You have stolen my heart

At church we've been talking about how Jesus interacted with people. We've discussed the popular mantra, "What would Jesus do" and how we can't determine that because Jesus was motivated by a wild and unpredictable love. Jesus could see people's hearts and know their thoughts and since we can't it's hard for us to act like Jesus did. Of course, we can model our behavior after Him. Part of me is hesitant to model my behavior after exactly how Jesus was because I can't see people's hearts. Jesus said that we would do greater things that even He would [John 14:12], so instead of trying to replicate His actions, why don't we just heed His Spirit and live out our own Spirit prompted lives?

Sunday we read from John 13 and this morning as I was reflecting on it the first 5 verses stood out to me. Here they are:

1 Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.
2 And supper being ended, the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray Him, 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, 4 rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. 5 After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.

Jesus is spending time with His closest friends and he knows that the steps for him to be killed have been taken. He has the ultimate outpouring of love. The guest speaker at church said that as Jesus was pressed His response was one of love and joy and peace. I really was struck by that today. Jesus knows that He's from God and that He is going to God. Instead of power tripping, he decides that He will instead turn and serve the very people who He's going to die for, the very people who are going to run from His side in just a few hours. He doesn't sit there and worry. He doesn't try to find a way out. He doesn't give one more sermon for good measure (although He does speak to them later). He doesn't try to convince them that He is all powerful or miraculous. He takes off his garments, and serves them to prove to them that He loves them utterly.

I have been praying since Sunday that God would help me to love him with my heart, not just intellectually. Last night, in the middle of the night I found myself washing the dishes and struggling with God. I was listening to Dashboard Confessional and the song "Stolen" came on. Over and over lead singer Chris Carrabba sings "you have stolen my heart" and I just felt like God was singing that over me. He was singing it over His disciples then, and He sings it over each of us today.