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Day 13: John 13/Psalm 27
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Monday March 8, 2004
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Having loved his
own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his
love.
John 13:1
“No,” Peter
said, “you shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash
you, you have no part with me.”
John 13:8
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The
Unselfishness of God
If you were to ask at what point Jesus demonstrated the full extent of
his love for his disciples, my first instinct would be to say that it
was in his death on the cross. To hear John say that Christ’s full love
was demonstrated when he washed his disciples’ feet shows how dramatic
this experience was to those who were there, and it can radically
challenge our view of God.
We all have
different pictures of God that bounce around in our heads--pictures
that help us grasp a part of who God is. We feel comfortable with the
picture of God as king who rules in power, or as a father who waits
with longing for his son to return home -- but to picture God as our
lowest servant waiting to take care of our basest needs? With Peter we
almost recoil in embarrassment. It’s inappropriate. It’s offensive.
It’s almost tasteless, and Peter rebukes Jesus for forgetting his
place. This seems to be the point Jesus was intentionally pushing
against -- God is not who you think he is; he is much better than that.
In her autobiography
The Unselfishness of God, Hannah Whitall Smith writes:
Without putting it into such
words as to shock themselves or others, many Christians still at bottom
look upon God as one of the most selfish, self-absorbed Beings in the
universe, far more selfish than they could think it right to be
themselves – intent only upon His own honor and glory, looking out
continually that His own rights are never trampled on…I grew up
believing God was like this. I have discovered that He is exactly the
opposite.
Today’s
prayer:
Jesus,
help me to see your humility and unselfishness so that I can understand
the full extent of your love for me. Help me to see the places in my
life where I need to allow you to serve me.
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Memory Verse of the Week:
Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,
and
I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Psalm 23:6 (New International Version)
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For a complete
listing of all the previous devotionals in this "50 Day
Experience," click here.
To read the chapter or psalm of the day online, click on one of the
following links:
o
John
13
o
Psalm
27
Greg Williams , williams@cincyvineyard.com,
oversees leadership development and training at VCC
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