Remember, the secret of being just like Jesus is “fixing our eyes” on Him. Try shifting your glance away from the one who hurt you and setting your eyes on the One who has saved you. Note the promise of John, ” But if we live in the light, we can share fellowship with each other. Then the blood of Jesus, God’s Son, cleanses us from every sin.” ( 1 John 1:7)
Even more, He is still cleansing us! John tells us ” We are being cleansed. The cleansing is not a promise for the future but reality in the present.
Let a spot of filth land on the heart of God’s child, and the filth is wiped away. Jesus still cleans His disciples’ feet. Jesus still washes away stains. Jesus still purifies His people.
Our Savior kneels down and gazes upon the darkest acts of our lives. But rather than recoil in horror, He reaches out in kindness and says, ” I can clean that if you want.” And from the basin of His grace , He scoops a palm full of mercy and washes away our sin. But that’s not all He does. Because He lives in us, you and I can do the same. Because He has forgiven us, we can forgive others. Because He has a forgiving heart, we can have a forgiving heart. We can have a heart like Jesus.
“If I , your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash each others feet. I did this as an example so that you should do as I have done for you. ” (John 13:14-15 )
Jesus washes our feet for two reasons. The first is to give us mercy; the second is to give us a message, and that message is simply this: Jesus offers unconditional grace; we are to offer unconditional grace. The mercy of Christ preceded our mistakes; our mercy must precede the mistakes of others. Those in the circle of Christ had no doubt of His love; those in our circles should no doubts about ours.
What does it mean to have a heart like His? It means to kneel as Jesus knelt, touching the grimy parts of people we are stuck with and washing their unkindnesses with kindness. Or as Paul wrote, ” Be kind to each other, and forgive each other just as God forgave you in Christ. ” (Ephesians 4:32)
Please understand. Relationships don’t thrive because the guilty are punished but because the innocent are merciful.
Excerpts from Max Lucado “Just Like Jesus” (Ch 2, Pages 19-21)
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