M U D D Y, pt. 1

FUNDRAISING: I am currently short of $5.1K to be fully funded for the Race. I’ve seen God move in big ways and provide over $3K in a month for myself, and over $10K in a month for squadmates. I’m asking for you to partner with me in order that I to stay on the field and continue to be used by God over the next eight months. If you’re looking to invest your money in something bigger, I’m asking you to consider investing in the Kingdom by supporting me on the World Race!

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Last month, I heard a sermon that rocked me. It wasn’t new information, but it was information presented differently than before. Or maybe it was even that something different was specifically noticed in the passage and expanded on. Either way, I want to share it with you all, that you might grow and learn some new things and get a new perspective like I did! God’s so good and He wants us to learn from, as well as teach one another! So here we are. 🙂

Before diving in, I want this to be an interactive thing! I want to hear what you learned from it, what you think of it, and how/if this has impacted you! Please comment thoughts, prayer requests, and the like below! I’d love to be praying for you!

Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. –John 13:3-4

I’ve had some wild realizations after hearing this today. Jesus laid aside His garments–this happens just before The Last Supper.

I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, My soul shall be joyful in my God; For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. –Isaiah 61:10

Before even washing the disciples’ feet, He gives them [us] the shirt off of His back. And not just any shirt–He clothes us in righteousness. He removed HIS robe and puts on another to wash the disciples. WHOA.

Jesus then begins to wash their feet…after Peter flips out about not being worthy to have his feet washed.

The disciples’ feet were probably pretty gnarly. They were caked with mud. All kinds of gross. It’s not like they had the highest quality Nike running shoes, ya know? They had sandals, and the roads were dirt. After being in the Philippines, there were a few days my feet were pretty gross from walking in the sand or on dirt roads. I can only imagine how thick the dirt was on their feet doing this every single day.

He washes their feet with water. The dirt, the mud, all taken off. Squeaky clean.

Feet are an important part of the body. They get you where you need to go, they allow you to travel. Scripture also specifically calls out feet a ton, usually about a washing of feet, but also about direction and position. For instance, “Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.” (Psalm 119:105), speaks of God’s Word giving us direction on where to go, what to do. Feet are all over the Bible, but this one is my personal fave:

How beautiful upon the mountains
Are the feet of him who brings good news,
Who proclaims peace,
Who brings glad tidings of good things,
Who proclaims salvation,
Who says to Zion,
“Your God reigns!”–Isaiah 52:7

So why is she still talking about feet?

…I’m getting there.

In Genesis, after the Fall, God talks to the serpent saying this:

“…And you shall eat dust
All the days of your life.”–Genesis 3:14b

We walk around every day, getting dirt on our feet. Dirt is the food of the serpent. Satan feeds off of sin. When we sin, he tries to trap us in it. He tries to make us feel stuck, worthless, and alone. *Cue Jesus, vulnerability, and community. When we confess and repent of our sin to God, know our identity as a son or daughter of Christ, and shed light to those around us (community), Satan can’t feed off of it because we’re secure and know who we are. We know that Jesus took that sin and washed it away. We know we’re called higher. We know that isn’t true of us. But Jesus takes water and washes the disciples feet.

…where am I going with this?

God’s Word is the water that keeps the dust and mud (sin) off of our feet. If we’re in God’s Word every day, we know who we are, where our identity is found. We aren’t just called righteous and holy, we are righteous and holy.

Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. But that is not the way you learned Christ!— assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.–Ephesians 4:17-24

We have to correct how we think of ourselves. Rather than always telling our selves (and others), “Man, I just am really struggling with __________ (fill in the blank: lust, pride, being jealous, etc.)”

Let me tell you something, and it’s changed the way I see myself in Christ. YOU DON’T HAVE TO STRUGGLE. You just need to change your thinking. When you came to Christ, you put off your old self. YOUR OLD SELF IS DEAD.

You’re already new–you just have to put it on. See my previous post, UNCAGED, here, to see how I started walking this out in my own life just over a month ago. It has changed how I feel when I wake up every morning–drastically. It’s changed my relationship with God–drastically. It’s more raw, rich, and real.

I’m going to snag a quote from my squadmate Ryan’s most recent post and say this: If you at all see anything in me that you like or admire, I can guarantee you that it’s from living this way, surrendered to the Lordship of Jesus. And anything you see in me, you can have too.

There’s another blog being written, coming soon, about walking this out more. For now, I’ll leave you with this scripture. Lean into it. Meditate on it. Pray it into your own life.

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.–Romans 12:2

You have to change the way you think. You have to renew your mind–but don’t worry. You don’t have to do this alone. The better news is you actually can’t do it alone.

Be looking out for pt. II, coming soon!

XOXO,

Victoria//Roaring Lion

P.S.–Don’t forget to comment, subscribe, and share. 🙂