Today John 13 Read it for Life

Scripture selections are taken from the Rock Church Daily Bread Reading schedule for each month. “Lena’s Journalin’” are Lena’s comments on the specific passages from her Daily Journal.

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John 13:1-38 -
Jesus Washes His Disciples' Feet
1Before the Passover celebration, Jesus knew that his hour had come to leave this world and return to his Father. He now showed the disciples the full extent of his love. F65 2It was time for supper, and the Devil had already enticed Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, to carry out his plan to betray Jesus. 3Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God. 4So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, 5and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel he had around him.
6When he came to Simon Peter, Peter said to him, "Lord, why are you going to wash my feet?"
7Jesus replied, "You don't understand now why I am doing it; someday you will."
8"No," Peter protested, "you will never wash my feet!" Jesus replied, "But if I don't wash you, you won't belong to me."
9Simon Peter exclaimed, "Then wash my hands and head as well, Lord, not just my feet!"
10Jesus replied, "A person who has bathed all over does not need to wash, except for the feet, F66 to be entirely clean. And you are clean, but that isn't true of everyone here." 11For Jesus knew who would betray him. That is what he meant when he said, "Not all of you are clean."
12After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and sat down and asked, "Do you understand what I was doing? 13You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and you are right, because it is true. 14And since I, the Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other's feet. 15I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. 16How true it is that a servant is not greater than the master. Nor are messengers more important than the one who sends them. 17You know these things—now do them! That is the path of blessing.
Jesus Predicts His Betrayal
18"I am not saying these things to all of you; I know so well each one of you I chose. The Scriptures declare, 'The one who shares my food has turned against me,' F67 and this will soon come true. 19I tell you this now, so that when it happens you will believe I am the Messiah. 20Truly, anyone who welcomes my messenger is welcoming me, and anyone who welcomes me is welcoming the Father who sent me."
21Now Jesus was in great anguish of spirit, and he exclaimed, "The truth is, one of you will betray me!"
22The disciples looked at each other, wondering whom he could mean. 23One of Jesus' disciples, the one Jesus loved, was sitting next to Jesus at the table. F68 24Simon Peter motioned to him to ask who would do this terrible thing. 25Leaning toward Jesus, he asked, "Lord, who is it?"
26Jesus said, "It is the one to whom I give the bread dipped in the sauce." And when he had dipped it, he gave it to Judas, son of Simon Iscariot. 27As soon as Judas had eaten the bread, Satan entered into him. Then Jesus told him, "Hurry. Do it now." 28None of the others at the table knew what Jesus meant. 29Since Judas was their treasurer, some thought Jesus was telling him to go and pay for the food or to give some money to the poor. 30So Judas left at once, going out into the night.
Jesus Predicts Peter's Denial
31As soon as Judas left the room, Jesus said, "The time has come for me, the Son of Man, to enter into my glory, and God will receive glory because of all that happens to me. 32And God will bring F69 me into my glory very soon. 33Dear children, how brief are these moments before I must go away and leave you! Then, though you search for me, you cannot come to me—just as I told the Jewish leaders. 34So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. 35Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples."
36Simon Peter said, "Lord, where are you going?" And Jesus replied, "You can't go with me now, but you will follow me later."
37"But why can't I come now, Lord?" he asked. "I am ready to die for you."
38Jesus answered, "Die for me? No, before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me.
FOOTNOTES:F65: Or He loved his disciples to the very end. F66: Some manuscripts do not include except for the feet. F67: Ps 41:9. F68: Greek was reclining on Jesus' bosom. The "disciple whom Jesus loved" was probably John. F69: Some manuscripts read And if God is glorified in him [the Son of Man], God will bring.
Copyright Statement: Holy Bible, The New Living TranslationCopyright © 1996 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.

