FBCD_FaithEssentials_June_FlipBook

Todd Gaddis

sinful, He lovingly exposed their transgressions, directing them to a better way in life. In a time in history and society when true mentors and heroes are difficult to find, look no further than Jesus Christ. The night before His crucifixion, after washing the disciples’ feet, Jesus said, “I gave you an example that you should do as I did to you” (John 13:15). Mother Teresa, the Catholic nun who spent most of her adult life in India ministering to the poorest of the poor, faithfully followed Jesus’ lead.

On one occasion she was brought face to face with a man who had a rare and horrendous case of terminal cancer. One of the workers had vomited from the stench and could no longer continue. Mother Teresa then stepped in and kindly took over. The patient was mystified. "How can you stand the smell?" asked the patient. Mother Teresa replied, "It's nothing compared to the pain you must feel." Servanthood begins when we move beyond our own comfort to relieve the discomfort of another. 2

One of the disciples present on that night before the crucifixion, writing about the example Christ displayed, challenges readers to: “follow in His steps” (1 Peter 2:21). May the chorus to the old hymn serve as our mantra: “Footprints of Jesus that make the pathway glow; we will follow the steps of Jesus wher-e’er they go.” 3 Although most people who encountered Jesus left better off, many becoming faithful followers, a few rejected and hated Him. Among them was the religious establishment, some who conspired to kill Jesus from the beginning of His public work (Mark 3:6). Ultimately, it wasn’t an earthly plot that put Jesus on the cross, but rather an eternal plan. As John states in the last book of the Bible, He was “The Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8, KJV). Carefully consider the following description of Jesus’ death. It was:

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