Tag Archives: Humility

Jesus Washes the Disciples Feet (He forgave their sin before they even committed it. He offered mercy before they even sought it)

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Jesus Washes the Disciples Feet (He forgave their sin before they even committed it. He offered mercy before they even sought it)

It has been a long day. Jerusalem is packed with Passover guests, most of whom clamor for a glimpse of the Teacher. The spring sun is warm. The streets are dry. And the disciples are a long way from home. A splash of cool water would be refreshing.

The disciples enter [the room], one by one, and take their places around the table. On the wall hangs a towel, and on the floor sits a pitcher and a basin. Any one of the disciples could volunteer for the job, but not one does.

After a few moments, Jesus stands and removes his outer garment. He wraps a servant’s girdle around his waist, takes up the basin, and kneels before one of the disciples. He unlaces a sandal and gently lifts the foot and places it in the basin, covers it with water, and begins to bathe it. One by one, one grimy foot after another, Jesus works his way down the row.

In Jesus’ day the washing of feet was a task reserved not just for servants but for the lowest of servants…The servant at the bottom of the totem pole was expected to be the one on his knees with the towel and basin.

In this case the one with the towel and basin is the king of the universe. Hands that shaped the stars now wash away filth. Fingers that formed mountains now massage toes. And the one before whom all nations will one day kneel now kneels before his disciples. Hours before his own death, Jesus’ concern is singular. He wants his disciples to know how much he loves them…

You can be sure Jesus knows the future of these feet he is washing. These twenty-four feet will not spend the next day following their master, defending his cause. These feet will dash for cover at the flash of a Roman sword. Only one pair of feet won’t abandon him in the garden. One disciple won’t desert him at Gethsemane—Judas won’t even make it that far! He will abandon Jesus that very night at the table…

What a passionate moment when Jesus silently lifts the feet of his betrayer and washes them in the basin!

Jesus knows what these men are about to do. He knows they are about to perform the vilest act of their lives. By morning they will bury their heads in shame and look down at their feet in disgust. And when they do, he wants them to remember how his knees knelt before them and he washed their feet…

He forgave their sin before they even committed it. He offered mercy before they even sought it.

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Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves

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Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves

Fruits of Humility

An unfriendly man pursues selfish ends; he defies all sound judgment.

Proverbs 18:1

We have become a culture absorbed with self. Self-fulfillment and self-satisfaction, self-esteem and self-actualization are the battle cries of our day.

We use these cries to justify a multitude of sins. The sick, elderly, unwanted and disabled are easy to ignore in our quest for “self,” yet these are the very people Jesus reached out to. Philippians 2:3 tells us, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.”

The focus should not be on ourselves, but on Christ, who is the ultimate example of humility. The God of the universe came down to earth and humbled Himself by becoming subject to all the things human beings experience-fear, hunger, weariness.

In John 13:5, He even washes the feet of His disciples: “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.” Follow His example of humility today. Ask Him to guide you in living a life that honors Him.

Further Reading

•James 3:14

•James 3:16

•Psalms 119:36

God Bless,

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Establishing God’s perfect will in your life today

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Still life with Bible, by Vincent Van Gogh

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Proverbs 3:11-12 “My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, Nor detest His correction; For whom the LORD loves He corrects, Just as a father the son in whom he delights.”

Sometimes it is difficult to understand why certain things happen in your life. You need to trust God that He knows better and in spite of what seems to be a bad situation, He will always protect you and you will get through whatever you are going through. Many times God allows things in your life to build your character, so that His perfect will can be established in your life.

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The challenges you face today is directly related to the joy you will experience in the future

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English: Saint paul arrested

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The challenges you face today is directly related to the joy you will experience in the future.

When the storms of life hit, we are often tempted to run for cover. When they continue indefinitely, we struggle to find encouragement. When the rain and the wind gather strength until they turn into what seems to be a hurricane, we find ourselves saying, “I can’t do this any longer,” the truth is this: we can’t, but God can.

He is the only One who can help us victoriously fight through the battles of life. Nothing can provide the type of strength that He provides, especially when we feel overwhelmed and discouraged. He stands beside us, and He never retreats.

Daniel never worried about being cast into the lion’s den. He knew that the Lord would provide the help and protection he needed to make it through the night. Some of the people who read these words are fighting a battle with a life-threatening disease. It is an unseen enemy from a human standpoint but not from God’s. He knows exactly what we are facing and how it is affecting our lives.

There is an incredible sense of peace that comes from learning how to rest in the Lord and allow Him to take care of your troubles. This does not mean that you abandon the fight and just give up trying. It means that you shift the focus of your effort from yourself to God. This is where the true victory is gained.

The apostle Paul faced many life-threatening situations. At one point, he debated whether it was better to ask God to allow him to go home to heaven where he would have unending peace and glory in the presence of Christ or to continue living the earthly life God had given him. Paul chose the latter. As much as he longed to see the Lord in heaven, he loved having the opportunity here to tell others about God’s unending, unconditional love and forgiveness.

