Hold Fast and Move Forward

Matthew 20:26 But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister. The difference between a good church and a great church is not talent, polish, or appearance. It is the towel. A good church may be full on Sunday morning with people who came to get served. But a great church is made up of people who leave the service ready to serve someone else. When believers gather only thinking about their rights, preferences, and recognition, the church begins to feel more like a country club than a family gathering. But when believers come saying, “How can I help? How can I bless? How can I strengthen the next generation? How can I pray for this church? How can I serve where there is a need?” then the spirit of Christ is being displayed. Jesus did not say greatness belongs to the most impressive. He did not say it belongs to the one with the most regal robes, the strongest gifts, or the most visible position. He said greatness belongs to the servant. So the real question is not, “Am I important here?” The real question is, “Have I taken up my towel?” Maybe the work is small. Maybe it is hidden. Maybe no one applauds it. But if it is done for Jesus, it matters greatly.  A church becomes strong when its people care more about responsibilities than rights. It becomes beautiful when believers gladly take the low place for Christ’s sake. Respond: Look for one practical way to serve this week. Stop waiting for the perfect role or public opportunity, and simply do the next humble thing the Lord puts before you. KEEP LOOKING UP! Taken from the preaching ministry of Tim Webb

Matthew 20:28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. Jesus did not wash the disciples’ feet in order to receive something back. He served without expectation. He did not take the towel hoping they would return the favor. He did not wash feet so they would praise His humility. He simply did what love required and what His Father willed. That cuts against the grain of our flesh. We like service that gets noticed. We like sacrifice that earns appreciation. We like ministry that comes with visible results. But true service is not a bargain. It does not say, “I will wash your feet if you wash mine.” It does not say, “I will serve if I am thanked, recognized, understood, or repaid.” Jesus teaches us a better way. You wash feet with no expectation. You serve because it is obedience. You serve because Christ served you. You serve because the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister. Many believers become discouraged because they expected too much from people. They served, but secretly hoped for applause, loyalty, or return. When those things did not come, their towel fell to the floor. But the Lord never asked us to serve for those reasons. Remember this: our reward is not in the response of people, but in the smile of Christ. Respond: Ask the Lord to cleanse your motives. Pray, “Help me serve with no thought of praise, repayment, or recognition. Let it be enough that I have pleased You.” KEEP LOOKING UP! Taken from the preaching ministry of Tim Webb

John 13:11 For he knew who should betray him; therefore said he, Ye are not all clean. One of the most humbling truths in this passage is that Judas was there. Jesus knew exactly what was in Judas’s heart. He knew Judas would sell Him for thirty pieces of silver. He knew Judas would betray Him with a kiss. Yet Jesus still washed his feet. That is staggering humility. That is astonishing love. He did not serve only those who would be loyal. He did not reserve His kindness for those who would appreciate it. He bowed before one who would wound Him deeply and knowingly met his need. This is where our service is often tested. We may be willing to help the grateful, the kind, the dependable, or the pleasant. But what about the difficult? What about the doubtful? What about the ones who misunderstand us, resist us, or even betray us? Jesus did not discriminate in His service. He washed the feet of John, and He washed the feet of Judas. If we are ever going to take up our towel, we must settle this matter. We are not serving for reward. We are not serving only the lovable. We are serving because Christ has called us to serve. We are serving because it is our towel. Some of the feet you wash may belong to people who never thank you. Some may belong to people who later hurt you. Still, the call remains the same. Take up your towel. Serve without discrimination. Serve because Jesus is worthy. Respond: Bring before the Lord anyone you have been unwilling to serve. Ask Him for grace to love, bless, and help others without bitterness, favoritism, or fear of being hurt. KEEP LOOKING UP! Taken from the preaching ministry of Tim Webb

John 13:4-5 He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples’ feet. Every disciple had ignored the need. The meal had gone on. The feet were still filthy. The room still carried the evidence that no servant had stepped forward. Then Jesus rose from supper. Those words are full of wonder. The very Son of God stood up, laid aside His garments, took a towel, and girded Himself. The One whom angels worship took the place of the lowest servant. He did not command someone else to do the work. He did the work Himself. This act revealed more than good manners. It revealed His heart. He is the Lord who stoops. He is the Master who serves. He is the King who condescends. In many ways, this moment pictures His whole life. He rose from Heaven’s glory, laid aside the visible splendor of His majesty, and came low to redeem sinners. He came near to wash what we could never cleanse. Jesus did not serve because He was lesser. He served because He was glorious. His humility did not diminish Him. It displayed Him. When we behold Christ like this, excuses begin to die. How can we cling to dignity when the Son of God took a towel? How can we insist on place and preference when He bowed before sinful men? He rose from supper. He bowed to serve. And in that moment He showed the beauty of heaven’s King. Respond: Spend time today worshiping Christ for His humility. Then ask Him to make His mind your mind, so that you gladly stoop to serve others in His name. KEEP LOOKING UP! Taken from the preaching ministry of Tim Webb

