Have you ever said, “I want to be like [FILL IN THE BLANK]”? We tend to say that when there is someone who is doing something so good that we want to be like them. They are at the top in their field. This could be in sports, music, writing, acting, technical know-how, or whatever. They demonstrate a level of excellence that we cannot ignore and see it as an example to follow.
You know what I’ve never heard? I have never heard anyone say that they wanted to be like or follow someone because they were the absolute worst at what they do. “Man, that quarterback was awful this week! He threw 4 interceptions, fumbled 6 times, tripped over the TV camera, got his shoes tied together in a knot, spilled that whole family’s drinks all over them and hit his teammate's car in the parking lot. I wanna be just like that!” That is such an orchestra of errors we would be out of our mind wanting to go through that.
How did Jesus demonstrate who He was? What did he do that makes us say we want to be like Him? Well, we could talk about the most incredible things - raising Lazarus from the dead, healing the man at the pool, healing the man that was carried in through the roof, or water to wine. These all are miraculous acts!
There is one, though, that demonstrated His nature we should imitate but we tend to overlook: He washed feet. In John 13, Jesus washes the feet of His disciples showing the truth of His humble service as He said in Matthew 20, “even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Matthew 20:28) Jesus atoned for our sins, took them upon Himself on the cross, but that was not something we could replicate for each other. This is why He told the disciples “...just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34b-35)
The people around you are watching you. Not staring at you but paying attention to what you do, how you do it, what you say, what you mean, how you treat others. Do we demonstrate as Jesus did or do we try to show and boast of our own greatness? Can our actions - what we do, what we demonstrate - be so defining that someone can see our character, better yet the character of Jesus in us? Is our witness to the Gospel bolstered by how we walk thru life or is our witness set on fire by our words (James 3:5) and deeds?
What do I do with this?
Pay attention to what you do and how you do it. Pay attention to your interactions with everyone you encounter, face to face or virtually. Remember you are a servant of a Savior who served you first.
Explore Scripture
John 13:34–35
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
1 Corinthians 4:14–16
I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children. For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel. I urge you, then, be imitators of me.
1 Corinthians 10:31–11:1
So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved. Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.