Tag: #christianblog

FOOT WASHING

One of my favorite Scripture passages is about Jesus washing the feet of His disciples at the Last Supper. It is only shared in John’s Gospel, and his is the only one that does not chronicle the other events of the Last Supper. Something I had not seen before caught my attention this year.

It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 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.

He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!” Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.

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. “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.  –John 13:1-17  (NIV)  

 

Photo courtesy 0f under Creative Commons License (CC BY 2.0)

 

Whenever a worship service has a foot washing event, I always want to participate in it. I know people usually do not prefer participating in foot washing. I find it an honor to put myself in Jesus’ presence as a disciple and visualize Him serving me personally because of His great love for me.

 

Why did Jesus wash His disciples’ feet?
*To show His great love for them.
*To demonstrate being a humble servant.
*To symbolize our need for a spiritual cleansing.
*To set forth the principle of selfless service that would be exemplified on the cross.
*To show us what we are to do for others.

 

I never considered the reason “to symbolize our need for a spiritual cleansing” with Jesus’ response to Peter, saying, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” I believe Jesus’ words go beyond the external washing of the disciples’ feet; I believe there is a spiritual cleansing symbolism. This comes from the cleansing in the waters of baptism as well as the cleansing of Jesus’ blood that He shed for us on that first Good Friday. Ultimately, Peter, just like us, needs both spiritual cleansings from Jesus.

 

This is the one who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth.  –1 John 5:6  (NIV)

 Jesus knew at the foot washing that His time to walk in obedience to God’s plan of salvation for the world through His death on a cross was quickly approaching. He was preparing His disciples for life without Him and teaching them to carry out the mission He began. A spiritual cleansing was necessary in their ministry, just as Jesus experienced. Jesus’ public ministry began with John, His cousin, baptizing Him in the Jordan River and ended with His crucifixion on the cross, when He shed His blood.

 

Photo courtesy of under Creative Commons License (CC BY 2.0)

 

Let’s look at the ending of the original Scripture passage:

Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 

Jesus was calling His disciples and us, too, to go forth and follow His example of washing others’ feet. That is why Jesus gave us the example and told us we, too, would be blessed if we walk in obedience.

 

How is God calling you to wash others’ feet?
*By having you pray for and love the person who has hurt you?
*By bringing some necessities to the homeless person you see on the street?
*By sharing the Gospel with someone who does not know the Lord?
*By giving of your time or talent to help someone who is in need?

 

As God works in our lives, I “happened” to pen these thoughts before going to a foot washing event in the evening. It has always bothered me that people usually only wash one foot instead of both. When I participated in the event last year, I felt like it wasn’t complete with only one foot. We know Jesus definitely washed both of His disciples’ feet. This year I found myself slipping both feet in the bowl when it was my turn. It was a sacred encounter when, while washing my feet, the person looked into my eyes and smiled. I saw Jesus’ love for me in his eyes. The person then cupped his hands around my feet as he wrapped the towel around them and kissed one foot. I experienced Jesus’ love embracing me through the holding of my feet. I felt complete and immersed in oneness with the Lord as I closed my eyes and listened to the beautiful music that was being sung. It was a sacred moment with the Lord.

 

Photo courtesy of Stephen Ludwig under Creative Commons License (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) 

 

Be encouraged this week to see how you can live out…
…loving others with Jesus’ unconditional love.
…how Jesus is calling you to be a humble servant.
…receiving Jesus’ spiritual cleansing of water and His blood.
…following Jesus’ principle of selfless service to others.
…following Jesus’ example of foot washing in others’ lives.

 

A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.  –Luke 7:37-38  (NIV)

JOYOUS ONENESS

It is with great joy that I share with you that my second book, God’s Love Illuminated: Treasured Thoughts to Inspire Walking in God’s Abundant Love, received the Henri Award at the Christian Literary Awards in Arlington, Texas, on March 18, 2023 from Joy and Company. The Henri Award is chosen by a panel of judges who are given the task of reading the books in a certain category and voting on the one they feel is most deserving. The judges can be from different parts of the USA. God’s Love Illuminated was in the Non-Fiction: Victorious Living category.

God’s Love Illuminated
Henri Award recipient
Non-Fiction: Victorious Living category

 

What a wonderful journey God has orchestrated in my life since He put people in my path that led to the beginning of my website  8½ years ago, which has given birth to a  trinity of books in three years. I am in awe of Him, especially as it was never anything I planned to do. Continue reading “JOYOUS ONENESS”

RESTORATION

A friend shared an encouraging story that made me be in awe of God’s goodness once again. I hope that by my sharing it, you will also be inspired. I see it as a beautiful story of restoration and God’s faithfulness in providing.

