I was ready to address the second part of my blog concerning cyberspace soul ties, but I felt led to write a short topic on a verse from John that the Lord gave me.
In John 13, before the feast of Passover, Jesus knew that the enemy was going to do his work through Judas. He was aware of all that which was now before Him. Yet he arose from the supper and put a towel around His waist and poured water into a basin. He then proceeded to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel around His waist. When He came to Peter, he pulled back and said, “Lord are you going to wash my feet?” The Lord answered, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will after this.” Peter responded, “You shall never wash my feet!” Jesus then said, “If I do not wash you, you will have no part in Me.” Peter responded that the Lord should also wash his hands and head! Jesus then said, “He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.” For one would betray Him.
Jesus went on to explain that what He did they must do also. He was the example. “A servant is not greater than his master; neither is he who is sent greater than He who sent him.” But, “he who receives whomever I’ve sent receives Me, and the one who receives Me receives the Father who sent Me.”
Easter is but a few weeks away and how many are reflecting on these words Jesus spoke knowing what was going to happen to Him. These words should resonate with us always. He is still offering for us to come before Him and be cleansed. That which He did was usually done by a servant. But He was the ultimate servant. Cleansing your feet washed away all that you picked up in your hard travels and work of the day. It was a hard life for most and having that service done to you was cleansing to both the spirit and the body. All the things you went through and the troubles and hardships that were caked onto your feet were washed away as a sign of hospitality. But this was different. This was the Lord. And Peter realized that which he had touched and put his hands to in his life also needed to be cleansed. And more importantly, his thoughts that he believed to be unseen were suddenly there for his Lord to see, and he wanted that cleansed also. As should we all. The mind is our major battlefield.
The Lord was giving an example that His disciples must live by. But that example also pertains to us. We must be servants. Give and it will be given to you, but give only because He who is everything gave to us. If you follow His commandments, you will love one another as He loves us. He gave His life for us, though we still seem to miss it and not understand. All that pertains to life He has given us. Yet so many seem to grasp on to things that bring calamity and heartache. People gravitate to those things that touch the senses and only too late realize they have chosen a crooked path. Keep your eyes on the prize. Any other way will bring destruction. Quit believing what so many say that causes you to deviate from His true path. It ends up in a ditch. He said that He has sent the spirit of Truth that we may be led and not be deceived. But it seems His sheep run after that which they see or hear that touches their soulish realms, which in turn brings a division between them and the Lord.
Stop right where you are and ask Him to cleanse you. For those that see, you’ll be surprised by how much filth and grime comes off you. His love and peace is ever present. Put away that which is going on throughout the world and the politics of this country, the church, fear of your future and fear of the present. Give it to Him. The Lord says in Ezekiel 36 that “I will sprinkle clean water on you and you shall be clean. I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all idols. I’ll give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you. I’ll take out the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. I’ll put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes. Then you shall be My people and I will be your God.”
That’s what Jesus was giving in John 13. Cleansing. A new life. A new outlook. His view. Give in to Him. It will bring new life. Even though the outward man seems to be perishing, the inward man is being renewed day by day. All of His promises are yes and amen in Christ. It says in 1 Corinthians 2:9 that “Eye has not seen, nor has ear heard, neither has entered into the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him.” Even though it was not necessary, be like Peter when he realized what was at hand, and say cleanse all of me. Blessings.