It’s audio devo day! It’s also Holy Week. This beautiful Scripture has been stirring in my heart for us:
Today He wants to communicate the full measure of His deep and tender love to us, too. So this week we take a little pause in our series on soul rest for a Good Friday reflection.
Do you struggle with guilt? Before you ever fell short, Jesus already extended His lavish forgiveness and amazing grace to you! (Holy Spirit nudged me to revisit this one…). Receive His amazing provision for you as you listen here:
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“Unless I wash you, you have no part with me” (John 13:8b, NIV).
Although Jesus was looking into Peter’s eyes as He spoke this truth, His words were nourishment offered to everyone in the room. In that moment, little did the disciples know how desperately they needed what He was extending to them. Painfully soon, they would find out.
“Unless I wash you…” He uttered in deeply affectionate tones, even as He determinately set about doing exactly that. As He tenderly held each grungy foot, washing away grime and sweat, He looked up meaningfully into each face. The Lord of all eternity knelt before His friends, one by one, and He cleansed them.
His posture communicated to them the ultimate act of service He was about to undertake. Ahead of time, He was releasing its provision to them. Ahead of time, He was earnestly assuring them of His undying love for them in the face of their desertion. Ahead of time, He was pouring forgiveness into their hearts, the washing away of their sins.
The feet He had just cleansed would imminently turn and flee from His side. That very night, those freshly washed feet would carry these men far away from the One who had purified them. As they reached their wretched hiding places soon thereafter amidst the oppressive shadows, did they immediately remember? Did they relive the powerful touch of His hands massaging the street-dirt off of their skin? Did they hear His voice again speaking lovingly, firmly in their hearts, “Unless I wash you…”?
I have no doubt that they did. And the first rays of understanding began to reach through their personal darkness: before they had abandoned Him, He had already wholeheartedly forgiven them. He had already imparted to them His unconditional cleansing. He had already knelt before them as their Suffering Servant. He had already made complete provision for everything that was to follow.
Reeling from their failure, they may not have yet fully grasped the significance of what Jesus had done. However, the time would come when memories of that night at the table with Him would flood their hearts with unspeakably beautiful revelation. He had washed them. He had wholly, passionately, overwhelmingly given them “part with Him.”
You and I can closely relate to these friends of Jesus. Our own feet sometimes carry us, too, down paths far away from the Master. We know what it is to ache with the pain of having turned our backs on Him. But our relentlessly devoted Savior has already made provision for our failure.
If today you are struggling with guilt, He is kneeling before you now. He takes your soiled feet in His gentle hands with indescribable love. He looks up into your face with exquisite kindness. Gazing deep into your soul, He begins to wash every last stain away. His Spirit speaks directly to your heart of hearts: Dear one, your sins are forgiven you.
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How does forgiving ourselves tie into Jesus’ forgiveness of us?
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Note: For a post on how this truth goes together with the need to ask God for His forgiveness, click here.
Feeding On Jesus 
Blessings this is so good. Thank you Jesus for being our savior.
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Yes Jesus, we thank You with all our hearts! Thank you too, my friend!
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Just a word of caution on this title; the forgveNESS is available before we even sinned, but the act of forgiving cannot happen until we sin AND repent.
There is a small danger that can become large if we are not careful with this. Granted in God’s Heavenly perspective, the “Lamb [was] slain from the foundation of the world” and that was for our forgiveness which is also a “finished work” FROM His perspective. However, we are still in the “in-between time” and cannot see from His view. love and prayers, c.a.
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I love the point you bring up here, C.A.! You have brought into the conversation another case of absolutely essential, complimentary truth. I am so inspired by it that I feel a leading from the Lord to write a post about how this vitally important point of yours goes together with Jesus exclamation from the cross, “Father, forgive them!” well before any of them had asked for forgiveness. Both are so important, and we can’t lose sight of either. I’ll let you know when I get that other post up, and will be eager for your input there too. Blessings, my brother!
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The post you helped inspire is now up, my brother. Thank you again! I’ll post the link at the end of this comment thread. 😊
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I think the problem here is the error that refuses to acknowledge we are all born with a sin nature, a LITTLE baby is innocent but still is born with a human sin nature. SELF WILL.. ALL must one day come to the Cross.
This sin nature continues all life long and at the CROSS is where the sacrificial blood flowed to cover our lives and sins past, present and future are covered by that sacred blood flow REDEMPTION. This means we are JUSTIFIED by GOD. We are His Child we can call Him ‘Abba” our Father. But God is Absolute HOLINESS. We this side of eternity are still being changed. We are far from perfect. The human sin nature rises up. That’s why GOD the HOLY spirit came to live with and IN us. GOD THE SPIRIT is HOLY SANCTIFIER. He points us always to Jesus, Reveals our sins and brings us to REPENTENCE,
Yes at the Cross all sins past present and future were forgiven but we are called there day by day to keep repenting of our sins. Our CONDITION is needing forgiveness but our POSITION in God’s Eyes is HIS BELOVED CHILD. Hold HIS HAND and FOLLOW HIM……..IN HIS WAY.
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Wonderful, wonderful insights here, Faye, thank you once again for sharing your wisdom!
Ps 51:5
“For I was born a sinner—
yes, from the moment my mother conceived me.”
And I really love how you expressed this: “Our CONDITION is needing forgiveness but our POSITION in God’s Eyes is HIS BELOVED CHILD.” Amen and amen! Thank You Jesus for forgiving us and making us Your very own!
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I thank Jesus for who He is 🤍
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I join you in thanking Him, Shanique! Thank You Jesus! And thank you, dear, for your joyful comment today 🙂
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Here is a complementary post on how this truth goes together with the need to ask God for His forgiveness: https://feedingonjesus.com/2021/04/12/run-into-his-arms/
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Forgive others, forgive yourself. We can be our own worst critic at times. I know I am harder on myself than others. I see it in something as simple as when I play ultimate frisbee. At any level, I focus on the strengths of others but see only the faults in my own play. God has given me the gifts of playing well and encouraging others in their journeys to play well. He has also given me the strength to forgive myself for mistakes and to embrace the joy He provides in that I am able to play the sport.
Starting with forgiving myself here has helped me open my heart to others areas of my life. And this has helped me to assume everyone is doing their best, even if my mind tries really hard to say otherwise.
Thank you Jesus!
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What a precious journey He has you on, dear brother! I am SO glad that He has been teaching you to forgive yourself and be gracious to yourself!
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