Filled to Pour

“Before the Passover celebration, Jesus knew that his hour had come to leave this world and return to his Father. He had loved his disciples during his ministry on earth, and now he loved them to the very end. It was time for supper, and the devil had already prompted Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God. So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him.”

John 13:1-5 NLT

There are some logos that are almost universally identifiable. If you see golden arches in the distance while driving on the highway, you instantly know what it means. If you see an apple on the front of someone’s computer, you don’t have to ask where they got it. You see a swoosh on the side of someone’s basketball shoe and you don’t have to hear the slogan, “Just Do It,” to think of Nike. A good logo conveys a message. A good logo is almost synonymous with the service. It shows identity. It describes what something is about without having to say a word.

My question for you is what is your logo? I’m not asking about the branding from your job, church or favorite sports team. I’m asking what people think of when they see you. What represents you? If you were a business, what service would the public say you provide? What are you remembered for? What can your character be described as?

You shouldn't only be recognized by your money, family or the car you drive. Something deeper should represent you. Something meaningful should remind people of you. Something more significant should be your symbol. What is that you may ask? In John 13:35, Jesus says that we should strive to be known for our love. Love should be our logo. Sacrifice should be our slogan. Compassion should be our creed. When people think of us, they should think of care and kindness. 

And my question for us is are we living up to that divine designation? When people think of God's church, do they think of belonging or berating? Do they think of acceptance or accusation? Do single mothers know that they can come to our church for assistance? Do curious and questioning teens see us as a place to find acceptance and belonging? Do the incarcerated see our church as a place they can receive justice. Do the inflicted see us as people from which they will for healing or harm? 

Ask yourself. Does your community know you as a safe place or a threat? Maybe they don’t even know you at all. Martin Luther King, Jr said that “The hottest place is Hell is reserved for those who remain neutral in times of great moral conflict.” And that “He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.” You can’t be neutral. You have to be known for something in this conflict ridden world. Jesus even said that He would rather you be hot or cold and that He will spit you out for being on the fence. So what are we? What’s our stamp? What authenticates us? We have to be known for something and Jesus calls us to be known for our love. 

If we’re being honest, this call to love is a lofty one. Loving like Jesus isn’t for the faint of heart. We’re often too selfish and concerned for our own safety to sacrificially love the way our Savior did. The Bible says that there is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for a friend. But Jesus took it one step further. The Bible says that someone might dare to die for a good man, but Jesus demonstrated His perfect love by dying for sinners like us. Jesus didn’t just lay down His life for a friend, He laid it down for His enemies. That’s love! 

I’m captivated by the live action skit that God asks Hosea to live out to describe His love for us. God goes to Hosea and tells him that He needs him to do a visual demonstration of His love. The plan is for Hosea to go down into the red light district and commit his life to Gomer the prostitute. God doesn’t tell Hosea to simply sign a contract saying that he will love Gomer as long as she plays by the rules. No. Hosea is told to make a covenant before Gomer and God that regardless of where Gomer goes and what Gomer does, He will continue to sacrificially pour himself out for her. He will choose her when she doesn’t choose him and love her when she doesn’t love him. Gomer cheats, runs away and has children that aren’t his but Hosea stays faithful. Hosea has all the reason to leave but makes a decision to love anyway. This is utterly insane. It’s completely preposterous.  And God says that this is what He has been doing with Israel for years. They walk out on Him, disrespect Him, cheat on Him with other gods and lie to Him while trying to milk Him of all His resources and blessings. He has all the reasons to leave but He stays. That’s love. That's sacrifice. That’s what it means to die for an enemy, and God is calling us to that same love. What?!

Throughout His time on earth, Jesus found many ways to show sacrificial love by tending to people’s physical, spiritual and emotional needs. One of those examples was seen in Him washing the disciples feet. I believe that by studying that story we can learn how to better love like Jesus. 

What jumps out to me in the text is that something seems to prompt Jesus to service. The Bible says that Jesus recognized the authority He had been given, where He came from and where He was going, so He knelt down and started to serve. Jesus knew His authority, His identity and where He would spend eternity so He was prompted to pour. Jesus knew what He had and it gave Him the motivation to give. I wonder if many of us struggle to pour because we don’t know we’re filled. Maybe we can’t love because we don’t know we’re loved. Maybe we don’t give because we don’t know what we have?

If you look back over your life, you can admit that God has provided your needs. He has given you everything you need for a life in godliness. He has called you to be the head and not the tail. He has called you to be a lender and not a borrower. He has already decided that He will continually open up the windows of heaven and pour out blessings that you cannot contain. If we believe this, we have to shift from a scarcity mindset to an abundance mindset. If God truly has enough for us, we have enough to give to others. If God has loved us without budget, surely we can love others. 

Jesus realized what He had and it gave Him the freedom to give. He knew His power, and His position. He knew His identity, authority and promise of life in eternity. So He wasn’t stingy with the love He had been given. When we recognize our identity in Christ, we can pour like Christ. We can be patient with others because God has been patient with us. We can be loving towards others because God has been loving towards us. We can give when others don’t deserve it because Jesus did that for us. We can be a picture of Jesus on earth, bearing a logo of love, if we simply remember the love we’ve been given. God has given you more than enough. It’s time for you to pass it forward and love others.

What has God gifted you with? How can you give a taste of what you’ve been given to others?

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