A Servant Heart
by Paul Rader
Before Jesus went to the cross, He gave His disciples an unforgettable lesson in love's humility. The Lord of glory, Maker of worlds, the Firstborn over all creation, bent low before ordinary men, knowing full well that within hours they would desert Him, deny Him or betray Him outright. Without fanfare He washed their feet. It was only when He had finished and had resumed His seat that He made a point of what He had done: "Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you" (John 13:14-15, NIV).
When the hatred of others bound Jesus' loving hands so that He could no longer touch the pain of the few, He stretched His bleeding form upon redemption's tree and died a ransom for the many: "Just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many" (Matthew 20:28, NIV). In that act of love's supreme service He called us all to a life of costly caring, "just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God" (Ephesians 5:2, NIV).
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