Wash My Feet, Lord: One Day Every Knee Will Bow

"Wash My Feet, Lord"

I am a sinner, saved by grace, loving and loved by the Saviour, and striving to live the words of Scripture throughout my sanctification. I need to be convicted and changed more into the image of Christ. I desire to share with you, within this blog, all that I am daily learning. I want to serve Christ and become more and more like Him. I don’t want to live a legalistic life, but I do want to live a holy one. I want to see God receive the glory He deserves. I want to see the depth and richness of the Gospel come back to the Church. I want to see God’s people encouraging and building one another up in Christ. I want to encourage young people, and be encouraged by them, to live a set-apart life. I want to give up my life for the sake of the Kingdom and it’s King.
May you accept what is written here, if it truly honors the Lord, as coming from a heart that purely wants to honor Jesus Christ, my Savior. As He teaches me, rebukes me, corrects me, and trains me in righteousness, I hope to grow in my knowledge and love for Him. May everything that is said here bring Him glory. If I stray from the truths of Scriptures, please tell me. May my words be full of grace, as though seasoned with salt. May "the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer.” (Ps. 19:14)

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

One Day Every Knee Will Bow

"Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

Philippians 2:5-11

Well, the world has come to Vancouver for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. The city is just buzzing with excitement and the quest for gold is evident all around. It is quite something to see an entire planet join together in such a bonding event. Millions of people have tuned in to watch the opening ceremony and the events and thousands upon thousands have traveled far and wide to take part in the excitement.

The torch relay is probably the most uniting event leading up to the Olympics. A burning flame is lit and carried throughout the world heralding the coming of a great event. This flame travels through the smallest of villages to the largest metropolis areas. The every stride of the torchbearer intensifies the excitement and longing for the final climatic moment when the flame is lit and the world is one.

I have found that there are some amazing parallels between the Olympic Games and the life of the Christian. The torch is a light that never goes out. It burns brightly and brings hope to an unsettled world. Torchbearers carry this flame throughout the world, creating a chain of light that connects every nation. The torch signifies the coming of something great; something wonderful.

In the same way, every Christian is a torchbearer. We all have the light of the Gospel in our hands and the Light of the world in our hearts. This Light never goes out. It burns brighter than any light that has been or ever will be. It alone brings true hope to a desperately lost and dying world. We, like the Olympic torchbearer, must carry this Flame throughout the world, creating a chain of light and truth that touches every tribe, tongue, and nation. This Torch signifies the coming of Someone great; Someone wonderful.

Don't be deceived. The world worships the athletes and athletic abilities of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. Sounds similar to the people in Jesus' day. They "were amazed at His teaching." They cried out "Hosanna...blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord", and only a week later they screamed "Crucify Him!"
I'm not saying that people will soon hate the athletes who have come to Vancouver, but in 10 years, or maybe even sooner, no one will remember the great accomplishments, many sacrifices, and personal victories that took place during these two weeks.

As I watched the opening ceremonies and the events following, I have seen the true heart of man. God created us with the desire to worship. He gave us the longing for things grand and beautiful; things that awe and inspire us; spectacular things. But He Himself is the only One who can fulfill that desire. People long to be satisfied in the depth of their hearts, and they try to fulfill those desires with things of the world. God has to be enough for us. His beauty and glory ought to cause us to be awed and inspired. He is grand and beautiful. His glory is spectacular. I pray that He would give us faith to believe. As you undoubtedly have heard the theme song of these Olympics, "I Believe", don't settle for believing in yourself. Believe in God. He is the One who saves.

1 Corinthians 13:12

"For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known."

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Wash My Feet, Lord

This blog is about sin, salvation, sanctification, and the Savior. The title comes from John 13. The book of Luke tells of the disciples arguing in the upper room during the Passover meal about who was the greatest. All too proud to humble themselves, the twelve were stunned into silence as Jesus gently brought out the basin of water and a towel and washed the feet of the ones He loved. But when He comes to Peter, he says to Jesus, “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.”Pastor John Macarthur explains this passage in his NASB notes on John 13: 6-10, “While others remained silent, Peter, perhaps on behalf of others, spoke up in indignation that Jesus would stoop so low as to wash his feet. He failed to see beyond the humble service itself to the symbolism of spiritual cleansing involved. Jesus’ response made the real point of His actions clear: Unless the Lamb of God cleanses a person’s sin (as portrayed in the symbolism of washing), one can have no part with Him. The cleansing that Christ does at salvation never needs to be repeated – atonement is complete at that point. But all who have been cleansed by God’s gracious justification need constant washing in the experiential sense as they battle sin in the flesh. Believers are justified and granted imputed righteousness, but still need sanctification and personal righteousness.”So here lies the essence of this blog. We are all sinners in desperate need of salvation. After we are declared righteous by God - justified, and repent of our sin, we live the lifelong process of sanctification. This is only possible because of the Saviour. Just as Peter and the disciples needed Jesus to wash their feet, so, too, do we need Jesus to forgive us and cleanse us of the sin in our lives. We need His correction, reproof, teaching, and discipline throughout our lives. For those who do not know Christ, the entire body must be cleansed, but for those who have been given new hearts, we must recognize our utter helplessness without Him and say, “Lord, wash my feet.”