Jesus, the Son of God, the Messiah, the King of kings, the Lord of lords, washed feet.
Should a being with that much power, prestige, royalty do such a lowly act?
As we move forward in Foster's book, A Celebration of Discipline, I cannot help but dedicate an entire blog post to the outward discipline of service, because it has seriously changed my life and my view of truly loving others.
As an American, I have grown up very privileged, where being served is everywhere - in restaurants, coffee-shops, valet parking. It is very rare to find a place where you are in the position to serve others unless you are looking for that or it is in your job description. True service, unfortunately, has lost value and even meaning in our society. Many people look down on the lower-income jobs, that we desperately need to keep the very fibers of our society running. Many people look down on the act of lowering themselves to serve others. Many people stray away from service, because all they see is inconvenience and not an opportunity to truly make a difference and give.
We all want to become great leaders, CEO's, bosses, department chairs, but you don't hear anyone say I want to be the greatest servant. God was revealing to me that serving and leading go hand in hand. We see Jesus as the greatest spiritual leader that has ever lived, and yet, He willingly chose, as an act of love to His disciples, to wash their feet.
“Jesus washed feet
Feet that walked
Walked through mud and crap
Feet that journeyed
Journeyed through hell and back
Feet - calloused
Calloused from the beating of the soil
Calloused from toil
Feet - blistered
Blistered from scraping
Aching
Jesus washed feet
All walks of life
Men that followed Him
He was the leader
They were the followers
Yet, the leader
Cleaning
Willingly - washing feet
Of men that followed, needed Him
Modeling
True Servanthood through brotherhood
True love
Leading
Jesus washed feet
Our feet
He washed off the dirty
To show off our innate purities
He washed the lost
What He did on the cross
Modeling
True Servanthood through brotherhood
True love
Leading
Dying for the Judas, the harlots, the Pharisees, the Sadduccees
He washed us all
The greatest servant of us all
Follow Jesus
Not by leading, blindly
Wash this world
Wash feet
Through loving
Caring
Helping
Serving
Modeling
True Servanthood through brotherhood
True love
Now you are leading”
TAKE AWAY:
1. Be the greatest servant to have the greatest impact you want to see as a leader.
MEDITATION:
“2 The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.”
“12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. 13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.”
DAILY CHALLENGE:
1. Look for opportunities to practice the art of washing feet by serving others selflessly today.
2. What are some of your thoughts towards service? What are some areas that you are challenged in?
3. How could you move forward in these areas to better serve God and others?