Key to Servanthood

“Then He poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. So He came to Simon Peter. He said to Him, ‘Lord, do You wash my feet?’ Jesus answered and said to him, ‘What I do you do not realize now, but you will understand hereafter.’ Peter said to Him, ‘Never shall You wash my feet!’ Jesus answered him, ‘If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.’ Simon Peter said to Him, ‘Lord, then wash not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.’ Jesus said to him, ‘He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.’ For He knew the one who was betraying Him; for this reason He said, ‘Not all of you are clean.’

So when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments and reclined at the table again, He said to them, ‘Do you know what I have done to you? You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.’” John 13:5-17

The true servant of Jesus Christ is any born again child of God - cleansed by the blood of Christ, empowered by the Holy Spirit - who ventures out to accomplish the revealed will of God the Father. First and foremost in the heart of the true servant is an all-encompassing sense of humility. It is key; it is foundational; it is essential. Without it, there is no servant - only one aspiring to become master.

Are you a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ? In what way do you daily serve Him? What role of service do you perform? Is it done in the spirit of humility? Does humility breathe your every breath, think your every thought, say your every word, do your every act?

The enemies of humility are many and they are deadly. Some of their names are selfishness, greed, and pride. They are often accompanied by such friends as anger, backbiting, envy, lust, jealousy, bitterness, sensuality, anxiety, and fear. Obviously these are dangerous and mortal enemies of humility. But humility has an overpowering weapon upon which to depend: the cleansing power of the blood of Christ - and your will to appropriate it.

“Only a burdened heart can lead to fruitful service.” - Alan Redpath