THE WILL TO LOVE - Vital Christianity

46TIMOTHY AS AN EXAMPLEAccording to Paul, Timothy was an unusual example of sacrificial service. Paul saysabout him,“I have no one else like him, who takes a genuine interest in your welfare (that isthe welfare of the Christians at Philippi). For everyone looks out for his owninterests, not those of Jesus Christ. But you know that Timothy has provedhimself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work ofthe gospel” (Php 2:20-23).Although Paul had an enormous circle of friends, yet he claimed that he had no otherservant like Timothy—selfless and hardworking. Timothy was the only one who would not seekhis own interests.The Christian life is a life of love expressed in sacrificial service. Anything less is sub-Christian. It is not the brand of Christianity that Paul was writing about.Love never asks how much must I do. But how much can I do.THE SUPREME EXAMPLEThe greatest example of service, of love in action, is Jesus Himself. Christ did notbroadcast the gospel from the sky; He came, and He came in the form of a servant in order tomeet the deepest needs of the human heart. Paul put it,“[Jesus Christ] who, being in the very nature God, did not consider equalityWith God something to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking thevery nature of a servant . . .” (vv. 6-7).I believe the most beautiful example of servant-hood in the life of Jesus is the incidentwhere He washed His disciples’ feet.In Jesus culture the most menial servant was stationed at the door to wash the feet ofarriving guests. And so when the disciples arrived at the upper room for their last meal withJesus, not one of them volunteered to take that lowly position. Each one of them assumed thatthe task would fall to someone further down the line. So the task of washing feet fell to theirleader, Jesus. It is John, the disciple, who tells about the incident.“It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come forHim to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved His own who werein the world, He now showed them the full extent of His love.”