Dinner With the King

Something really interesting happened a couple thousand years back, just before Jesus was to be executed. He had a Passover dinner with his twelve disciples in a stranger’s house. This wasn't too out of the ordinary, even though there were a few background stories going on at the table, including this one Man being very aware of the fact that He was about to be tortured and killed. What He did at that dinner, though, was new. Jesus took off His coat, dropped to His knees and began to wash their feet. All twelve of them. One by one, He washed off all the dirt and dust of the earth from their feet. Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, the other James, Lebbaues, Simon and even the feet of Judas. Jesus knelt before each of them and served them. I often feel like I am Judas, and that Jesus is helping me in a way that I don't deserve. Even after all the amazing things He does for me, I still so often find that I get up from the table and betray Him.

I had another dinner this past weekend with some friends of mine, and they introduced me to some missionary friends of theirs who are in South Africa from Brazil. I had an amazing opportunity to ask them a whole bunch of questions about the culture changes, and the language, and the climate of the country that I'm moving to. They asked me what I was going to do there, so I told them that I was going to be a missionary to the street children of Brazil, and in order to do so, I was going to have to study Portuguese so I can have an extended stay there on a student visa. The one lady asked where I was studying, and when I told her Mackenzie University she threw her hands up and grinned, and began to tell me that her dad was the vice president of the university at one stage, and even now, her twin brother still works there in the linguistics department, and she was going to speak to him about me.

I received a lot of advice from the two Brazilian couples, and the one piece I'll never forget is when I was told a sort of timeline of changes that I can expect after the move: The first two weeks will be exciting and adrenaline enthused fun. Then I will start realizing the change has occurred, getting headaches from my mind trying to listen to a different language all day, and dealing with a culture change. Then after two months, and all the excitement has died down, I'll begin comparing South Africa to Brazil, the negatives with the positives, which could make me withdraw to myself from my new home. My friend told me not to worry, that all this is normal. I feel that now I know this beforehand, though, I can combat it more equipped.

I am amazed at the contacts that God is placing in my life, and the way He's making sure I'm looked after, and encouraged.

Even though I have betrayed my God so selfishly, I know that if I sit down before Him, and dine with Him, as He invites me to do in Revelations 3:20, He will forgive me, and accept me back. So here I sit, having dinner with the King, and He's washed my feet all over again. Now I'm left with the choice: how will I get up from the table? Will I get up, like Judas did, and betray Him? Or will I get up like Peter, or like James, or Matthew, John or Andrew, and give my life back to Him? I know what I choose today.