Pleasant Stone Devotional Meditation: August 17

“Then cometh He to Simon Peter: and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet? …Thou shalt never wash my feet…” ~ John 13:6, 8

If Peter had not made a quick change of attitude after this seemingly humble statement, he would have suffered as many of the rest of us have suffered the inner agony of pride. A proud heart causes a particularly acute type of suffering because it invariably leaves its owner alone.

Peter sounded humble enough when he gasped, “Thou shalt never wash my feet.” But the Lord Jesus saw through Peter just as He sees through us, I’m sure He is greatly displeased when we call ourselves worms and appear to cringe in abject nothingness when someone is giving us a perfectly normal compliment.

Have you not heard this again and again? “Oh, I did nothing! The Lord did it all!” As with Peter’s remark in the upper room, it sounds humble enough, but it points directly to our own fancied piety of soul. If I’m humble, I don’t need to tell you. You know it. If you’re humble, you don’t need to tell me. I know it.

Pride is devastatingly subtle. Check your motives when you cringe in the background. Could it be because you unconsciously long to call attention to yourself? If we run ourselves down as Christians, we are not only running down the redeemed of Jesus Christ, we are still pointing to ourselves! Christians who are really off their own hands, can quite quietly receive a compliment and simply say “thank you” and go on. They are off their own hands. Nothing needs be done about them one way or another. They are about their Father’s business, not their own.

“Looking unto Jesus. The author and finisher …”