John 13:1: Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.
2: And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him;
3: Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God;
4: He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself.
5: After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.
So here was Jesus, the very Son of God, God in the flesh, who has all the power in the universe, and yet he humbles himself and washes his disciples feet.
John 13:12: So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you.
13: Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am.
14: If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet.
15: For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you
16: Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him.
17: If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.
So you notice how he says he did this to give us an example, that if he washed his disciples feet, then we should also wash one another's feet. It doesn't mean that we should actually literally wash one another's feet, but the meaning is that we should care for and serve others and not ourselves, and he says that this is the way to be happy. The world has it all backwards; they think the way to be happy is to be served, but the exact opposite is true for the Christian. For the Christian the way to be happy is to serve, not to be served.
Also, another thing about serving others is it must be done with love and from our heart. I Corinthians chapter 13 is what is called the love chapter of the bible. It talks all about charity, which is another word for love. If we do anything without love it is useless to us.
I Corinthians 13:1: Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
2: And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.
3. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
Notice how it says giving all your goods to feed the poor without doing it with love, it profits you nothing.
A well known example of someone who served others was the story of the good Samaritan.
Luke 10:30: And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.
31: And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
32: And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.
33: But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him.
34: And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
35: And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.
The priest and the Levite saw the wounded man and just passed on by him; they didn't care about him, but the Samaritan had compassion on him and took care of him. The ones who passed by him are like the way of worldly people; they only care about themselves, not others.
Also, the bible says we should be given to hospitality. Being hospitable means to care for others; that is where the word hospital comes from, bringing people in under your care for them.
Romans 12:13: Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.
Being given to hospitality means that it is part of who you are, part of your personality, that in being like Jesus you are constantly seeking to meet the needs of others and help them, especially your brothers and sisters in the Lord when you see they have needs. That is why is says "distributing to the necessity of saints" (saints means Christians).
And to sum this all up, always remember what the Lord told us in Acts 20:35: I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, it is more blessed to give than to receive.
The whole purpose of our Christian walk with the Lord is to live like Jesus and to care about people. That is the whole reason why Jesus died on the cross and suffered for our sins, because he cares about people and doesn't want them to go to hell. So in like manner, we should care about people too, and the most compassionate thing you can do for people is to tell them about Jesus and how to get saved.
No comments:
Post a Comment