Luke 22:24 And there was also a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest. What a striking scene. Jesus is moving toward the cross. Great sorrow is upon Him. Within hours He will sweat as it were great drops of blood. Soon He will hang on Calvary and pour out His life for sinners. Yet just before all of this, the disciples are arguing over who is the greatest. That is the spirit that keeps a towel hanging. Pride always walks past the basin. Pride says, “Someone else can do the lowly work. Someone else can take the servant’s place. I am too important for that.” Every disciple walked in and saw the towel. Every disciple knew what needed to be done. Every disciple passed it by. The issue was not ignorance. The issue was self-importance. How often the same thing happens in us. We may never say the words aloud, but in our hearts we think, “I deserve better. I have done too much. I should be recognized. I should be served.” While those thoughts fill the heart, the towel remains untouched. Jesus shows us that greatness in His kingdom is not found in being noticed, applauded, or preferred. Greatness is found in stooping low for the glory of God and the good of others. The one who insists on being greatest will never wash feet. But the one who sees Christ clearly will gladly take the servant’s place. Respond: Confess any pride the Lord reveals. Ask Him to give you a heart that no longer asks, “Who is the greatest?” but asks, “Whose feet can I wash?” KEEP LOOKING UP! Taken from the preaching ministry of Tim Webb

John 13:14-15 If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. The burden of this passage is simple, but it is searching. Jesus, the Lord of glory, bowed down and washed the feet of His disciples. Then He looked at them and said, “I have given you an example.” He did not merely tell them to admire humility. He told them to practice it. He did not leave them a speech only. He left them a pattern. So often we think in terms of the big sacrifice. We say, “Lord, I would die for You.” But the cross is not only one final act. It is daily dying to self. And the towel is not a symbol of something dramatic and public. It is the symbol of lowly, unseen, everyday service. Jesus says not only, “Take up your cross,” but also, “Take up your towel.” There is a towel with every believer’s name on it. The question is not whether the towel exists. The question is whether we have taken it up. So many towels still hang untouched because we want a place of honor more than a place of service. The way up in the kingdom of God is down. The path to true usefulness is humility. If Jesus took the towel, then none of us are above it. Respond: Surrender yourself afresh and say, “Jesus, my life is Yours. I will serve wherever You place me.” KEEP LOOKING UP! Taken from the preaching ministry of Tim Webb

Acts 1:14 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren. What a sentence. Everything changed, but they “continued.” They didn’t continue because it felt comfortable. They continued because Jesus was worth it. They continued because they believed the promises. They continued because prayer kept them together when change tried to tear them apart. Notice the spirit of it: “one accord.” That doesn’t mean everybody got their way. It means they got in line with God. They didn’t stand around arguing about the new normal; they got on their knees and asked for power from above. And that’s how God's church goes forward: ordinary people in unity, praying, refusing to quit.  If we’re honest, most of us don’t love change. We love comfort. We love control. But Acts shows a church that won’t be ruled by comfort. A church on fire doesn’t stop when things shift. It locks arms, bows heads, and keeps going. Respond: Father, make our hearts steady. Teach us to continue in prayer, in unity, and in obedience; especially when things change. KEEP LOOKING UP! Taken from the preaching ministry of Tim Webb

2 Thessalonians 2:15 Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle. There are things that must never change. Stand fast. Hold the traditions. Don’t let the world seduce you into trading truth for trendiness. Don’t remove what God has established. A church can be old-fashioned in the right way, as defined by the Word of God. But standing fast is not the same as standing still. The Bible calls us to hold what is right while we go where God sends. The message isn’t, “Change for change’s sake.” The message is, “Obey the Lord.” Sometimes obedience means staying planted. Sometimes obedience means stepping out. Either way, you hold the traditions you’ve been taught, and you refuse to quit when it would be easier to coast. Some would want to freeze everything where it’s comfortable. But comfort is not the goal. Control is not the goal. Jesus is the goal. And when He speaks, we stand fast in truth and move forward in faith. Respond: Lord, anchor me to what never changes. And then give me courage to obey You, even when obedience requires change. KEEP LOOKING UP! Taken from the preaching ministry of Tim Webb

Proverbs 22:28 Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set. God has landmarks: truths, doctrines, convictions, and Bible paths that must not be moved. We don’t apologize for the gospel, the Bible, and worship that honors God. We are not trying to be cool. We are striving to be faithful. But hear it: landmarks are not museum pieces. They are guides for a journey. They don’t exist so we can brag about where we’ve been; they exist so we can know where to go without drifting. The disciples held truth, and then they marched into the world with it. A church can cherish its heritage without chaining itself to comfort. Some of the sweetest things we enjoy came because somebody refused to stop. Someone decided to add on, build on, reach out, win souls, and keep going. We are beneficiaries of continuation. And the next generation will be beneficiaries if we refuse to remove the landmarks while we press forward to take ground. Respond: Father, keep me faithful to the ancient landmarks. And keep me useful in the present work, steady in truth, active in mission. Taken from the preaching ministry of Tim Webb