the confidence to serve

 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper.                                                                                                          

John 13:3

This verse has always held a special significance to me. It’s a beautiful insight into the calm confidence Jesus had in his Father as his time on earth drew to a close. There was no hesitation in his mission. No doubts or fears. Only a steady assurance of who he was, where he was from and where He was going. This knowledge informed all Christ's actions. 

     Believer, do you live in the firm reality of who you are in Christ? If you have been made new, Jesus is the defining factor of your identity. Without him, life is nothing more than the here and now. With him, life is one dazzling sunrise that only grows brighter, to a full, unimaginable daylight. (Proverbs 4:18) Your actions, decisions, and view of yourself should line up with this truth. Oftentimes, however, our sin, Satan, and the world around us can distract us from our identity in Jesus. Don’t just fall in with the people around you without thinking. Instead, remember you have been made new and no longer belong to this shallow world. How lightly we view this truth! If we truly embraced it, our lives would be drastically different. The hardships and inconveniences we so quickly complain about it would fade to no importance compared to our glorious portion in Christ. Be sure of who you are and whose you are.

      Jesus, confident in who he was, rose from supper and washed the disciples' feet. (John 13:4-10) He didn't come to be served but to serve. (Mark 10:45) Identity informs actions. Embracing the truth of who we are in Christ gives us the ability to serve others without a second thought. We throw around the idea of living like Jesus, but then somehow believe we are above doing the mundane, dirty work of serving. It's no glamorous life of fame that we've been called to, but a life of following in Jesus' way. Somehow we romanticize the life Jesus led. It was far from romantic. Days of walking and going without food or a place to lay his head. Enduring the mocking of the Pharisees and being pressed on all sides by crowds of people afflicted with every sickness and infirmity you could think of. Being disowned by his family. Most of us would shrink from any situation like that. But Jesus had joy set before him and he delighted in bringing light and life into this dark world. The same should be true of us. We have the Spirit of the Lord to guide us and give us joy through our journey on this earth. Jesus himself is interceding for us and he sympathizes with our weakness. Our Father is God himself and he delights in us as his children! He is glorified, even in our feeble efforts to walk in his footsteps. Be confident in this, Christian! Throw away your desire to live for self, pleasure, or success. Set your heart on Christ's way. His way is the only way of eternal life. (John 14:6) His way is that of living in the assurance of who you are, where you are from, and where you are going. His way is loving and serving others, no matter the cost. 

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1-2)