.....servant

The night before Jesus was crucified, He was celebrating the Passover meal with His disciples, the Last Supper. Jesus knew this would be the last time He would eat with His disciples; He knew in just one more day He would be hung on a cross to die. Knowing He only had a few short hours remaining with this select group, Jesus used His time to leave a lasting impression of what it meant to truly follow Him.

"Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under His power, and that He had come from God and was returning to God; so He got up from the meal, took off His outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around His waist. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash His disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around Him."John 13:3-5

Without using words, Jesus gave perhaps His greatest sermon. Jesus was absolutely secure in who He was and where He was going: "He had come from God and was returning to God." But He was not proud or arrogant in His security. He didn't use His position to force others to submit or demand they satisfy His needs; instead, His secure position allowed Him to be completely humble and serve His disciples by washing their feet.

Our Heavenly Father desires for us to have this same level of security in Him. He wants us to KNOW we are His children and where we will spend eternity. Jesus came to set us free, and we are to walk in this secure freedom. But rather than using our freedom to arrogantly strut according to our own desires, a secure freedom should give us the necessary confidence to humbly serve without being offended; "do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love" Galatians 5:13.

Being a follower of Jesus Christ means, first and foremost, that we love the Lord with ALL our heart, soul, mind and strength Mark 12:30. But next, it means we are to love, serve, and "submit to one another out of reverence for Christ" Ephesians 5:21. Knowing where we will spend eternity, and keeping our eyes set on this eternal perspective, allows us to focus more on the needs and concerns of others Philippians 2:3-4. It allows us to use our gifts for their intended purpose; "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others" 1 Peter 4:10. My own earthly needs become few when I have a clear picture of my eternal home.

Let's learn to live as Jesus lived: in fellowship with our Heavenly Father, with absolute assurance of who we are in Christ, with confidence of our eternal destiny, and with the complete abandoned humility of a free and secure servant.

- steve troxel