Do I love people? Maybe the better question is “Do I love people as I should?” Well, the answer is not as easy or as simple as it looks. Because it actually finds its roots in a deeper question: “Do I love God as I should? Do I put my love for Him where it belongs?”

I can relate to Tripp’s illustration of loving his wife. If I fail to love Jo in the way I should, it all goes back to failing to love God as I should. When I fail to do that, I put me on the throne of my heart. It is all about me at that point. And, in reality, until I’m willing to put God where He belongs, it will always be about me.

The story of Jesus washing the disciples’ feet (the Scripture for today) has always intrigued me. Far deeper than a story of foot-washing , which some churches/denominations/cults have made essential, is the story of Jesus saying, “Do you understand what I am doing?” In other words, you see me washing feet. True. But there is so much more here. To my way of thinking, if Jesus would lower Himself to do one of the most mundane of all tasks, which only a servant would do, I should also be willing to do the same. Not necessarily wash someone’s feet…although that may certainly be part of it. What I do need to do is humble myself before God so I can truly do whatever is asked with a servant’s heart. And that includes loving someone.

“Father, teach me to love you first. I need my relationship with you to be right in order for me to be right with others. Rescue me. Rescue us (my relationship with you). Make us right. Then the others will be right.”