The night before Jesus was crucified He was celebrating the Passover
meal with His disciples. We traditionally call this the Last Supper.
Jesus knew this would be the last time He would eat with His disciples;
He knew in just one more day He would be hung on a cross to die.

Knowing He only had a few short hours remaining with this select group,
Jesus used His time to leave a lasting impression of what it meant to
truly follow Him.

"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." John 13:3-5

Without using words, Jesus gave perhaps His greatest sermon. Jesus was
absolutely secure in who He was and where He was going: "He had come
from God and was returning to God." But He was not proud or arrogant
in His security - He didn't use His position as a club to force others
to submit or demand they fill His needs - instead, His secure position
allowed Him to be completely humble and serve His disciples by washing
their feet.

Our Heavenly Father desires for us to have this same level of security
in Him. He wants us to KNOW we are His children and where we will
spend eternity. Jesus came to set us free, and we are to walk in this
secure freedom. But rather than using our freedom to arrogantly strut
according to our own desires, a secure freedom should give us the
necessary confidence to humbly serve without being offended; "do not
use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one
another in love" (Galatians 5:13).

Being a follower of Jesus Christ means, first and foremost, that we
love the Lord with ALL our heart, soul, mind and strength (Mark 12:30).
But next, it means we are to love, serve, and "submit to one another
out of reverence for Christ" (Ephesians 5:21). Knowing where we will
spend eternity, and keeping our eyes set on this eternal perspective,
allows us to focus more on the needs and concerns of others
(Philippians 2:3-4) and to "use whatever gifts {we have} received to
serve others" (1 Peter 4:10). My earthly needs become few when I have
a clear picture of my eternal home.

Let's learn to live as Jesus lived: in fellowship with our Heavenly
Father; with absolute assurance of who we are in Christ; with
confidence of our eternal destiny; and with the complete abandoned
humility of a free and secure servant.

Steve Troxel God's Daily Word Ministries

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"The lions may grow weak and hungry,
but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing."
Psalm 34:10

www.brennakate.com
www.livejournal.com/~brennakate




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