Wash My Feet, Lord: Fellowship of the Unashamed

"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)

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Fellowship of the Unashamed

“I am a part of the fellowship of the unashamed, the die has been cast, I have
stepped over the line, the decision has been made. I'm a disciple of Jesus Christ. I
won't look back, let up, slow down, back away or be still. My past is redeemed,
my present makes sense, my future is secure. I'm finished and done with low
living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed
visions, worldly talking, cheap giving and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need pre-eminence, prosperity, position, promotion, plaudits, or
popularity. I don't have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or
rewarded, I now live by presence, lean by faith, love by patience, live by prayer
and labor by power.

My face is set, my gate is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way is
rough, my companions are few, my guide is reliable, my mission is clear. I cannot
be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, diluted, or delayed.

I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity,
negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in
the maze of mediocrity. I won't give up, shut up, let go, or slow up until I have
preached up, prayed up, paid up, stored up, and stayed up for the cause of Jesus
Christ.

I am a disciple of Jesus. I must go until He comes; give till I drop; preach till
everyone knows; and work till he stops me. And when he comes for His own, he
will have no problem recognizing me, because my banner will have been clear.”

- Rwandan Man's Confession

O God, help me to live this way. Help me to understand that without You, I am nothing and with You I am everything. You are what makes me whole. You are my identity, my reason to live, my exceeding joy! When I sin and disobey You, I feel distant from You. Thank You for promising me that You never leave me and for provinding me redemption through repentance. Thank You for Your living Words in John 15:10-11 which say, "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love...these things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full."

I ask that you burn onto the fabric of my soul the image of the Cross and of your resurrected Son, that I might run through this world with a torch and a flame that burns for you. Let me be hated, lied about, spat upon, critizied, deserted, mocked, cheated, slandered about, without fame, without money, without reason to boast so that Your name would be high, Your glory revered, Your love unescapable, and Your name exalted and known throughout all the world. Would You make me bold, unashamed, and unmoved. Would You kindle the fire of my heart so it may blaze for You.

Thank You for the Cross. Thank You for bearing the weight of my sin upon Your self that I might see your face. Thank Your for pursuing me with a relentless love. Give me Your love to pursue others with the Gospel that they might be saved and that You might be glorified.

O God, You are coming quickly! You will judge this earth in righteousness because You are just and sure.

O God, revive our hearts! Bring persecution to our nations that will separate the sheep from the goats within the body of professing believers in churches throughout our countries. Give Your people hearts that ask, seek, and knock, NOT for material things but for Your righteousness! Stop us from pursuing the things that gratify our flesh and make us seek Your face! Give Your Church a vision for Your coming Kingdom!

O God, make us faithful; make me faithful. Make me humble.

Make me like Jesus.

No comments:

Post a Comment

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.”