You Know It, Now Do It

When I was in high school at a small private Christian school, my New Testament teacher did something I’ll never forget. In a lesson about Jesus’ humility and servant leadership, we read the passage from John 13 where Jesus took off his robe, tied a towel around his waist, and washed his disciples’ dusty, dirty feet. The next thing I knew, our teacher had pulled a basin of water out from beneath his desk, knelt down on his knees and had each one of us take off our shoes. While we watched in amazement, he washed our feet.

It was incredibly embarrassing and touching and meaningful all at the same time. Suddenly I knew exactly how Peter felt when he exclaimed, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?!”

It seemed impossible to me as a 16-year-old that my teacher, a dignified and highly-respected man would kneel before a group of teenagers and perform this lowly act. Yet he did.

In verse 17 from today’s reading, Jesus says, “If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.” There’s a big difference between knowing and doing. It’s easy to know that we should humbly serve others who need our help yet it’s often hard to perform the act of service when we’re busy with our own priorities. Yet Jesus says there’s blessing in doing it.

• Have you ever had a dream that seemed impossible but God put it in your heart?
• Do you sense that God wants you to pursue that dream? Who could help you?

FAMILY FIELD TALK