When Pontius Pilate asked Jesus if He were a king, Jesus answered: "You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born" (John 18:37).

Jesus' concept of rulership was quite a bit different, though, from the rulers of His day: "You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many" (Mark 10:42-45).

On the last evening of His human life, Jesus fulfilled this attitude symbolically by washing the disciples’ feet. Afterward He said to them: "Do you know what I have done to you? You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you" (John 13:12-15).

By washing the disciples’ feet, Jesus gave us the example of humility by our willingness to serve others, just as He had done all His life and not just on that evening.

He finished His explanation of the footwashing with this important statement: "If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them" (John 13:17). The Greek word for "blessed," makarios, means a deep inward happiness, a sense of satisfaction and well-being.

In other words, when we serve others, we are not only displaying the attitude of service that will characterize rulers in the world tomorrow, we are also doing something for our own mental, emotional and spiritual well-being!

Try a test: The next time we feel down or discouraged, let’s ask ourselves who we are thinking about – ourselves or others? Are our thoughts inward-directed, or are we thinking about serving others?

If Jesus’ principle of service is correct, we will often find ourselves thinking about ourselves at those times. If that is the case, remember what Jesus said: "If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them."

With these thoughts I wish us all a rewarding Sabbath!