This was Apostle Peter’s instructions to the church leaders. In the Bible, believers are sometimes referred to as sheep because sheep are gentle and sheep are valuable.
Peter reminded the leaders to be good examples for God’s people, to teach them God’s Word and to nurture them in their Christian faith.
As leaders, we need God’s grace and wisdom to lead us and to guide us so that our lives may bring glory to Him.
Jesus came to show us the example of what it means to serve one another
Jesus knew He would be crucified soon. The passage gives us an intimate glimpse of the last few moments Jesus have with his disciples.
(1) Jesus knew He would be heading to the Cross
“It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father.” (John 13:1)
The final moments of someone’s life were especially important. When someone was dying, the loved ones would gather around to spend the last few precious moments together. Jesus knew His time on earth was coming to an end and so He treasured the time alone with His disciples by teaching them the most important lesson to His disciples.
Jesus had been with His disciples for 3 and a half years. He had called the 12 of them from their ordinary work: some were fishermen, there was a tax collector whereas we were not told about the professions of the others. These men were just ordinary people. They were not the rich or influential people. They were not the best in their professions, but still, Jesus called them and their lives were never the same again. Although they were unnoticed by the society, Jesus saw their potential and knew they could change the world with the Gospel.
Likewise, Jesus has called us, not because we are rich, not because we are people of status, or because we are talented not because we come from influential families. But Jesus called us because He loves us. He came to bring us out of darkness. And He knew we would impact others around us with His love. Our lives were never the same again. It is the sweetest relationship that we can have: our relationship with Jesus Christ, who came to seek us and found us while we were still lost.
Jesus knew His disciples did not fully understand Who He was but He loved His disciples still.
Jesus knew one of His disciples would betray Him in a short while, but He would still wash His feet.
Jesus knew none of us were perfect. We are sinners. We are sinful but Jesus still chose to die on the Cross for us.
Nothing could change God’s mind about you.
“Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.” (John 13:1).
Jesus loved His disciples as He carried the Cross to the place He would be crucified.
Jesus loves you and I as He died on the Cross. Jesus loves us to the end.
The Bible tells us there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God.
Jesus doesn’t love us because we are good. He loves us unconditionally.
Do you know you are the beloved child of God?
Jesus knew you are worth it so He died for you and me to reconcile us to God.
What are you going to do about Jesus’ love for you? Remember, Jesus has called us out of darkness into His marvellous light so that we can shine for Him. Don’t hide your light.
(2) Jesus knew Who He was
By then, Jesus already knew one of His 12 disciples, one of His close friends, Judas Iscariot would betray Him. But Jesus knew Who He was.
“3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God;” (John 13:3).
Jesus knew He was the Son of God. And He would be returning to God soon. Although everything was in the power of Jesus, He was obedient to God and submit Himself to God’s will. He could have call 10,000 angels to rescue Him from the Cross but He did not. He chose to die for us (Matthew 26:53).
Although He was the Son of God, He knew His missions on earth. Without wasting time, He went on to teach the most important lesson to His disciples.
“4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.” (John 13:4-5)
In those days, feet are dirty because people walked from place to place on the dusty roads. Before visitors entered into a home, the lowliest servant would wash the feet of the visitors.
Jesus did the work of a servant, showing us the example that we are to love one another and serve one another.
(3) Jesus knew He had to set the example
Jesus Christ had set the example for us in obedience to God when He came down from Heaven to Earth. This was in obedience to His Father in Heaven. He also set an example in how He has lived His life.
At the Last Supper with His disciples, Jesus demonstrated the meaning of serving one another. Although He is the King, He came to serve, not to be served.
“14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.” (John 13:14-17)
Jesus as the teacher has set the example for us. Many of you are teachers, you know that your students look up to you. What you teach them but more importantly, your example in the way you live will impact them. Your students are watching you and learning from your examples. Jesus showed the example to His students. In the Kingdom of God, we don’t fight for titles or recognitions. In the Kingdom of God, we serve one another. The Kingdom of God has different values than the values of the world.
The world puts an importance on status of someone, but Jesus looks at the way we serve others. In the society, we put importance on climbing to the top, of protecting our rights, or using our power to protect our dignity. We are always guarded, having our weapons and will try to take down those we see as competitors. To reach to the top, we need to pull strings, know influential people, play some tricks. This is not how God’s Kingdom works. In God’s eyes, real greatness is not in what we have or how influential we are. It is how we serve others, not how many people are serving us.
Who will you serve today? Who can you love today? May someone experience the love of God through you.
We are blessed because Jesus seeks us, calls us His own and He loves us unconditionally.
We are blessed because Jesus is the Son of God who will one day come back again in victory.
We are blessed because Jesus has shown us the example in the right way of living. He shows us what truly matters in His eyes.
The church is the body of Christ.
The church is the people of God, called to be the salt and light to this world (Matt. 5:13-14). In the New Testament, the church is called, “ekklesia”, which is a group of people who have been called out by God.
When the people of God gathered together, there are 3 things which will happen:
1.Christ-centered
It is Christ-centered as we gather to study God’s Word and have fellowship with one another through prayers and through sharing a meal.
