Day 40 | Jesus Christ

Read John 13:1-17

We live in a very self-centered culture, and this shouldn’t surprise us much considering this was the original temptation from Satan. Do what you want regardless of God’s commands and you will be like God. That’s the lie that we have been force-fed ever since, well, we have existed. It seems like the lie has been amplified though, doesn’t it? Promotion and elevation of self seems to not just be a loud voice, but the prevailing voice of our people. We are told that true freedom comes from doing it our way, that we must be more focused on self-care than anything else, and that we can not only choose but also create our realities. And if you disagree with my way and choices? Well, you must be small-minded, bigoted, and full of hate.

Of course, this affects how we treat each other. If life is all about me, I will only go so far with others as to not inconvenience myself. If I do something for you, there still must be something in it for me. So, what is the result? We are seeing the result in real-time, are we not? Have you noticed the brokenness? The aggression? The confusion? If not, maybe we are looking too much at ourselves as well.

In a society based on self, we lose all connection to a God that modeled the complete opposite approach. In the Gospel of John, we get many examples from Christ of how to live a life that honors God. One of the most famous examples is the humble act of washing His followers’ feet. The act is a literal sacrifice of pride, but the metaphor runs much deeper than just a one-time act of cleaning the dirt off of a friend’s feet. It is a recipe for a life that honors God. We are to lower ourselves in servitude, even to places of self-deprecation, for the sake of those around us. Jesus said, “I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done for you.” Because God has humbled Himself to serve us, we should do the same for everyone around us.

Pray for 10 minutes