John 15

Life is going to b challenged by things coming at us from all directions!And if we have put a stake n the ground claiming to b seekers&followers of Christ,many of those challenges will b aimed at shaking our stake n the ground loose...loose enough that the stake of our life may ripped away & planted far from where our heart had previously desired when we “felt like” seeking&following Christ.Jesus talks about this n John15:1-11,when he equates our lives to branches that have been cut from a vine they once received nutrients from,& grafted to The Vine that is the source of everlasting nutrients/life,The Vine that yields everlasting joy!The first vine will eventually whither and die.The other vine,The Vine,will never whither...& it will never die!The first vine desires us to b nothing more than what the world can provide,since the world is where this vine gets its nutrients.The other vine/THE VINE is Jesus!Jesus desires us to become much different from the world...much MORE than the world can offer!And since He is God,He is Eternal & He has ALL THE POWER/WISDOM/MERCY/GRACE&LOVE(all the “nutrients”)we need to become something unique from what the world could ever offer,& live forever in The Vine!As the challenges come that threaten to rip us from The Vine/from our grafting into The Vine,Jesus says that we must ABIDE in Him...we must b deliberate n our ABIDING!Jesus says,”I am The Vine,u r the branches.Whoever abides n me & I n him,he is it that bears much fruit,for apart from me u can do nothing”Jn15:5).N other words,we must hang on to/DWELL IN(abide n) The Vine and HIS NUTRIENTS!Then Jesus tells how this abiding is accomplished n our life->”If you abide n me,& my words abide n you..”(Jn15:7a),&”If u keep my commitments(wisdom/discernment/guidance/instruction,etc.),u will abide n my love(Jn15:10a).And THIS ABIDING will change our thoughts & our desires from those that will whither and die,n2 those that will thrive & live forever->what we wish for changes 2 b what God only knows r the best wishes(Jn15:7b,”ask 4 whatever u wish(only the eternally best wishes will become what our hearts yearn for-The BEST FRUIT that never rots & never loses its vibrant taste) & it will b done for u”.)Jesus promises that if we hang on to/abide n His Word(seek to know & follow what He counsels through the Bible and through His Spirit),we will have His joy/the ONLY JOY that can truly satisfy/make us full(Jn15:11,”These things I have spoken 2 u,that my joy may b n u,& that ur joy may b full”.).Dear Lord,I praise YOU for grafting my life n2 YOUR PROMISES,and YOUR JOY that never fades & never dies!I also pray for YOUR HELP to abide n YOU as the challenges of this day and all days try to tear me away from YOU.

John 14:11

When my dad was alive,one of the things I looked forward to the most when I saw him was getting a hug from him.When he hugged you,you knew you had been hugged!He wrapped his two arms around you, then gave you a really good hug!You knew he was communicating that he loved you...he meant it!And,there was nothing sissy about my dad!When I was a kid I knew that my dad was the bravest,most courageous man n the world...the most masculine of men I knew.I never saw him throw himself n front of a speeding train or a bullet...,doing  anything that made me think this!But the way he exuded courage n the way he lived,and the way he loved,made it obvious to me!It wasn’t until years after he died that I learned that my dad was actually a real life courageous hero!Twenty years after my dad died I learned that by the time he was 21 he had received 3 Bronze Stars for acts of courage,& 5 Purple Hearts for battle wounds(1 wound was so serious that he was told he was going home!When he heard this,he escaped the field hospital and made his way back to his unit!As a medic,he could not let himself go home while his friends were n the fight)and many other commendations for his combat actions during WWII.All that to say that I learned what real hugging means;what only a real hug can convey->the love and commitment it can convey!Dad gave me an appreciation for a sincere TWO ARMED HUG!N Jn14 Jesus gives us a picture of what it looks for us to truly love Him!And that nothing less than a TWO ARMED HUG will convey that sincere love!The first arm is that of TRUSTING Christ!N Jn14:11 Jesus says,”Believe n me when I say that I am n the Father and the Father is n me,or else believe on account of the works(of Christ) themselves”. Jesus is describing the first ARM of hugging/loving Him!That is trusting as TRUTH what He says as revealed through the Bible and the recorded miraculous signs&wonders Christ performed...!The next ARM of hugging/loving Jesus is n Jn14:15,where Jesus says,”If you love me,you will obey what I command.”If we truly TRUST that Jesus is God as The Bible says,then we will know that HE is the ONLY ONE that knows enough to know what’s best for me!That being TRUTH,whatever HE shows me/instructs me to do is for my best...because HE first loved me!If I truly TRUST Him,then it follows that I will OBEY/FOLLOW Him!And there Jesus shows us how we love Him...,how we show Him our love with a TWO ARMED HUG!We TRUST Him,& OBEY/FOLLOW Him!There is no other way,but to TRUST and OBEY!Like the song says,

