The Full Extent of Love

What is the full extent of love?
The Bible says that the full extent of love is the King, Ruler, Commander, Creator, Prince, and Hero of the world would get down on his hands and knees, tie a rag around his waste and wash dirty, bloody, scabbed, calloused, stinky, horrible feet.

I think I often underestimate this because I rule Jesus as just another guy. Instead of standing next to God as he spoke and light was created. Energy cannot be created or destroyed unless He speaks. All of the Angels in heaven and everything that has ever had a breath will turn to him and fall flat on it's face in awe and reverence of Him. That this man, this God, here on earth would not only come into my house when it's still a mess, sit with me, talk with me like I have something worth hearing to say, but then would get up, sit down on the ground, take off my shoes and socks and wash my feet with his shirt and rag.

What kind of King is this?
Who is this King of glory?

But the full extent of love is not just this act of putting water on the feet. This act is bathed in humility. Ridiculous, unfathomable humility. That someone so high would come so low, for love. It's not even just that, but continue to look at it and then look above the bloody rotten feet, and you have in need of bloody, rotten people. Yeah, we can say the disciples were good people or whatever because they followed Jesus, but he knew exactly how they were going to respond. One was going to straight up stab him in the back, one was going to repeatedly deny he even knew him in a few minutes, and all the others were going to run like kids who just did something wrong. Yes, they're trying, but still scared little bunch of boys who can't live for more than themselves yet. Knowing what was going to happen, how they were all going to treat him in just an hour or so, knowing his abandonment in his hardest time, he still took the greatest act of humility and served them.

[[Side note: I feel like each time we sin, we're like the disciples.
Each time we sin, we feel horrible, then try to go avoid God. We try to get to sleep as fast as possible. We try to busy ourselves so we don't have to think about it. We try to go away from God so we don't have to deal with His Holiness and our lack of it. We're acting just like the disciples who ran from Jesus at the cross because they were scared. The thing they needed the most was Jesus on the cross, and the thing we need the most is Jesus at the cross - yet we run from it and hide.]]

But seeing this kind of service makes me reevaluate alot.
That makes me realize how selfish I am. How much bigger of myself I think I am.
Who should I not serve? Those who stab me in the back? Those who ignore me? Those who run from me and hide? Those who don't listen to me when I try to help? Those who hate me? Those who spit on me? Those who give me dirty looks? Those who weren't there for me when I needed them? Those who don't believe me? Those who don't serve me?

Who exactly is it that I have a right not to serve and love? NO ONE!
Who the crap do I think I am?
That I have been around for 22 years and suddenly I have too much experience, wisdom, power, and whatever not to serve the homeless, not to plunge a toilet that I didn't clog, not to pick up trash that I didn't drop, not to go get someone who's drunk cause they can't drive, not to what? Not to listen to someone who won't listen to me? Not to speak love and truth to someone whenever they have no idea what's going on in my life?

Since when has love been conditional? When has it had to be reciprocated to continue?
From what I know this God/Man really got no love while he was here, no one ever understood what he was saying or doing or what was going on in his life until he was dead. 33 years of this and he loved more and loved harder, love grew more intense, finally building up to the full extent of love. And what about me? My love grows more shallow with the more experiences I have. It thins down because the more I try to love you the more you hurt me. He was hurt more, not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually as well, hurt much worse than I will ever be and he loved more and more each time.

So today. From now on. I want to serve more. I want to love more. I want to do it the way Jesus did and not expect anything good in return, but knowing the evil in them, knowing the evil in us, knowing our human short comings and the fact that they will give me nothing in return that I want or need, still serve them selflessly.

All of this is in John 13.


This is the full extent of love.
The greatest of love is that a man lay down his life for his friends.
We automatically think of death, to die for a friend, maybe take a bullet.
But what about the everyday laying down your life for them?
To do everything for someone else rather than your own good.
To fully live selflessly. Daily. Hmmm...
wonder what would look like.