The challenges you face today is directly related to the joy you will experience in the future.

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We are the clay and You are our Potter O Lord God

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150

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The Redeemed Christian Church of GOD.
HOLY GHOST CONGRESS!
Theme: A NEW THING.
Date: 12-17 Dec, 2011.
Venue: Redemption camp, KM 46, Lagos Ibadan expressway, Nigeria.
You are invited!

We are the clay, and You are our Potter O Lord God

Imagine a beautiful china tea cup saying: “I wasn’t always like this. There was a time when I was just a cold, hard lump of clay. One day the potter picked me up and said, ‘I could do something with you’ Then he started to put pressure on me and change my shape. I said, ‘What are you doing? That hurts. Stop!’ but he said, ‘Not yet’. Then he put me on a wheel and began to spin me around and around until I shouted, ‘Let me off.’ He replied, ‘Not yet’. Then he shaped me into a cup and put me in a hot oven. I cried, ‘Let me out of here, I’m suffocating.’ But he looked at me and said, ‘Not yet.’ When he took me out, I thought his work on me was over, but then he started to paint me. I couldn’t believe what he did next. He put me back into the oven, and I said, ‘I can’t stand this, please let me out!’ but he said, ‘Not yet.’ Finally he took me out of the oven and set me on a shelf where I thought he had forgotten me. Then one day he took me off the self and held me up before a mirror. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I had become a beautiful teacup that everybody wants to buy.

There are things going on in your life today that you don’t understand. When you finally get to the place God wants you to be, you’ll realise that He has been making you into a vessel He can use, bless, and use to bless others. So, allow God to shape you today!

May Our God The Almighty prosper Nigeria and Israel and defend us from all our enemies in Jesus Christ Name, Amen!

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The power of humility

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150

Image via Wikipedia

The Redeemed Christian Church of GOD.
HOLY GHOST CONGRESS!
Theme: A NEW THING.
Date: 12-17 Dec, 2011.
Venue: Redemption camp, KM 46, Lagos Ibadan expressway, Nigeria.
You are invited!

The power of humility

“For by grace given me I say to every one of you. Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself only with sober judgement in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.”  Romans 12:3

Humility is the opposite of pride. It is a mental attitude of holiness and its major characteristic is not thinking of oneself more highly than one ought to.

Jesus said to the woman with a possessed daughter “it is not right to give bread to a dog.” many would call that a mean statement. At that point she could have reacted negatively to the degrading statement made by Jesus, but she did not. The humility with which she accepted the statement, made Jesus confirm her faith “O woman great is thy faith, be it unto thee even as thou wilt” and her daughter was made whole immediately.

It is humility that brings a soul to nothing before God, which also removes every hindrance to faith. One can only wonder what would have become of her daughter if she had reacted in pride like many would have.

Pride does not pay; the path to a higher life is from down upward, this is because; humility is the key to total sanctification and exaltation.

I must decrease that He (Christ) might increase!

May Our God The Almighty prosper Nigeria and Israel and defend us from all our enemies in Jesus Christ Name, Amen!

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God Rewards Humility.

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Although men
look at the outward appearance, God looks on the heart. A humble man has
integrity, he has the wisdom of God and this is why God exalts him. The Bible
says,  “…….the wisdom that is from above
is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be willing to yield, full of
mercy and good fruits without partiality and
without hypocrisy” (James 3:17). Humility, therefore, does not mean
timidity or foolishness as some have assumed. It is maturity, and applying the
wisdom of God with all honesty. It is responding to the Word of God with a pure
and teachable heart.

It is
imperative to learn how to deny your flesh of its desires, and let the nature
of God dominate you. Jesus said, “he that taketh not his cross and followeth
after me, is not worthy of me” (Matthew 10:38). When you humble yourself in the
sight of God, no matter how complicated your case may be, He will lift you up.
Job was described as a perfect and upright man, one who feared the Lord and
eschewed evil. He was famous for his wealth, but he lost everything; his
family, wealth and even health. Yet in spite of all these, the Bible noted
Job’s reaction as being without sin, neither did he charge God foolishly.

God has
given you every opportunity to express your love for Him. You might be looking
forward to experiencing a miracle, hoping that someday your heart’s desire
would be fulfilled. You might even be praying for a speedy one, not wanting to
wait as long as Joseph, Sarah, Elizabeth, Job or Jacob. When you look to God
for a miracle, trust His choice, and know that His timing is perfect. However,
there is a quality you must possess that will produce great results, a quality
that other will admire and be inspired by. That quality is humility.

PRAYER

Dear Heavenly Father, I
humble myself under your mighty hand. I receive your Word with meekness and
childlike faith, and I apply my heart to the wisdom that comes from above.
Thank You for the effect of Your Word in me as I exalt Your Word in my life, in
Jesus Christ Name, Amen!

 

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