As the week of passion begins, I was preparing to continue the pattern of posting about today’s verse of the day. I was confronted with another purpose for today, a request to do an Easter devotional for the next 6 days and have received it and am going to share it with you. God’s created us on purpose, with purpose, and for a purpose, so let’s receive His calling and pursue it with passion, just as Jesus did stepping into the week of passion even when He knew how it would go.
Today’s Scripture about life having a purpose:
Purpose to love God and love people
‘Now when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced (muzzled) the Sadducees, they gathered together. One of them, a lawyer [an expert in Mosaic Law], asked Jesus a question, to test Him: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” And Jesus replied to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself [that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for others].’ The whole Law and the [writings of the] Prophets depend on these two commandments.” ‘
Matthew 22:34-40
Purpose to serve others humbly, no matter what
‘Now before the Passover Feast, Jesus knew that His hour had come [and it was time] for Him to leave this world and return to the Father. Having [greatly] loved His own who were in the world, He loved them [and continuously loves them with His perfect love] to the end (eternally). It was during supper, when the devil had already put [the thought of] betraying Jesus into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, that Jesus, knowing that the Father had put everything into His hands, and that He had come from God and was [now] returning to God, got up from supper, took off His [outer] robe, and taking a [servant’s] towel, He tied it around His waist.
John 13:1-17
Jesus Washes the Disciples’ Feet
Then He poured water into the basin and began washing the disciples’ feet and wiping them with the towel which was tied around His waist. When He came to Simon Peter, he said to Him, “Lord, are You going to wash my feet?” Jesus replied to him, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but you will [fully] understand it later.” Peter said to Him, “You will never wash my feet!” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with Me [we can have nothing to do with each other].” Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, [in that case, wash] not only my feet, but also my hands and my head!” Jesus said to him, “Anyone who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, and is completely clean. And you [My disciples] are clean, but not all of you.” For He knew who was going to betray Him; for that reason He said, “Not all of you are clean.” So when He had washed their feet and put on His [outer] robe and reclined at the table again, He said to them, “Do you understand what I have done for you? You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you are right in doing so, for that is who I am. So if I, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet as well. For I gave you [this as] an example, so that you should do [in turn] as I did to you. I assure you and most solemnly 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 [happy and favored by God] if you put them into practice [and faithfully do them]. ‘
Purpose of emptying self to serve
‘but emptied Himself [without renouncing or diminishing His deity, but only temporarily giving up the outward expression of divine equality and His rightful dignity] by assuming the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men [He became completely human but was without sin, being fully God and fully man]. ‘
Philippians 2:7
Purpose to serve others
Imagine if we all chose to live our lives to serve. Consider how things would be different if we all served one another as our purpose for living. Jesus models how we are to humbly serve one another, including washing others’ feet.
Today’s Devotional:
“Based on the cinematic study The Easter Experience, this devotional will leave you thinking Easter changes everything. Themes include redemption, forgiveness, compassion, and love.”
The plan I am joining my brother Peter in comes to us from City on a Hill and so I would like to thank them for this plan and Peter for the invitation to join him through this via Bible.com. I look to share what I learn and consider how we can apply it to being dads.
The Easter Experience (bible.com)
My Life Has Purpose
- Firstly, we need to be the dads who show up for supper to hang out with our families and serve them from an overflow of love. Consider what today’s devotional shares about Jesus and the Last Supper.
- “Imagine the Last Supper scene. The disciples were gathered, ready to celebrate the Passover with their friend Jesus. When Jesus arrives he does something unexpected. He washes the disciples’ feet. Think about that. Most likely these men had traveled miles barefoot through streets and terrain that hadn’t been touched by a street sweeper. And Jesus wanted to wash their feet.”
- Secondly, we must humble ourselves enough to serve our wives, kids, and the world.
- We need to look to God who put us in this position of dad on purpose, with purpose, and for a purpose and it isn’t to demand our ways but rather to serve humbly and love our wives, kids, and world.
- Consider how Jesus gave of Himself when He left heaven willingly and emptied Himself for the greater purpose of reconciliation of humanity to God.
- Let’s be the dads who pick up the mantle of a purpose to serve!
- Next, let’s be the dads who choose to start today to serve our wives, kids, and world humbly because tomorrow isn’t guaranteed.
- Jesus knew the beginning and the end, His reason for coming, His purpose and so realized the importance and urgency of what He was doing.
- Today’s devotional speaks to it this way:
- So let’s be the dads who love God and love people, especially our wives and kids to model out our servant’s hearts to our family and our world!
- Let’s be the dads who answer our lives’ calling to serve, give, and love! That’s right, love God and love people.
- In addition, let’s be the dads who as we head into this Passion Week and head towards Easter, “let the story of Easter and Jesus’ example of service propel us to love and serve people with all we have“!
- Today’s devotional closes with the following challenge:
- “Love someone who would least expect it today. Do something kind for them. Maybe take flowers to someone who you usually disagree with or bring the co-worker who got the promotion before you a cup of coffee today.”
- I challenge you to love your wife and kids in a special way that they wouldn’t expect today.
