Key Verse: John 13:5, 35
After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded…By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.

The words, “love, loved or loves,” are found 14 times in our reading! The Lord Jesus is letting us know what is truly important to Him. When we say, “I love You, Jesus,” we must say it in a practical way by loving one another. Jesus said to His disciples, “I love you,” by washing their feet and by drying them with a towel. What an example to follow! In fact, Jesus tells us that the way all will know that we are His disciples is by loving one another. Sadly, the history of Christianity has, from time to time, been marked by fights and divisions. Often when we witness for Christ, we have these dark stains on the Church thrown at us. People will look past these historical messes if they see love in us as individuals, or if they experience love from and in the local church. If we are breaking the bonds of love through gossip, self interest, or outright rebellion, STOP!!! Ask God’s forgiveness, confess our sin, repent, and ask God to mend the broken bonds of love. We then are ready to read the love chapter again (1 Corinthians 13 – King James Version).

PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Dear loving Lord Jesus, give me the grace and determination to wash the feet of my brothers and sisters (figuratively or maybe now and then literally – it sure wouldn’t hurt to ask someone, “May I wash your feet as Jesus washed His disciples’ feet?” This should be someone I wish to serve or someone with whom I’ve had strife). I’m asking You, Lord Jesus, to grant me the humility I need to do this. Amen!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:
I thought one time of washing someone’s feet on the 100 Huntley Street TV program, and then I backed off because it might look like I was trying to be humble, and proud of it! The story is told of the man who was voted the most humble in the congregation and given a button stating this. However, the first day he wore the button to church, they had to take it away! He was no longer the most humble person. As a public school teacher, and later teaching college English, I required my students to memorize 1 Corinthians 13. I’m not the only one who considers the love chapter of the Bible as the finest example of the use of the English language. Of course, we memorized it in the Old King James language. In my opinion, it loses some of its beauty in modern translations. I’m a believer today because, as a teenager, I came across people who loved one another and who loved me enough to lead me to Christ.

Yours, not because of my own love, but because the love of Christ is in my life,

David