Devotional Thought of the Day…

¹²  After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and sat down and asked, “Do you understand what I was doing? ¹³  You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am. ¹⁴  And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. ¹⁵  I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. ¹⁶  I tell you the truth, slaves are not greater than their master. Nor is the messenger more important than the one who sends the message. ¹⁷  Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them.   John 13:12-17 (NLT) 

352         It hurts you to see that some use the technique of speaking about the Cross of Christ, only so as to climb and obtain positions. They are the same people who consider nothing they see as clean if it does not coincide with their own particular standards. All the more reason, then, for you to persevere in the rectitude of your intentions, and to ask the Master to grant you the strength to repeat: Non mea voluntas, sed tua fiat!—Lord, may I fulfil your Holy Will with love!  (1)

I’ve had to deal with a lot of memories this in the last month, and in the last few days.  And it has been intensely… thought and emotion provoking.

From seeing my extended family – most for the first time in 6 years, some for the first time in 30.  To seeing my old schools, and haunts, to remembering times with my dad, and mourning and being grateful for our lives together.

This morning – as the sun comes up on the pond, as the mist arises, I have to face that its time to go home.  Back to work, but its not really work. Its more than that.

Probably the most dominant memory this morning is from California – perhaps the biggest lesson I learned… which I remembered going back on campus of my alma mater about a month ago.

PCC’s motto started out, “to prepare servant leaders…

And besides going back to my wife and son (Which I can’t wait for the hugs from) that’s what I’m going back to do.  To prepare people to serve…as Christ did.  To serve each other without thought of what they will get in return.  To serve each other as Christ would.   To even as they are finding healing in Christ, reaching out out help others.  You see, I think we rip something away from it, when we translate the greek as “ministry”.  It is simply the verb, “serve”.  And every minister, whether priest or pastor or deacon or bishop or Sunday School teacher, or wortship leader… that’s our calling.  N

To train them to serve others, and lead them into the presence of Jesus, to reveal God’s love for them – a love that cannot be measured.

It’s time to go back to california – to get back to my mission field… to serve.. for that is the only way to teach others to serve…

No matter what else anyonr else does – that’s where my ministry lies…..that’s where I’ve been called and trained to be… to serve and thereby teach others to….

Time to get back to it.

Will you come along?

Escriva, Josemaria (2011-01-31). Furrow (Kindle Locations 1631-1636). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.