21 November 2015

Scriptures:

• John 13
• Isaiah 9:8-10:34
• 2 Kings 20
• Psalm 112

Observations:

In the John passage, we see Jesus and his disciples at the last supper, Jesus washing the disciples' feet, Jesus telling of his betrayal and death, and Jesus giving a final command to love one another.

In Isaiah, we see the fall of Israel at the hand of the Assyrians predicted and we also see the Lord promising to destroy Assyria as Sennacherib turns his eye from Israel to Jerusalem. What's interesting is it correlates with the past few days' passages in 2 Kings.

In 2 Kings, we see Hezekiah, on his deathbed, praying to God and God granting him another fifteen years, confirming it by making the shadows move backwards on the steps of Ahaz. We also see Hezekiah receiving envoys from Babylon, sent in good faith by the king's son who'd heard he was ill. Hezekiah sowed them around, including all the riches that had been stocked up over the generations, about which  Isaiah then prophesied would be taken by Babylon in the near future.

The psalm today is praising God for how he is faithful to those who are faithful to him. 

Application:

In the John passage, what really stands out to me is the lesson given by Jesus in washing the disciples' feet. 

"You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you."
- John 13:13-15

In my own life right now, I am facing certain difficulties in my marriage and one of the reasons is, somewhere back when my wife and I were dating, I stopped doing this in my heart and kept doing it because that's just what one does. I then carried that mindset into my marriage and created a weak foundation of Love and Service, which spiralled and escalated into the problem I am now working to overcome. 

This passage, then, is of high importance to apply. Genuine service and humility based in love is easy to copy, but hard to do, the humility and love being the two most difficult aspects. To grow in those two areas is to invest myself in God and invest myself again in my wife - to treat her as I did when we were first dating.

Looking also at the psalm, it's almost like a promise of God's faithfulness for my wife and I as we endure. We have a long road ahead, but God has us where we are and he has plans for where we'll be. We only need to trust him.

Prayer:

(In private)