Washing the Feet of the Saints

"After the service a man met me at the door and asked if he could wash my feet. He he had a shopping bag in his hand with water bottles and towels. I tried to get out of it by telling him that the fact that he asked was enough to refresh me and wash my feet in a figurative sense. He persisted. Finally I said that if he washed my feet I would have to wash his feet. He agreed. I told him to wait until I greeted everyone as they left and he took a seat on a nearby bench. After greeting everyone he came over and I looked around for an appropriate place. One of our ushers suggested the fountain and we decided it was a good place to go so we walked over. When I asked him his name he dodged for a while but finally told me his name. He is the brother of two girls who were heavily involved in the youth ministry. At the fountain he got all the towels and water set up and I sat and took off my shoes and socks and rolled up my pant legs. He even had a bar of soap, Irish Spring. While he washed my feet he spoke of how he was starting on a new road of total obedience to the Lord. He didn’t know who was preaching but knew that God had told him to ask the minister today if he could wash their feet. After he finished he put his hand on my shoulder and prayed for me. We switched places and I started to wash his feet. While I did I told him of how Christ had set the example for us and the significance of Jesus taking our dirt on Himself. Jesus even washed the feet of Judas. When I finished I prayed for him and we walked back together."

A year later after I wrote this it still impacts me. Our obedience is noticed and impacts others. It is unusual acts like this that show our hearts. 

We recently had a missions conference at our church that hosted delegates from all over the world. At the conference we held meetings, had lunches and dinners and created an atmosphere for connections to happen among the men and women who were reaching people for the Lord in the nations. After three days we had worked hard and long hours and were spent in the best way possible. The neat thing is that I felt like we had washed their feet. Not physically but in a figurative sense. 

When you take care of others and serve them as you would the Lord I believe it is a humbling expression that God sees and His pleasure is on. He says in His word that when we have done it to the least of these we have done it to Him. Our expressions of service are precious to the Lord. 

Have you ever had your feet washed or had someone wash your feet. How did that experience effect you? 

Christ in the Boat

“Christ’s presence confers success.” - Spurgeon

"Spurgeon sparked a great thought from Luke 5:4 where Jesus tells the fishermen to let down their nets for a catch. They had toiled all night but only out of obedience do they act. The result is miraculous. Peter falls at the feet of Jesus asking him to depart for he confesses he is a sinful man. Jesus rejects to offer to leave and stays giving a statement of His purpose that he will make them fishers of men. They forsake all and follow Him. We look forward to the day of Pentecost and see how Jesus purpose was accomplished when the many thousands are saved. What made the difference was Christ in the boat. The Holy Spirit in the heart makes the difference. With Him we can do all things. Without Him we can do nothing."

The question I would ask you is "What are you looking to be successful at?" Is it in business? Then Christ should be your Boss and partner. Is it in Marriage? Then let Christ be the strength of the threefold strand that is not easily broken. Is it in ministry? Then follow the Chief Shepherd and serve as He did. 

The difference is the presence of God in the middle of the endeavor. One of the greatest examples of this is when Jesus and the disciples are crossing the sea and a storm comes upon them. Here is Christ in the bow asleep. Even thought the disciples were straining against the oars and were concerned for their lives they were in the most secure place they could be as long as Jesus was in the boat. 

We often feel the same way when straining against the winds and currents of our life struggles. It feels as though God is asleep and doesn't care if we perish. The moment we approach and bring our need to Him He speaks to the storm and calms it completely. 

If you haven't involved God or if He is outside of your endeavors it is time to re-prioritize. Make Him your all. He should not only be a part of your endeavors but the reason for them. When you do success is assured. 

Have you seen this principle at work? What factors come in to play when determining motivation and if Christ is truly in the boat? 

Learning Forward

"This year was more organized and seemed to be better than last year. That is good that we are learning and moving forward." 

I have read that in order for a blog, or any endeavor, to be successful that you have to know who you are and who your audience is. You have to know what makes you unique and what you are aiming to say. It has taken a year to get it out but I know that Thoughts From Last Year is a platform to share how we can grow forward from the lessons of our past. 

We all want to be successful and get better at what we do. The amazing thing is that God has given us a tool to learn from called experience. Our failures are redeemable when we learn from them. Edison and many other inventors, leaders, entrepreneurs and others are proof of this. We all can be better today than yesterday. 

It is amazing to me how we often miss this in the lessons of the Bible. Joshua heaped up 12 stones from the middle of the Jordan river to remember the miraculous crossing. No doubt the story of the disobedience 40 years earlier would be told as well. Jesus even taught his disciples lessons by having them remember the experiences of feeding thousands of people with loaves and fishes. (If you don't remember these stories go read your Bible!)

Today's tough times are teachers for tomorrow. Learn forward by being aware of your life. It is easy to miss out and float through life. This is especially true if your life is tough or painful. We like to numb pain and ignore problems with distractions like television and the Internet. It may be time to turn off the tv and put down the smart phone to focus on what you're facing. You should consider writing an account or journaling so that you can go back and remember the lessons you are learning today if you're not already.  

We are all in this together. We have one life to live and God is showing us the lessons every day. History does repeat itself. It is our choice to do it better when it does. 

What lessons have you learned and how did you handle the when they came up again?

The End of the Story

"This morning while driving to work I saw the first part of a rainbow in the cloud. It was wide and it was beautiful. I didn't notice the other end of it until later when I was pulling around the bend in the highway and saw the rest of it. God's promises are often like that broken rainbow. We have a promise we find and we rejoice. It's beautiful and it's wonderful and then it disappears. We get discouraged but there on the other side glowing brighter and stronger at the end is the rest of the promise; the fulfillment of it. God's promises will come. God will make sure they come to pass. We need to trust God that he will complete that good work which he began. When we see Jesus we may cry out like John, “The Lamb of God who was slain from the foundation of the world!” But just like we rejoice in his birth and mourn at his death there is a resurrection coming."

The beginning of the story can excite us can't it? I love the start of a good book or watching the opening credits of a movie. But the middle of a story can drag on. I can't tell you how many books I have not finished because it wasn't keeping me like the beginning. 

The Bible says in Ecclesiastes that the end of a thing is better than it's beginning. The end of a story or a good movie will always be better than the beginning. But even more than that the end of a time in life will be better than the beginning. 

When things take longer than you expect it can be discouraging. We lose hope in the middle of a thing. The wonderful news is that the One who began the story will be faithful to finish it. 

We have some friends who are in the middle of a terrible story. The beginning was a bad report from the doctor, lots of tests and tons of bad news. As the story continued it seemed that things went from bad to worse. Just when we thought they were at the end of a long process of chemotherapy and were out of the woods a second diagnosis came in. They are currently still stranded in the middle of a story that I know they wish they could finish. 

Life isn't as easy as putting a book down or changing the channel. We have to trust that God is in control and that our prayers are being heard. God will finish the story. I know there is a great ending ahead of my friends. Just like I know that whatever you are in the middle of right now the Author of Life will complete in a wonderful way. Follow His lead. He isn't finished with any of us yet. 

I would love to hear from you about your story, beginning, middle or end. Leave some comments below.