Morning Devotional 041725 Your Humble Servant

Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room

  April 17, 2025

John 13:1-7

1 Before the Festival of Passover, Jesus knew that his time had come to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them fully. 2 Jesus and his disciples were sharing the evening meal. The devil had already provoked Judas, Simon Iscariot’s son, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew the Father had given everything into his hands and that he had come from God and was returning to God. 4 So he got up from the table and took off his robes. Picking up a linen towel, he tied it around his waist. 5 Then he poured water into a washbasin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he was wearing. 6 When Jesus came to Simon Peter, Peter said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” 7 Jesus replied, “You don’t understand what I’m doing now, but you will understand later.”

Good Morning. Blessed be our savior!

What does it mean to be a servant? 

I have seen many TV shows have a skit where the main character goes to work at a soup kitchen. In some cases, they go because they have a desire to help those in need, but other times, it is more of a photo op or a chance to allow the character to feel good about themselves. 

Servanthood is based on our “why.” We must consider our motivation for service to others. Do we serve because it makes us feel good about ourselves, or look good on our resume?

Jesus’ motivation for serving was to meet the needs of others. He was seeking no extrinsic rewards. 

The disciples watched and learned from Him throughout His ministry, but when Jesus began to wash their feet, they rebuked Him for such a humble act. At first, Peter refused, but when Jesus explained further, he wished for Jesus to thoroughly wash him. Why were the disciples startled by Jesus’ act of service toward them? 

Perhaps they saw those whom Jesus served as being lesser than themselves, making it understandable to attend to their needs. Allowing Jesus to serve them meant they had to strip away all pretentiousness held in their hearts. They had to realize and accept that they were weak and lowly enough to require care.

We spend much of our lives developing our independence, so it is hard to suddenly let go of being in control. Jesus calls us to give ourselves fully to Him. By God’s grace, Jesus came to save us from ourselves so that we might have eternal life.

Loving Lord, Maker of all things! Thank you for our blessings. We often think too highly of ourselves. Help us be humble and recognize our role as Your servant. Thank you. We love you, Lord! In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen

Thought for the day: Humble yourself before Christ!

Humbly serve others! Pastor Liz