John 13:14
“Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.”
It was the Last Supper and Jesus had just finished washing His disciple’s feet…a job usually reserved for a slave. Peter was outraged at first because he thought that job was far too demeaning for his Lord and Savior. Jesus’ correction of His wayward disciple was sharp and to the point: “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”
Putting yourself first or above others is the exact opposite of what Jesus has called you to as His Child. If the Lord of the Universe was willing to leave Heaven and spend thirty-three years amongst a dirty, perverse, and rebellious people who would eventually nail Him to a tree…is it too much to ask that we have an attitude of servitude towards one another like Jesus did?
Jesus was teaching a lesson we all need to learn: by serving one another we live the way Jesus lived…we love the way Jesus loved…we show the world what His love is like…and in the end; He blesses us for it (John 13:17). If you have a hard time serving your spouse or your siblings, the problem is not them…it’s you. Your life is ME FIRST when it should be, according to Jesus, OTHERS FIRST.
Make your siblings bed or clean their room or fold their laundry or do one of their chores. Help your mom or dad clean the kitchen or take care of the yard or just offer to get them something to drink. Dads…make the bed, clean the bathroom, and fold the towels for your bride. Wives…have dinner ready for him when he gets home from work, or offer to help with his jobs around the house, or take the time to ask him about his dreams or desires or goals.
Your pride might be making all kinds of excuses for why you don’t want to do any of those things…but your Savior is calling you overcome your pride and follow His example. If you do, He will bless you. If you don’t, He can’t.
APPLICATION: Discuss some ways you can serve one another in your family and then do at least one of them before you go to bed tonight…then another tomorrow…then another the day after that…then another after that…and so on!