“Trust and obey
For there's no other way
To be happy in Jesus
But to trust and obey”

Dear Lord,most of the time...if I am hugging You at all it is with a weak 1 arm hug.And I know that comes far short of loving you fervently.Help me to b aware of the absence of BOTH arms of loving you/hugging you n my life.Help me&guide me to throwing BOTH ARMS of my life n TRUSTING You,& OBEYING/FOLLOWING You...so my life will reflect a love for You that exceeds that my dad would show me via his hugs...the love and commitment that only You should have from my life!

John 13:21- John 14

When Jesus begins saying what John records n Jn14,Jesus knows that his disciples have just heard news that they were probably not planning on....news that went against the grain of their plans/what they thought following Jesus would mean for them.The disciples more than likely still thought that Jesus was going to set up His Kingdom/that Jesus was soon going to be crowned King and that they would be rewarded because of their position w Christ/because they were Christians(disciples of Christ r not actually called Christians until Acts11:26,after much suffering & persecution had sifted those claiming to b “Christ Followers”).But n John13 Jesus tells them that he is going to b betrayed(Jn13:21) & that he is going away to a place that they can not come(Jn13:33).This is not what they were planning on!Jesus being betrayed & LEAVING them ALONE was NOT what they thought following and learning from Him for the last three years was going to “DO FOR THEM”.We often have the same thing happen n our lives when we have been hoping that our faithfulness n seeking & following Christ,& our sincere praying is going to bring about what we want,& at the very least make our lives easier...& then something very different comes.The disciples had the same perspective challenge that we have.Because our paradigm of thinking&living is naturally absent of The Eternality God created us to have,our perspective for what we want & our comfort are based on the temporal and not the truths of Eternity!Jesus knows this about His Disciples/about us!So n Jn14:1 he says,”Let not your hearts b troubles.Believe n God;believe also n me.In my Father’s house r many rooms/mansions/dwelling places.If it were not so ,would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?And if I go & prepare a place for you,I will come again & will take you to myself,that where I am going you may b also.And you know the way where I am going”.The 1st thing Jesus does,is give them a PERSPECTIVE ADJUSTMENT.Jesus knows that unless we have a true perspective about life(that we are ETERNAL,& that it is eternally detrimental to believe anything else),we will b discouraged by news that we r probably not planning on....news that goes against the grain of our plans/what we think following Jesus means for us.Jesus points us/directs us to have an Eternal Perspective about life!A Perspective that lifts our VISION above the discouragements & disappointments of temporal things,and focuses instead on the promises of God(Jeremiah29:11,”For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you a future and a hope.”)->PROMISES that have ETERNAL implications/that will last FOREVER!When Thomas hears this,he needs CLARIFICATION!Jesus points Thomas&us to the TRUTH that we r created to b ETERNAL & that we r created to have an ETERNAL relationship w our Father n Heaven(“Let not your hearts b troubled.Believe n God.In my Father’s house r many rooms/mansions/dwelling places). n Jn14:6 when Jesus says,”I am the way,& the truth & the life.No one comes to the Father except through me.If You had known me,you would have known my Father also.From now on you do know him and have seen him”.Jesus points is to THE STARTING PLACE for coming to know the Truths about the Eternality of our being,about LIFE itself....by trusting that Jesus IS THE WAY,&THE TRUTH & THE LIFE!Everything else&everyone else will leave us n the despair of never being satisfied for long by temporal things,&/or seeking things&/or people(false gods) that lead us to ultimate despair of the worst kinds!Dear Lord,so many times I feel the despair & discouragement that these disciples must have known when they heard that their plans/what they expected was not going 2 come true.When discouragement comes,point me back to Trusting You as Lord,and Your love & Your plans for me that have nothing less than what is TRUE & ETERNALLY BEST for me.

