Reading the words of our Savior, we need to realize the tremendous emphasis He put on obedience. As I think about appropriating Christ’s model and commands, three specifics seem important enough to mention.
Read MoreCategory Archives: Jesus
The Strength of Serving Others
Jesus said a strong thing to Peter when He spoke these words: “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me” (John 13:8). Our Lord’s rebuke introduces a convicting observation.
Read MoreBeing a Servant Is Unannounced
As Jesus prepared to wash His disciples’ feet, He never said, “Men, I am now going to demonstrate servanthood—watch my humility.” No way. That kind of obvious pride was the trademark of the Pharisees.
Read MoreProud Hearts and Dirty Feet
The gentle and humble lifestyle of the Savior is nowhere more evident than in the account of John 13, where He washed the feet of His friends, the disciples. In that event, He left us some timeless principles we dare not ignore.
Read MoreA Self-Description of Jesus
I’ve been involved in a serious study of Scripture for more than fifty years of my life, and in all that time I have found only one place where Jesus Christ—in His own words—describes His own “inner man.”
Read MoreA Servant, not a Superstar
A familiar essay anonymously written many years ago says this about Jesus Christ: “Nineteen long centuries have come and gone and today he is the centerpiece of the human race and the leader of the column of progress.”
Read MoreA Promise for ”Those Who Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness”
The true servant of God possesses an insatiable appetite for what is right, a passionate drive for justice. Spiritually speaking, the servant is engaged in a pursuit of God . . . a hot, restless, eager longing to walk with Him.
Read MoreThe Beatitudes: Three Observations
The introduction to Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount is no doubt the most familiar section of His message (Matthew 5:1–12). Commonly called “The Beatitudes,” this section is the most descriptive word-portrait of a servant ever recorded.
Read MoreJesus’ Command: ”Be Different!”
When Jesus walked the earth, He attracted a number of people to Himself. On one occasion, He sat down among them and taught them some bottom-line truths about how He wanted them to grow up.
Read MoreForgetting Your Own Good Deeds
Yesterday, we talked about what it means to “forget” when other people do bad deeds to us. Today, I want to address forgetting when we do good deeds to others. In other words, once our own good deeds are done, they’re done.
Read More