What does restoration mean? Dictionary.com defines it as “a return of something to a former, original, normal, or unimpaired condition.” Restoration makes something new again, possibly even better than it was before. We see in Scripture several stories about restoration. Sometimes the restoration is in physical ways in our bodies, and sometimes it is in our spirits that get filled with joy or peace again when they have been lacking. Restoration can occur with inanimate objects like our houses or with relationships in our lives. Continue reading “RESTORATION”

JOYFUL APPRECIATION

A friend shared a quote with me, saying I could probably write about it. Challenge accepted. 🙂

 

Let’s break down the quote to better reflect on it and see how we can apply its truths in our lives. Continue reading “JOYFUL APPRECIATION”

STRANGER BLESSINGS

God brought a new spiritual friend into my life through His divine orchestration. I was at a church event where we watched a video, had table discussions, and had a time of communal prayer. The leader mentioned there was a gentleman at his table who would be returning to Florida, where he lives. During the prayer time, I heard the man from Florida share a prayer request. It was then that I had the inkling to share a book of mine with him at the end. He was busy talking with two or three people, so I was just going to leave. That was until the lady next to me at my table said, “Did you bring your book to give to someone specific or just in case you needed one?” I replied, “Well, thanks for asking; it was just in case, and at prayer time, I felt I was supposed to give it to the man from Florida. Thanks for inspiring me to follow up on that inkling.” Continue reading “STRANGER BLESSINGS”

ONE BITE AT A TIME

I never get tired of witnessing God’s goodness with the inklings He provides. So many blessings occur each time. During a conversation with a friend, I got the feeling I was supposed to attend a special service at church that night. A while ago I had given my second book to a man that was there, so I asked him if he was interested in my latest, God’s Compassion Illuminated. He was excited to have it, saying he enjoys reading my reflections. Continue reading “ONE BITE AT A TIME”

LET ME LOVE YOU

A friend was sharing recently how she is learning to accept and receive God’s love in her life, something she hadn’t truly experienced before. Two days later, I read a short devotional “Let Me Love You,” which I found relatable to our conversation and full of great truth. It seems appropriate to share these thoughts with you this Valentine’s Day, which is also a perfect day to reflect on God’s great love for you personally!

 

 

And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.  –1 John 4:16  (NIV)

Let the three short, powerful words, “God is love,” sink into your heart. God is love! We can only love because God is love. We cannot earn God’s love. Because God is love, His love is freely available to all of us. When we experience God’s love in our lives, we know we live in Him and He lives in us. We are love too! Continue reading “LET ME LOVE YOU”

AN 8-MINUTE CHALLENGE

Do you feel like life is so busy that you rarely have a few minutes to catch your breath? It seems like when we are young adults and launching out on our own, we are so busy making our mark and trying to have a successful career. Often, it takes extra hours to make a go of it. Many then settle into getting married and starting a family, which then becomes the top priority along with juggling work and activities as the children grow. Don’t we always hear retirees say they don’t know how they had time for anything when they were working? All that to say, isn’t it so easy to get too busy with activities and running places that we neglect what is most important, the value of relationships? Continue reading “AN 8-MINUTE CHALLENGE”

RIGHT TIMING

Can you look at events in your life, even the simple little ones, and know that you were in the right place at the right time? I see those times as God’s orchestrations. Sometimes we can easily see the bigger orchestrations, but just as important are the smaller ones because we never know how God will use them in someone else’s life.

Recently, a friend shared that she was wondering about God’s purpose for her life. I pointed out that I believe our purpose is found in the little things, in the way we show kindness and love to others. Our purpose does not have to be grand in the world’s eyes. God knows our hearts, and the condition of our hearts is what is most important. God can use us all if we allow Him to.

 

 

Continue reading “RIGHT TIMING”

GOD’S PURPOSES

A recent encounter brought two Scriptures to mind.

The Lord Almighty has sworn, “Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will happen.” –Isaiah 14:24  (NIV)

God directs our steps and can use everything in our lives to further His purposes! 

 

Mordecai sent this reply to Esther: “Don’t think for a moment that because you’re in the palace you will escape when all other Jews are killed. If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?” Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: “Go and gather together all the Jews of Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will do the same. And then, though it is against the law, I will go in to see the king. If I must die, I must die.”  –Esther 4:13-16  (NLT)

King Xerxes chose Esther, who hid her Jewish ancestry, to be queen of Persia because of her exceptional beauty.  Mordecai, Esther’s uncle who looked after her, overheard an assassination plot to kill the king, which Esther relayed to him. Haman, a chief advisor to the king, was distraught when Mordecai would not bow down to him. He found out Mordecai was a Jew and plotted to exterminate the Jews. Continue reading “GOD’S PURPOSES”