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. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. John 13:1 NIV
I have had the opportunity to be a reference for a few people over the past years. Some interviews were written and some included phone conversations. The goal of course is to vet the potential employee to see if there are hidden character flaws that you would be willing to share about the candidate. It is a joy to get to the part where I can add my own commentary about the strengths and advantages to having this person on their team. “Yes, I would hire him. He will be a blessing in any role that you give him.”
In this passage, John is adding his own personal commentary to the last events in Jesus’ life. John lets us know that Jesus fully knew that He was from the Father and that He was going to die. But it did not change the way that he interacted with his disciples. He loved them to the end. John was a recipient of this love as Jesus next step was to wash his feet.
How can we maintain our consistency of love for others? By being intentional to serve them.
The sky is the limit when it comes to the number of possibilities to serve those we love. Bringing coffee, cooking a special meal, writing a love note, talking well about someone in front of others are expressions of service. Take a moment and think how could or do you serve those you love.
If you have never washed your spouse’s feet and you are physically capable, just try it. Pam and I have done this on several occasions as an expression of love toward each other. These have been very meaningful times.
Serving keeps refocusing our love on the person who is special to us. It keeps the mystique of surprise in the relationship. It reminds us that love is action. Serving places a high value toward the one being served. It communciates to them, “You are the most significant person to me”.
Someone once said, “Live to out give one another…through serving.” You will both enjoy the benefits.
Blessings Love y’all