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“Don't let the world around you squeeze you into its own mold, but let God remold your minds from within, so that you may prove in practice that the plan of God for you is good, meets all his demands and moves toward the goal of true maturity. (Romans 12.2, Phillips Translation)
What a challenge we face today in serving Jesus! We must follow Him. We need to be reminded that our Lord was not a Chief Executive Officer, but a carpenter turned rabbi. He was born and raised in two, out-of-the-way places—Bethlehem and Nazareth. He reminded us that we are not to lord it over people, but rather serve them. There is tremendous pressure today to make our faith something Jesus never intended it to be. I need to be reminded that he set an example by washing the feet of his disciples. He took the lowest place among his disciples that night. He said, "If I, your teacher and Lord, have washed your feet, you must be ready to wash one another’s feet. I have given you this as an example so that you may do as I have done." Leadership—according to Jesus—includes washing feet! At a pastor's conference a few years ago the director of the Conference Center called for "the leader" to pray for the evening meal. No one moved. He then said, "Whoever is in charge here, come and pray!" Finally exasperated, he said, "Will one of the ‘higher ups’ come and pray for us?!" No one budged. Finally he said, "Okay, I'll pray." I don't remember much of what was said those few days but I do remember that incident. The group had Jesus as their leader, and they were following Him. No other “leader” was needed. May God help us to follow that example!
Lord, I need to keep the example you set in front of your disciples. Too many people are trying to squeeze me into the mold of this world. I want to be conformed to your image and your likeness as I serve. At the end of this week help me look to you to discover how my life is reflecting you. You were not only concerned that things got done, but that they were accomplished in a way that honored you. I want to do the same. In your strong name I pray. Amen.
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