Many religious figures have assumed a state of humility as they endeavored to patiently teach their followers to walk in the way in which they themselves have discovered.

Then comes Jesus. 

• The Word of God Made Flesh

• The Image of the Invisible God

• The Firstborn over all creation 

• The Radiance of God's Glory

• The Exact Representation of God's Being

• The Only Begotten Son of God

This is not a gentle soul with a divine spark

He is the Spark of all Creation

This is not an awakened soul 

He is the Breath of Life

This is not an enlightened soul 

He is the Light of the World

He is the "Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father; by whom all things were made..."

The One I've been describing, He is the One who stooped down at Simon Peter's feet, washing and drying them only a few hours before this same disciple denied Him.  The "I AM" who appeared to Moses, the Lord God Almighty made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant.  Maybe other religious leaders have set examples of humility and service to others.  But what other lord or god has ever descended from his altar, or pedestal to serve his subjects in such a way as this?

Jesus is the link between heaven and earth; between God and people.  In this simple act of service He humanizes God's love for us, and sanctifies our love for God.  No one else could have done that.

I choose to love the God who first loved me.

I choose to serve the only God who serves!

 Mark 10:45 

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

 John 13:2-15

²The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus. ³Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; ⁴so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. ⁵After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

 ⁶He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Lord, are you going to wash my feet?"

 ⁷Jesus replied, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand."

 ⁸"No," said Peter, "you shall never wash my feet."
      Jesus answered, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with me."

 ⁹"Then, Lord," Simon Peter replied, "not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!"

 ¹⁰Jesus answered, "A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you." ¹¹For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.

 ¹²When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" he asked them. ¹³"You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. ¹⁴Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. ¹⁵I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.

PORTRAITS OF FIRE

Fire is a great subject for photography. Whether a volcanic eruption, or simply a few flames licking at the chilled air, the beauty of fire mesmerizes and stirs the imagination. Burning oak brings me childhood memories of visiting cousins in North Carolina. The sight of uniform flames flanking each other in a propane heater, reminds me of my grandparents old house.

However beautiful captured images are, the practical uses of fiery photos is limited. Pictures, which lack heat and odor, can only burn in memory. Photographs of fire cannot warm a cold night, cook a hot meal, sterilize, smelt, purge, or any number of things the actual stuff can do. Unless you're going to throw them on a real blaze, these representations can do nothing more than provide aesthetics.

God's Fire
In the same way, some have taken portraits of the fire of God. During past outpourings, awakenings, and revivals, some have captured the thoughts, conversations, music and images of the fire, as it baptized those hungry souls who would rather starve than settle for less than God's best. Others have framed such portraits in their thoughts, and nailed them to the present church as reference points.

These past portraits appear as hot as when they were first ignited. But if we were to depend on them for our survival, we would likely freeze. They can no more enliven us than pictures of cars can drive us to work! The past cannot presently provide heat. If we are going to experience passion for God, we have to be filled with the God of passion. The Consuming Fire must saturate our lives.

Images won't do. We must pull down facsimiles and cry out for the authentic. God has no photocopy. His only representation is Jesus, who also turns out to be God, the Son. He desires to give each generation a new encounter with Himself and no substitute. But if we only try to see by the light of past flames, if we settle for these "portraits of fire," we will never know the genuine blaze of the power of God.

"...having a form of godliness but denying its power..." 2Timothy 3:5


Send the Fire, by William Booth (Founder of the Salvation Army):