It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. – John 13:1

He loved to the very end. One meaning of “the end” (telos in Greek) means aim or fulfillment. In John Chapter 13, Jesus exhibits the importance of loving our brethren, regardless of what they have done, unceasingly. If Jesus were not Jesus I have to believe that He would be in a complete state of panic. Jesus knew He was about to sit down and eat with his closest friends for the last time. He knew that time was short and that He would soon be betrayed by a man that was supposed to be his confidant; however, what did He do? He washed feet. He kept serving, and He kept loving. This act of selflessness paints a beautiful picture portraying that no matter how bad we think our life is currently going- we keep serving. Jesus didn’t let this act of sheer betrayal define Him. He didn’t let it take over His mind and heart and transform him into something that He wasn’t. Jesus didn’t let fear or a major time constraint stop him from completing His father’s will. He had a calling to execute and nothing was going to stop him. His whole life was based on ministering to others, and that is how He was going to complete it. He didn’t need a bucket list of fun activities that He had to achieve before passing from this world – He just needed to serve. This is yet another instance that authenticates that being Christlike means serving others in the most selfless possible way. It means to push all of our selfish tendencies to the side. It means that when we finish serving in one area that we are not finished. The race isn’t over. We have to keep pressing forward and looking for opportunities to show Jesus to people that are struggling and hurting. Hebrew 12:1 states, “Therefore since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” We can’t stop. We have to keep going until the very end. If it is God’s will for me to live eighty or ninety years, I hope that I am still serving and loving with my entire heart.

God, please help me to keep going. Help me see the opportunities that you place around me to serve others. I never want to think I am “finished” until you say I am. Amen.