John 13:12-17

After Jesus gets on His knees b4 each of His disciples,& washes their feet,He says,”"Do you know what I have done to you?You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am.If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet.For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you.Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him.If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.”(John13:12b-17).Jesus knows we have an inherent propensity toward all kinds of pride & arrogance.Some less obvious than others...but we all have this.And it is at the root of sin,with any kind of SPIRITUAL PRIDE probably being the worse of the worst!N Jesus’ statement here,He is addressing spiritual pride of all kinds!Jesus says that we need to keep a RIGHT PERSPECTIVE n our hearts&lives w respect to others,particularly our brothers&sisters n Christ(Jesus is now speaking to ONLY those that r True Disciples!He waited until Judas left to say&do these things)!The 1st perspective adjustment is that Jesus IS Teacher&Lord,we r not!Even those who r teachers,r not Lord!AND those of us who r truly called to b teachers r just that->called by/gifted by The Lord to teach.AND James 3:1-2(”Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.”) says that The Lord holds teachers accountable for what&how they teach,because He cares so much about “what” is taught&how “it” is taught!N other words,teachers should b totally dependent upon The Lord for their teaching.So,no one,not even teachers/pastors/mentors,etc.,have any reason to have a speck of pride nor arrogance n our relationships with each other.Whatever insight/knowledge they/we have is only bcuz The Lord has blessed them/us w it!And they/we have been blessed so they/we can SERVE!Not so they/we can b placed on pedestals of higher regard nor “entitlement”.Jesus next calls us to do what He just demonstrated to the disciples!Jesus did not call out any of the disciples bcuz of the dirt on their feet,nor did He hammer any of the disciples for what He probably saw/knew some of the dirt might’ve indicated about particular sins.Jesus HUMBLED HIMSELF b4 all of the dirt(showing the EXTENT of HIS LOVE,James13:1),& ALL of the disciples!Not a single disciple was treated differently for any reason!They ALL HAD DIRTY FEET!And DIRT IS DIRT....as SIN IS SIN!They ALL,and we ALL need our feet washed.Jesus is not only teaching us that we need to have a transparency n our lives with fellow Trusted Christians n our lives,He is also teaching that if we r that Trusted one n someone’s life...we need to humble ourselves b4 that person n order to help that person/wash their feet!When we learn of another’s “dirty feet”,our propensity is to sometimes think that we r a little better Christian bcuz we “don’t have THAT sin in my life”,& SPIRITUAL PRIDE creeps n2 our heart/life.Jesus demonstrated that these thoughts r WRONG!Jesus demonstrates the RIGHT thought becomes our heart beat when we humble ourselves b4 that person and help them “wash their feet”...not condemn them for the dirt in their feet!After all...we also need someone n our life that will do the same for us!We NEED each other!Jesus then ends this teaching w a PROMISE when He says,”If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them”.If we learn from and follow Jesus’ reaching&demonstration n these verses...our lives will be blessed n ways that only Jesus can bless!Lord Jesus!Let this lesson always b on my heart,so that any kind/all kinds of spiritual pride may b snatched from life when it begins to creep n2 my life.Help me 2 remember Your demonstration of how You responded to the dirty feet of Your disciples...and help me to respond with the same heart that You did...AND help me to remember that I also have dirty feet that another one of Your disciples is going to help me with...& help me to b transparent with the disciples You send to wash my feet.