~ Lena’s Journalin’
Jesus’ life was lived to show men and woman the way to God the Father. In His death He wanted to leave as much and as impacting of an example of that love as He could, enough that would be passed on and on and on and on. Every human being alive has this same mission, co- mission, given us but the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
We show the love of the Father through the Son, who led the way, by giving up His life, and we are equipped to do the nearly impossible through the supernatural empowerment of the Spirit of God Himself. Whatever God asks us to do, we can do, through Christ who strengthens us. There is never an excuse to say no to the leading of God the Father, in Christ. In Christ we’ve been equipped, healed, delivered, translated, co-missioned, and by the Holy Spirit, we’ve been instructed, will be corrected if we get off track at all, and He’ll continually make clear and show us the ways to walk with and for God the Father.
In death Jesus shows us the greatest way to live eternally, the greatest investment to make on earth, and the greatest treasures to work to obtain. All because of the Love from and of His Father, God.
The reason Jesus showed such great and sacrificial love for people was because of His great love for the Father. Without His love for the Father, there’d be no hope for us. He did not love us so much, until He loved the Father so much. The Father has a great love for us. Jesus loves the Father enough to love who the Father loves, enough to die for them. Enough to live for the Father, that He’d obtain what His Father most desired, the reconciliation of the souls of men.
If Jesus, the Master, got down on His knees to serve people, who are we to stand erect and firm in our opinions of people, standing firm on opinions that do not promote the love of God? The greatest, a servant? Jesus is great and greatly to be praised. He bowed low and even washed feet. Who are we? Servants of all, because of love. Love gives and does not withhold when given opportunity for action, no matter how small the gesture or how low the bowing.
Jesus knew He’d be mocked, He knew He’d be betrayed, sold for nothing into slavery, the slavery of the cross. He saw and knew exactly what was ahead, yet He washed, their feet. He chose to give – love.
Love each other.
Just as I have loved you,
you should love each other.
Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples."
Don’t say or think you don’t understand how to do this. Love is a decision. It cannot be figured out, it has no bounds and goes beyond all reason. It decides to because of Love. You can decide to Love God and to Love People. We are not alone, we are not helpless, we are not orphans with no fathers to show us the way. We have the Father God, His Son and the Holy Spirit as our instructors, correctors and teachers and they know all about everything. There is no excuse, and with no excuse the truth is very clear, we’ve made choices, our choices are either for or against-love.
We are blessed in what we do, vs 17. If we know, and we do know, we are blessed as we act on what we know. Blessing is the end result of right decision making. It is true happiness, unselfish fulfillment.
I want to tell you something very, very important.
If we find we are not blessed it is because we have not done what we know to do, either now or in the past, which were seeds then and are full grown plants now. If we do not do what we hear - we are cursed, living out the consequences of our bad decisions, which could be as “simple” as not loving.
Not doing what we hear is sin. Sin separates us. It was the original; result of sin, separation. Lucifer and 1/3rd of the angelic host, separated from God. Adam & Eve separated form God. Thus we also separated from God. Sin separates.
God reconciles, because He cannot stand to be separated from His creation whom He loves. Lucifer’s rebellion led a rebellion, multiplied a rebellion, that rebellion crashed to earth and earth was formless, lifeless, dark with rebellion and enslaved to its consequence.
God had a plan, put man in the center of that plan, to reverse the curse now manifested on earth. If man with His freewill chose to obey God, the curse could be reversed. It was impossible without making a right choice. After man chose against God, chose the rebellion, it was impossible to have this reconciliation, even if one desired it. Jesus then came to right all wrongs and to make a way once again for man to be able to be redeemed if he so chose to be.
This is why love is a choice. Choice is a very powerful tool in the hand of man, the devil, and God. Why are there so many choices? To bring confusion, derision from the one choice.
There are 3 main root symptoms indicators of separation that has opened doors wide to sin and all of its consequences. Separation is the root.
Separation from God is #1, Separation from self is #2, separation from people is #3.
That pretty much sums up the root cause of every curse manifested. From sickness to poverty to unhappiness. If you find yourself separated and not reconciled in any of these areas a gap must be closed in, the only way to close it in is by deciding to.
Separating from God, self or people are all symptoms that can be easily read and deliberately defied by Jesus’ blood and a good decision made, to get back on track quick, before the results of curses start to have their way inside of your life. Bridge in the gap, close in the gap, fill in the breech, as soon as is possible. Remember nothing at all is impossible with God. With God all breech filling is possible, We just need to decide. The decision is a life or death decision, It matters in life and death, it is a matter of life or death. Death comes quickly yet takes some time when gaps are not closed in with kingdom obedience and rule.

Daily Repetitive Verses:

Isaiah 58:12 – in multiple translations….
The Amplified Bible
And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of [buildings that have laid waste for] many generations; and you shall be called Repairer of the Breach, Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.
The Holy Bible, New International Version®
Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.
THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language
You'll use the old rubble of past lives to build anew, rebuild the foundations from out of your past. You'll be known as those who can fix anything, restore old ruins, rebuild and renovate, make the community livable again.
The New King James Version
Those from among you Shall build the old waste places; You shall raise up the foundations of many generations; And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.
GOD'S WORD
Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the foundations of past generations. You will be called the Rebuilder of Broken Walls and the Restorer of Streets Where People Live.
New Life Bible
And your cities which were destroyed long ago will be built again. You will set up the stones of the bases of the old buildings. You will be called the one who builds again the broken walls, and who makes the streets on which people live like new.