READING: Ezekiel 37-39, Psalm 87, John 13
When I think of the people in churches I’ve pastored over the years, the ones who first come to mind are those who regularly served others and deeply loved me. The ones I’m thinking about were willing to serve behind the scenes, never sought their own glory, and modeled humility. They cooked meals, painted rooms, visited the sick, repaired church vans, swept the floor, ministered to grieving families, served kids in Vacation Bible School, and basically did whatever was needed for the church to reach people and make disciples.
Considering today’s New Testament reading, they would have been humbled by someone washing their feet, and they would have willingly washed the feet of others. None of them, though, would want their names included in this devotion.
These same folks loved me as their pastor, but their love was hardly limited to me. They simply loved the people of God and showed it by their actions. They loved non-believers with a patient love that longed for them to know Christ. The world may not have understood their sacrificial, undying love for others, but that love was genuine. They loved others with the love God first extended to them.
A serving and loving heart—that marks the heart of a follower of Jesus.
PRAYER: “God, give me a heart of service and love.
TOMORROW’S READING: Ezekiel 40-42, John 14
