Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube video with images and lyrics from Joy Williams singing her song … Do They See Jesus In Me … Poignantly singing of the desire all Christians should have … for others to see Jesus in the way we live our lives.
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Highlight Verse[s]: Luke 22:27 [NLT] … 27 Who is more important, the one who sits at the table or the one who serves? The one who sits at the table, of course. But not here! For I am among you as one who serves.
… Jesus shows His disciples (and us) that the servant, like Himself, is the one God will consider a leader.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Luke 22:24-30 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus defines what a servant leader is … and that is a living picture of His disciples being like Himself … i.e., servants of the Living God.
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Reference Passage : … Matthew 5:16 [NLT] … 16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.”
… Jesus show us that our Christlikeness, i.e., serving as He did, is the way we shine His light into a dark world.
Reference Passage : … Mathew 25:31-46 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus made it clear that we only serve Him when we serve others … and others only see Him when we’re serving others as He would serve them.
Reference Passage : … Mark 10:43-45 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus teaches on what it takes to be a leader in this world … i.e., to be like Him … a servant.
Reference Passage : … Luke 4:18-21 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus quotes from Isaiah’s Messianic prophesy relating exactly Who He is and why He came … to serve mankind … i.e., being the One Who had come to set the world free from their captivity to sin.
Reference Passage : … John 13:1-17 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus washes the Disciples feet to show them that their Messiah, the God-Man, is a servant to all … just as they should be to others.
My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Adam Holz, related a testimony of how difficult, at times, it was for him to be like Christ and serve those he loved most, … his family. The ODB author wrote: It was a long day at work. But when I got home, it was time to start my “other” job: being a good dad. Greetings from my wife and kids soon became, “Dad, what’s for dinner?” “Dad, can you get me some water?” “Dad, can we play soccer?” I just wanted to sit down. And even though part of me really wanted to be a good dad, I didn’t feel like serving my family’s needs. That’s when I saw it: a thank-you card my wife had received from someone at church.
It pictured a bowl of water, a towel, and dirty sandals. [See photo] And across the bottom were these words from Luke 22:27: “I am among you as one who serves.”
If I were to ask you, fellow Christian, “Do you want to be like Jesus; and do you want others to see (as Joy Williams sings) Jesus in you?” My prediction would be that you would respond affirmatively.
Well, if I’m to be like Jesus and for others to see Jesus in me, what does that look like? And as you can read in all four of the Gospels [see the reference passages above], Jesus made it clear that for others to be like Him they had to be a servant to/for others just as He had come to serve mankind as a slave to the His Father in Heaven. He even washed their feet [see John 13], which culturally in that time was an amazing demonstration of being like a slave.
If we want others to see Jesus in us, we need to be like the ODB author and be willing to serve, even if, … and especially when, … we don’t feel like serving. Because when we do serve others - no matter how we feel - Jesus shows up in us to serve those who need His service.
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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Lord, Jesus, thank You for coming to serve me. … Yes, ME!
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My Prayer Today: Abba Father, … King Jesus, … Precious Spirit … Give me the grace I need to serve others today so that they see You in me. … Amen
Blogger Note: Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries. If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.
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