SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR
10/21/2016
My Worship Time Focus:
The Suitable Response to Christ’s Love
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: John
13:12-17
Message of the
verses: “12 So when He had washed
their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, "Do
you know what I have done to you? 13 "You call me Teacher and Lord, and
you say well, for so I am. 14 "If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have
washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 "For I
have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. 16
"Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master;
nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. 17 "If you know these
things, blessed are you if you do them.”
(NKJV)
If things seem different today in this SD it is because
my computer is locked up and so I am using another one which does not have the
NASB on it.
Perhaps we need to think a minute on what we are looking
at in these first 13 chapters of the book of John, and that I love, the
humility of love and so as we move into this last section of the first 17
verses in John 13 we see that this takes place after the completion of Jesus
washing the feet of the disciples, something that was suppose to be done by a
slave, for afterall when Judas goes out to betray the Lord he will only receive
the price of a slave when he gets his blood money and so we see that this is
all the nation of Israel at this time though He was worth as seen in the 11th
chapter of Zechariah.
Jesus taught His disciples the lesson that He wanted to
teach them from the washing of their feet as these theological truths pictured
in verses 7-11 which was the humillation of Jesus from His first coming which
were the once-for-all cleansing of justification verses the daily cleansing of
sanctification. Now these are very
important truth fro them to learn but are not the main truths that the Lord
sought to communicate with them, which was that they lear the importance of
humble, loving service as seen in verses 12-14.
As we have learned in earlier SD’s the disciples had a
problem with what the Lord was going to do the first time He came to earth, as
they did not realize what His reason was for coming this first time and so they
though that He would set up His kingdom at this time and they would argue as to
which of them would be the greatest in His kingdom. So now we see Jesus the creator of all that
exists gird a towel and wash their feet.
He asked a question in Luke 6:46 to them “"But why do you call Me
‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do the things which I say?” What He was asking that if you call me Lord
then why don’t you obey Me. So the
example He gives to them is that they indeed need the same kind of humbeling
love that He has and not worry about who the greatest in the kingdom will be,
just love one another and love others and this will be obeying what the Lord
wants them to do.
I just want to say that there are those who would argue
that footwashing is an ordiance for the church along with baptizm and
communion, but that is not the case as far as I am concerned for Jesus said to
them “I gave you an example that you also should do as I first did to you, not “what
I dod to you.” MacArthur writes “Wise
theologians and expositors have always been reluctant to raise to the level of
universal rite something that appears only once in Scripture” (This is a quote from the MacArthur
commentary from John Carson.
MacArthur adds “To elevate the outward act of foot
washing to the status of an ordiance is to minimize the important lesson Jesus
was teaching. The Lord gave an example
of humility, not of foot washing; His concern was for the inner attitude, not
the outward rite. The latter is
meaningless apart from the former.”
Now if we refuse to follow our Lord’s example of humble
service what we do is to pridefully elevate ourselves above Him because He then
says “a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater
than he who sent him.” We have to
understand that no servant dares to regard any task as beneath him if his
master has performed.
Jesus then tells His disciples and also all of His
followers “If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them and this
reflects the biblical truth that blessings will flow out of obedience. We see this truth in the very first Psalm and
verses 1-3 where we read “How blessed is the man who does not wald in the
counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of
scoffers! But his delight is in the law
of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by
streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not
wither; and whatever he does, he prospers.”
I memorized this Psalm many years ago and as I look at it in this light
it gives new meaning to it.
Spiritual meaning
for my life today: It is hard to do
the things that the Lord has commanded me to do at times and so my prayer is
that He will do these things through me.
My Steps of Faith for Today: Remember these truths that the Lord is
teaching me.
Memory verse for the
week: (Romans 6:14) “For sin shall not
be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.”
Answer to yesterday’s Bible
question: “David.” (2 Samuel 9:1).
Today’s Bible
question: “What country did the king of
Asyria besiege for three years?”
Answer in our next SD.
10/21/2016
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