March 27, 2012
Simon Peter exclaimed, "Then wash my hands and head as well, Lord, not just my feet!" -- John 13: 9 (NLT)
Continuing from yesterday's thought where we had Simon Peter exhibiting the prideful spirit we all need to be wary of in ourselves to the very next verse, seen above which highlights the super-spiritual spirit that can also invade the body of Christ. We all know to which I speak. That sense of haughty spirituality where the smallest detail is wrapped up in Christianese so that the less savvy hearer is left wondering about their own state of spirituality.
Once Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for "straining out a gnat but swallowing a camel." That is the Spirit to which I speak. It is often attributed to Billy Graham that he would not ride alone with a woman in an elevator for appearances sake. I would offer that up however as an end point in the development of our walk, not the starting point. Too often we see this super --spiritual attitude where we are more concerned about appearances than we are about how we truly are with the Lord. While it is certainly appropriate to be concerned about even the most trivial of appearances it means nothing if while straining out that gnat, we swallow the camels of self-righteousness, mean-spiritedness, and other ungodly characteristics.
If the Lord says He wants to wash your feet, let Him wash your feet. That is the key anyway to appearances. If we would just follow what the Lord wants by following His Word, then we will have no need to be concerned about appearances because everyone will know we belong to Him. Once we have resolved the camels of our lives -- the prideful spirit, the haughty spirit, the way we treat other people -- both inside and outside of the church -- then we can move on to the gnats of who might be in the elevator with us. The small things are definitely important but without resolving the larger issues first everyone will see the gnats for what they are -- annoyances of character.
Rev. Anthony
