Saturday, March 08, 2008

Feet Washing

My niece is going to beauty school and I volunteer to be her model as she studies different stages of her lessons. Yesterday I was blessed with a manicure and a pedicure. I had never had a pedicure before in my life, so I felt very pampered. A pedicure is quite a process. I had my heels filed with a coarse file, my legs and feet massaged and rubbed with a smooth lotion, and my toes went through about 4 or 5 stages of cleaning, clipping and polishing.

During the whole process, so many verses from the Bible concerning feet came to my mind:

"How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings,
who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, "Your God reigns!" (Isaiah 52:7)

"He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; and set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand."
(Psalm 40:2)

"He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights." (Psalm 18:33)

In the New Testament, Christ asked his disciples to look at his hands and feet to verify that He truly was risen from the dead:

"He said to them, Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me, and see..." (Luke 24:38-39)

No verses in the Bible about feet, however, are more powerful than the picture Christ gave us as He washed the disciples feet in the Upper Room as they celebrated the Passover together prior to His imminent arrest and crucifixion. As my niece worked on my feet yesterday, I noticed how she was always bent down, stooped low to work on my feet as I sat in my chair comfortable, at ease and rested. She put herself in a humble position before me in order to accomplish her goal of making my feet beautiful. As Christ washed the feet of each one of His disciples, He placed Himself as a humble servant giving them an example of servitude toward others. "I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you." (John 13:15)
Christ's cleansing of the disciples' feet was a humble act of service that He wanted to pass on to His disciples after He left them. He wanted them to know the joy of cleansed feet (and hearts) of those that they would become witnesses to about the Christ after He was gone! "Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet." (John 13:14)

Our humble service to others, without thought of gain or praise or glory for ourselves, will accomplish more for the kingdom of God than you will ever know. Some day we will cast our crowns of reward at the feet of Jesus in eternity in worship, adoration, and praise and will sing for eternity: "Worthy is the Lamb!"

"How beautiful are the feet of those...who proclaim salvation!"
Sandy

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