Appointed To Bear Fruit: A 90 Day JourneySample

 God Bestows Honor on The Humble

John 13 begins with Jesus removing his garment and putting on the wardrobe of a servant. After He finished being misunderstood while He washed the disciples’ feet, as well as being told what to do by those who did not want to listen, Jesus once again put on His outer garment. This foot-washing event was a living parable of how Jesus was fulfilling the Father’s plan of salvation. Jesus left His throne in heaven, was born in a stable, was despised by the religious leaders, exploited by the crowds, betrayed by a close friend, and then ridiculed and brutally murdered. After all of this, Jesus rose again and ascended into heaven where He once again was adorned with the glory that was His from the beginning. When Jesus took off His garment, humbled Himself as a servant, and then put back on His garment, He was illustrating for His disciples the reality of His incarnation and His coming ascension.

Becoming like Christ means that we imitate Jesus’ example to deny ourselves in order to fulfill the Father’s redemptive plan. Paul writes in Philippians 3:10 that he desires to become, “like him in his death.” When we contemplate becoming like Christ, we usually only think about the moral attributes of Christ’s character. We want to be more loving, live more holy lives, and so on. But Paul tells us that becoming like Christ also includes becoming like Him in His death. Many Christians only want the benefits of a relationship with God. Rarely does one pray that God would cause them to die to themselves so that they would grow in Christ-likeness. Disciples surrender themselves to God. In His time, God will exchange our humility on earth with His honor in heaven.

It is a real shame that the disciples did not understand this. As they headed to Jerusalem, Jesus spoke about self-denial. His disciples, instead, jostled for position and power. This world places a premium on status and power. We feel it is so burdensome to deny ourselves and serve in situations where we are misunderstood and humiliated. Our eyes take in the world’s values of status and position, creating a divided heart. We want to follow Christ, but we also want the comforts of this world. Satan tempts us with the lie that you can have both Christ and this world. The result is that we go along with the spirit of this age instead of becoming disciples that change this age. It’s hard for us to accept that God’s plan is fulfilled through the way of the cross.

“Do you understand what I have done to you?” What an important question. The disciples had been particularly slow to understand God’s plan. When Jesus taught about the Kingdom of God using parables, the disciples couldn’t understand the message. Even after the resurrection, the disciples still didn’t understand. They only understood the Father’s plan after the Spirit was given to them. The Spirit is the one who reveals the secrets of God. Every disciple has been given the Spirit so that they will understand the plan of God that is announced throughout the Scripture.

Ask the Holy Spirit to give you understanding about the great work of Christ. Only through understanding and meditating on Christ’s sacrifice will we find victory over the temptations of Satan and this world. God is calling us to a lifestyle that is vastly different from the ways of this world. He wants us to make decisions based on the example of Christ and not on worldly priorities. Becoming a mature disciple means that we carry our cross through denying ourselves daily. It is this surrendering that is essential for discipleship. Christ was willing to surrender Himself and pay the price. 

Application:  Are you willing to pay the price required to fulfill God’s plan for your life?