the secret of leading by serving.
--D.J.D.
Leaders do not begin to serve until they put serving into their leadership.
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OCT 31
MATTHEW 20:20-28
"And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave" (Matthew 20:27).
Sometimes I get the feeling that we are experiencing a leadership crisis among Christians. Although plenty of people are eager to assume the top positions, far too few are willing to accept the biblical pattern of authority. They assume that headship means dominance, so they ignore the basic teaching of passages like Matthew 20. The pattern established by Christ for leadership in the church can be summed up in one word: servanthood. Jesus Himself exemplified this when he washed the disciples' feet as "an example" (John 13:2-16).
In THE MARK OF A MAN, Elisabeth Elliot told of a relative who was the dean of a Christian college in the Midwest. One night some boys in a dorm smeared the walls with shaving cream, peanut butter, and jelly. When the dean heard about it, he wondered what action to take. He could force the young men to clean it up or he could order the janitor to do it. Instead, he started to clean up the mess himself. Soon doors began to open, and before long the guilty ones were helping him wash the walls. Because he was willing to take the role of a servant, he solved the problem and taught the boys a valuable lesson at the same time.
Whenever we're in a position of leadership and seem to be failing, we should examine our attitude toward service in light of Matthew 20 and John 13. Perhaps we need more practice in the principle of leading by serving.
--D.C.E.
Lead players are always improving their serve.
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NOV 01
LUKE 22:24-30
"Who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves? . . . I am among you as the One who serves" (Luke 22:27).
A young woman who lives with her parents on a small government allowance complains of continual depression and weariness. Yet when I suggested that she seek employment or engage in volunteer work, she resisted. She thinks that accepting a lowly task would be demeaning. But if she would swallow her pride and get busy, no matter how menial the task, she would not only feel better about herself but she would also bring honor to the Lord.
J. Gresham Machen, world-renowned theologian, accepted lowly work while serving as a YMCA volunteer during World War I. He was assigned the task of making hot chocolate at a canteen. Since it had to be ready at 7 a.m., Machen would get up before 5. He'd take bars of chocolate and shave them into slivers. Then he'd melt them, gradually adding condensed milk and water as the mixture heated. From 7 until 9 he kept busy serving the hot chocolate and often didn't get his own breakfast until the middle of the morning. Although Machen would have been an excellent counselor to the servicemen, he honored God by accepting a mundane task without complaining.
In Old Testament times, it was an honor for the Levites to do the manual labor associated with the tabernacle and temple. Likewise, the apostle Paul wasn't ashamed to make tents. The Lord Himself washed His disciples' feet. Any lowly task, done as unto the Lord, affords a unique opportunity to exalt Him and to demonstrate the reality of our faith. Christians can find joy no matter where they serve.
--H.V.L.
Little is much when God is in it.
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NOV 02
JOHN 21:1-14
Jesus said to them, "Come and eat breakfast" (John 21:12).
By the shores of the Sea of Tiberias with His disciples, Jesus served a breakfast of fish and bread. Just as He had done when He washed the disciples' feet, He was setting an example. And like Jesus, we are to serve one another, even our close friends and loved ones, for whom it is sometimes difficult to do humble tasks.
Professor Bill Brown of Bryan College told about a missionary who went to a tribe of Indians to present the gospel. At first the people received him with hesitation, referring to him as "the white man." As they got to know him better, they began to call him "the respectable white man." Later, when they saw the goodness of his heart and his desire for their well-being, they spoke of him as "the white Indian," indicating that they were accepting him as one of their own. When one of the Indians injured his foot in an accident, the missionary took the man into his home, washed his foot, and gave him medical attention. The people were amazed that he would do such a gracious thing. After this, they began to call him "the man from God."
That missionary displayed a Christlike attitude, for Jesus did not come to be served but to serve (Mark 10:45). If we humble ourselves and follow our Lord's example, we too will become known as the man or woman from God.
--D.C.E.
We can do great things for the Lord if we are willing to do little things for others.
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NOV 03
MARK 8:34-38
"But whoever loses his life for My sake . . . will save it"
(Mark 8:35).
Shortly after the Civil War ended, General William T. Sherman's victorious army was scheduled to march in a triumphal parade in a large city. On the night before, Sherman called General Oliver O. Howard to his room and said, "General, you were at the head of one of the divisions that marched with me through Georgia, and you ought rightfully to ride at the head of your division in the parade tomorrow. But I've been asked to let the general who preceded you in command represent the division. I don't know what to do." General Howard replied, "I think I am entitled to represent my division, since I led them to victory." "Yes, you are," said Sherman, "but I believe you are a Christian, and I was wondering if Christian considerations might lead you to yield your rights for the sake of peace." "In that case," said Howard, "of course I'll yield." "All right," said General Sherman, "I will go arrange it, and will you please report to me in the morning at 9? You will be riding with me at the head of the army." General Howard's willingness to submit to his commander and deny himself his rightful place led to the position of greatest honor.
Jesus said, "If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me" (John 12:26). When He was reviled and opposed, He did not insist on His rights but "committed Himself to Him who judges righteously" (1 Peter 2:23). That same spirit should characterize His followers. If we as Christians give our lives to serve others for Christ's sake, we will win His reward. Our "loss" will be our gain.
--P.R.V.
Getting our own way serves only to get in the way of our service.
