How to Live: Gospel Today Devotional - 5th November, 2023

Wouldn't it look so disrespectful if a master washed the feet of his servant? The question in one's mind would be how on earth should such a thing happen, right? Shouldn't the servant be the one to wash the feet of his master? Why then is the master doing that which of course the servant ought to do? Well, you're right. That's the norm, and it takes one who is really humble to wash the feet of his servant(s). Nobody can just do that except that he really has the mind of Christ.

How to Live: Gospel Today Devotional - 5th November, 2023

In the thirteenth chapter of John, something about Jesus, and his disciples was recorded. It was seen that our Lord, and Saviour Jesus Christ stood up in the midst of his disciples with the necessary materials needed for washing, and a towel to clean after washing. What did he do with them? He washed the feet of disciples one after the other. Someone right now may be asking this, you mean the Lord did that? Yes, he did. He brought himself that low to wash his disciples' feet. As we all know, the Lord does not do anything without having a reason for doing it. He had a reason for washing the feet of his disciples as we would later see in the study.

The study today would reveal to us, and that most importantly, why the Lord Jesus had to do something like that when in the real sense, the disciples should have done what he did. There was a reason for his action, and he did what he did to send a very strong message to all believers. The passage of scripture to be considered is seen below,

"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". (John 13:13-15).

Most times, until you do something in the presence of another, such a person may not understand very well what you want him to do. Take for instance, a mathematics teacher asking a student who has never been taught anything on simultaneous equation to solve problems on it without any example, do you think that child will do as asked? I doubt, but if the teacher decides to give an example, that would give the child insight on what to do, and how to do it. You agree, don't you?

Let's look at the words of our Lord, and Saviour Jesus Christ. If you look at verse 13, he was aware of the fact that he was their master, and Lord, and knew at the same time that was what they called him but that didn't stop him from doing what he did. That didn't make them think any less of him as their master, did it? He was still their master, and that was not going to change. Let's see his emphasis in verse 14, now we see his expectation; if he who was their Master, and Lord could wash their feet, they were also to wash one another's feet. That was his expectation. The last verse in the passage makes it clearer, that the reason he did such, although he expects them to do the same was to set an example for them to do just as he did.

So in the real sense, Jesus expected nothing less from them just as he expects nothing less from us today. They were to live just as he lived, walk just as he walked, do just as he did, and we are expected to do the same. As much as we can, to wash one another's feet, while it may not be the literal washing of feet, the main idea is that as believers, we are to serve one another in love without considering ourselves more privileged than others. This is how we are to live, and what the Lord expects of us as believers. May the Lord grant us the grace to do as he expects. Amen.

Thought for the day: The Lord expects that you serve other brethren in love not considering yourself higher than them.

Gospel Today is a comforting, exhorting, edifying and inspiring devotional published by the Delightsome Land Christian Ministry. For questions, enquiries/testimonies, please call/WhatsApp: 08174915361, 08161655758 or Email: [email protected].

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