After reading John 13 it came to me, “How far am I willing to go?” We hear the commandments the Word of God sets before us all the time, but hearing is one thing while putting them into action is something else altogether. We should be practically applying these words everyday of our life and not just hear them or read them.
In the beginning of this chapter of John Jesus washes the disciples feet and tells them He done this to set an example.
John 13:15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
He tells them they will be blessed if they DO them. Not if they read it or if they hear it, but if they DO them. Proverbs also tells us this.
Proverbs 19:16 Whoever keeps commandments keeps their life,
but whoever shows contempt for their ways will die.
but whoever shows contempt for their ways will die.
Proverbs 19:17 Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord,
and he will reward them for what they have done.
and he will reward them for what they have done.
We sometimes get it in our heads that if we just stay out of trouble and try not to sin, go to church on Sundays and sometimes even on a Wednesday then we will be good people that God will be pleased with to some degree. I think that these passages call us to do much more then just sit back and try to be “good” Christian people as this sinful world passes us by. Even Peter who loved the Lord and told Him that he would even follow Him to death, denied Jesus.
John 13:38 Then Jesus answered, "Will you really lay down your life for me? Very truly I tell you, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!
So what makes us any better then Peter? Do we not deny Christ on a daily basis when we do not carry out His word, the same Word that we hear in church on Sunday? The same Word that read in our devotionals everyday, assuming we are even reading the Bible. Peter denied Christ three times. How many times have you denied Him this month, this week, or even just today?
So where do we start? How do we turn this sinking ship around and get it back on course? Let us start with one of the simplest, yet one of the biggest of these commands.
John 13:34 "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
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