At a wedding recently, the couple washed each others feet in a lovely symbol of unconditional love and servant hood in their new marriage. The difference between the two Greek words for wash and bathe have great significance in our walk with God. Louo, means to bathe the entire body and is done by God when we’re made right before Him…justified, once for all. Where, Nipto, means to wash part of the body, symbolizing our daily, ongoing journey of sanctification. Jesus washed the disciple’s feet to not only demonstrate humility, love , and holiness…but then He dried them with the towel tied around Him…the towel tied around God.
Month: March 2015
Mark 14: 10-11 ” Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went to the chief priest to betray Jesus to them. They were delighted to hear this and promised to give him money. So he watched for an opportunity to hand Him over.”
Jesus saw promise in him…his fellow disciples saw honesty, and entrusted him with the group’s money. So what really happened to Judas? He was the only non-Galilean among the twelve, so did that make him feel outside the group, not really belonging, not part of the inner circle? Or did he feel frustration and disappointment that Jesus wasn’t taking over the Roman Empire by force as the disciples had envisioned? What prompted Judas to abruptly change from an ardent follower to the most infamous betrayer in history? It’s difficult to say, but we all possess that same willful sin nature Judas did, and all of us could make that same treacherous choice.
John 12: 12-13 ” The next day the great crowd that had come for the Feast heard that Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet Him, shouting, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the King of Israel!’ ” ‘
Instead of being astride a fiery stallion, coming to make war…He came to Jerusalem riding a donkey, a sign of desiring peace. Instead of being surrounded by multitudes of troops, He came with a rag-tag group of twelve men, who didn’t have a clue what was happening. Yes, Jesus could have rode into Jerusalem with all the pomp and glory befitting the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, but He didn’t. However, He did ride in victorious, as signified by the symbol of the palm branches… victory was already His.
II Samuel 22:2-3 ” The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior – from violent men you save me.”
What do you put your trust in? If it’s your nation’s economy…it may fall tomorrow. If it’s in other men…you’ll be sadly disappointed when they become untrustworthy and turn on you. No, there’s only one that you can put your wholehearted trust and confidence in…for God will never betray that trust – He will never fail you.
Micah 2:13 ” One who breaks open the way will go up before them; they will break through the gate and go out. Their King will pass through before them, the Lord at their head.”
The cross Jesus was crucified on bridged the gap between God and man. The chasm was spanned once , for all , by His dying on that cross. Sin had separated us from God…but Jesus made a way when there was no way, back to Him.
I John 2:17 ” The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the Will of God lives forever.”
Besides the eternal benefit of living a Godly life, we tend to forget all the advantages we gain mentally, physically, and emotionally. If our body isn’t bombarded with drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes, we’ll live a much longer, healthier life. If we don’t become involved in risky choices and life styles, we won’t have to suffer the consequences that come along with them, and thus our emotional and mental well-being will be left intact. Living a righteous life certainly has its perks.
I John 2:16 ” For everything in the world – the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does – comes not from the Father but from the world.”
To paraphrase Proverbs 27:20, “The eyes of man are never satisfied.” From the moment in the Garden of Eden when Eve’s selfish desire outweighed her rational thinking, we’ve been battling our own corrupt habits and appetites. We are never content with what we have…never happy until we have more. And sadly, this cycle just repeats itself over and over again.
I John 2:15 ” Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”
If our mind and will are rooted in the world’s way of thinking, we will be selfish, greedy, and full of violence. The self-centered, narcissistic spirit of the world refuses to love in the selfless, generous way Jesus taught. As it says in the book of James 4:4, ” Friendship with the world is hatred towards God.”
Philippians 1: 3-6 ” I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
Thank you! Thank you for reading this devotional today…thank you if you are reading this for the very first time, or if you have been on this journey with me for the last 2 1/2 years. What started out as simple obedience and one post, has now grown to 823 posts read in 95 countries around the world. My focus and purpose has always been to lead you to the full realization of just how special you are to God. I thank the Lord for each one of you daily…we share in this fellowship together, and I will never take it lightly. You are all very special to me…whether I know you personally, or not… for we are all in the family of God. And I am confident that the Lord will accomplish His purpose in each one of us as we continue this journey together.
Hebrews 13:5 ” Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have.”
Why can’t we just be happy and more importantly – thankful for what we have? We are ever looking for the next best thing…the new and improved model…always wanting to add to our collection of whatever…but never content with what we have. Paul summed it up best when he wrote to the Philippians in Chapter 4, verse 11 – “For I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.” Paul understood that contentment started from within, and no amount of money or stuff could ever give him that kind of peace or happiness.
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