John 13:8-10

As we walk w Christ during our every day,moment by moment doing life ,we r not going to do everything perfectly nor say everything perfectly!And sometimes we will royally mess up!We may know the times that we r not perfect,& b ashamed of the times we royally mess up. Our enemy the devil will turn these times into a level of arrogance &/or guilt that grow to make us have doubts about our personal salvation,& can lead us to even question the “REALNESS” of WHO Christ is,& WHAT He says He does for us when we trust Him as Savior&Lord.During The Last Supper w His Disciples,just before going to The Garden of Gethsemane,Jesus addresses these issues when He wraps a towel around His waist and gets down on His knees to wash the feet of His disciples!When Jesus is on His knees n front of Peter with a basin of water,Peter doesn’t understand what Jesus is doing-Peter can not fathom The King of Kings/The Son of God/The Messiah on HIS KNEES touching his dirty feet...let alone washing the dirty-smelly things!Peter knows where his feet have been,& what nasty things he has probably walked through...& he might even b embarrassed about how he picked up some of the dirt on his feet.So,w a bit of arrogance&pride,mixed with misunderstanding the full extent of Jesus love(John1b,”Having loved his own...he showed them the full extent of his love”),Peter says,”No...you shall never wash my feet”(John13:8).There were multiple reasons that Peter didn’t want Jesus touching his feet,at least one being pride& not wanting Jesus to know/see the dirt of his feet,let alone wash this dirt from his feet.Jesus responds,”Unless I wash you,you have no part with me”.Peter still doesn’t understand what Jesus is about to do,& Peter says,”Then Lord...not just my feet but my hands and my head as well”!Peter had a guilt that made him feel that his whole body had been contaminated/tarnished by where his feet had been/the dirt on his feet!Jesus responds,”A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet;his whole body is clean.And you are clean”(John13:10a).Jesus knows what is n Peter’s heart&mind about the dirt on his feet/his guilt,& Jesus addresses this head on by telling Peter that he has been made clean by his trust&faith n Christ!Jesus is telling Peter that he has no need for a “REDO” of what has already been DONE when he turned his life over to seek&follow Christ!When Jesus knelt b4 Peter to wash his feet,Peter realized that Jesus was about to see the dirt on his feet from his daily life...he felt bad/guilty...& his pride almost kept him from having his feet TOUCHED & WASHED by The King of Kings/The Son of God/The Messiah!By THE ONLY ONE that would REALLY KNOW everything about what was being washed away!Before Jesus knelt n front of each of the disciples he knew what every speck of dirt was from and whatever stories were to be told by every speck of dirt from where each of the disciples had walked.Jesus is saying to us,unless we r transparent w Jesus about the dirt on our feet,& let Him wash this from our life...we have no part of Him n our heart!As we walk every step through our daily lives,there are many steps we will take that make our feet dirty...take us where our best conscience might have not have wanted us to go/or say what we would rather not come out of our mouths/do what we have rather not done,etc.Even though we have had a bath when we trust n Christ,the devil will twist this dirt of our every day life n2 guilt and/or arrogance!Both almost kept Peter from the BLESSING of having Jesus PERSONALLY washing the “dirt of his daily walk” from his feet...from his conscience &thereby from his life(Romans8:1-2,”Therefore,there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,bcuz through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life has set me free from the law of sin & death.”).Unless we talk w Jesus about our daily lives,including the mis-steps & mistakes we make,we run the risk of letting the daily dirt build up & b turned n2 guilt & condemnation by the devil...,which may lead us n2 a season of walking away from the Lord,instead of waking WITH the Lord.And!Jesus says that this may also b a sign that n reality w have “no part of Jesus”(John13:8b)!This also means that admitting our need to walk&talk w Jesus about these things is a sign that we do indeed have Jesus’ Spirit living n us!Dear Jesus,I have let pride&arrogance n my life keep me from having these regular walks&talks with You that You r telling me through these verses r so very important to my life!Help me to want You to help me learn from my mistakes and the words I misspeak,by letting You wash the dirt from my daily walk!Please remind me of “the extent of Your Love” that only wants these walks&talks w me for my own good,& not for the purpose of making me feel guilt nor condemnation of any kind.