2. Christ-exalted
The church is a body of Christ. We are one body (1 Cor. 12:12-31).We exalt Christ as we worship God together. Since we are a body in Christ, we love one another and live in peace and unity. It is not always easy, but let us ask help from the God who first loves us. With His help, we learn to embrace one another and to forgive those who have offended us as God has also forgiven our offenses against Him.
3. Christ-glorified
In the church, we live in unity and we guard our unity by extending peace to one another. As a body of Christ, we share the Gospel with people outside of the church. In our daily living, we obey God’s commands and live lives that glorify God in our actions, words and thoughts.
God’s commandments are not to restrict us but to give us freedom to enjoy our life.
I played basketball when I was younger. At one point, I was playing on the school’s basketball team. It gives me great pride to wear the school’s basketball jersey! I love the excitement of the game.
However, the game is only enjoyable when there are rules. Without the rules, the players will get confused and hurt. The rules ensure that the game is fair to all the players.
Likewise, God’s commandments to us are not to limit us from enjoying life. Rather, God’s commandments give us freedom to live the life He has given us.
God saw our regrets and pains. He understands and He takes them away..
Saw this prayer from the United Methodist Church. I love it because I miss my loved ones who have gone home to the Lord.
God has blessed me with these loved ones. Yes, there are regrets. There were things I wish I had done differently. It is such an assurance to know we can commit these pain and regrets to God. God understands.
Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the season of Lent, the 40 days before the victorious Easter.
Ash Wednesday reminds us of our mortality, that all of us will leave this world someday.
It is also a time for repentance. We grief over our sins (ashes are used in the Old Testament to symbolise grief and repentance) and recommit ourselves to follow Jesus Christ.
Love me … with the love that is long-suffering and kind; that is patient, –if I am ignorant or out of the way, bearing and not increasing my burden; and is tender, soft, and compassionate still; that envieth not, if at any time it please God to prosper me in his work even more than thee. Love me with the love that is not provoked, either at my follies or infirmities; or even at my acting (if it should sometimes so appear to thee) not according to the will of God. Love me so as to think no evil of me; to put away all jealousy and evil-surmising. Love me with the love that covereth all things; that never reveals either my faults or infirmities, –that believeth all things; is always willing to think the best, to put the fairest construction on all my words and actions, –that hopeth all things; either that the thing related was never done; or not done with such circumstances as are related; or, at least, that it was done with a good-intention, or in a sudden stress of temptation. And hope to the end, that whatever is amiss will, by the grace of God, be corrected; and whatever is wanting, supplied, through the riches of his mercy in Christ Jesus.
~ John Wesley (Catholic Spirit)
A prayer by St Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)
May you be blessed forever, Lord, for not abandoning me when I abandon you.
May you be blessed forever, Lord, for offering your hand of love in my darkest, most lonely moment.
May you be blessed forever, Lord, for putting up with such a stubborn soul as mine.
May you be blessed forever, Lord, for loving me more than I love myself.
May you be blessed forever, Lord, for continuing to pour out your blessings upon me, even though I respond so poorly.
May you be blessed forever, Lord, for drawing out the goodness in all people, even including me.
May you be blessed forever, Lord, for repaying our sin with your love.
May you be blessed forever, Lord, for being constant and unchanging, amidst all the changes of the world.
May you be blessed forever, Lord, for your countless blessings on me and on all your creatures.
Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)
I was not someone who is good at setting boundaries; I would bend them at my friends’ plea or persuasion. Inwardly, I would feel resentful because I was afraid to say “no” to the things I wasn’t interested to do.
As I grew older, I began to appreciate the beauty and the necessity of having boundaries.
Dr Brene Brown defines boundaries as, “what is okay and what is not okay.”
She says we can make clear what our boundaries are while still being loving and generous.
If we are not sure what boundaries to set, she probes us the BIG question: “What boundaries need to be in place for me to maintain my integrity and make the most generous assumptions about you?”
Dr Brown also said, “Daring to set boundaries is about having the courage to love ourselves, even when we risk disappointing others.”
Boundaries teaches others how to treat us. Rather than harbouring resentment when we are too shy to say “no”, boundaries tell others where we stand. We can have boundaries and yet still be loving.
The Gospel in a Nutshell
What is the “Good News” or the “Gospel”? The “Good News” or the “Gospel” refers to the same thing.
Apostle Paul wrote, “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures “ (1 Cor. 15:3-4).
The Gospel is this: Sin has separated us from God. God loves us and wants to save us from sins. He sent His only Son Jesus Christ, who was without sins, to die on the Cross for us. The blood of Jesus washed away our sins. Nothing else can do that.
Jesus had paid the price of our sins —with His own life.
In our sinfulness, we are rebelling against God. We reject Him as our God. But Jesus died on the Cross to reconcile us with God.
Three days later, by the power of God, Jesus rose from the dead. He is in Heaven now, preparing a place for us so that when we leave this world, we will be with Him in Heaven.
This is the Good News: no one is so bad and so unlovable that God can not save.
