There’s nothing harder than humility, and nothing we need more. But “Jesus poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around Him” (Jn 13:5). It’s still the virtue we want least, for pride—our pride—both subtle and overt, insists on ranking us to others, and even to believers. One loudly says, “I know Him better. Learn from me.” Another says, “I worship Him more truly. Listen when I sing.” A third says, “I love the world better than you do. Do what I do.” And so the basin sits unfilled, the towel dry. We lecture, chide, and condescend because we will not kneel; we will not yield. We miss the keenest lesson of our lives when we insist on privilege and power, disguised as gifts and skills. We’re never more like Jesus—or with Jesus—than when we bow to all who bear His name—and to all who could, by grace, one day be His. The grace that saves us helps us find our knees. The entrance prayer to godly life has been the same for 20 centuries: “Be merciful to me, a sinner” (Luke 18:13). In brokenness, we serve the broken. In serving, we ourselves are served. In kindness, we recall how kind the Lord has been to us. So stay in grace.
-Bill Knott
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Bill Knott's GraceNotes: HELD BY GRACE (May 14, 2021)
Bill Knott's GraceNotes: WHAT CAN WASH AWAY MY SIN? (May 07, 2021)
Bill Knott's GraceNotes: FORGIVENESS ON A STRING (April 30, 2021)
Bill Knott's GraceNotes: THE GROWING SEASON (April 23, 2021)
Bill Knott's GraceNotes: THE CONFIDENCE OF GOD (April 16, 2021)
Bill Knott's GraceNotes: NO TRAVELING ALONE (April 09, 2021)
Bill Knott's GraceNotes: HAIL THE DAY (April 02, 2021)
Bill Knott's GraceNotes: UNBROKEN LOVE (March 26, 2021)
Bill Knott's GraceNotes: NOT FOR SALE (March 19, 2021)
Bill Knott's GraceNotes: THE HOUSE THAT GRACE BUILDS (March 12. 2021)
Bill Knott's GraceNotes: A NEW ECONOMY (March 05, 2021)
Bill Knott's GraceNotes: THE FLOWERING OF GRACE (February 26, 2021)
Bill Knott's GraceNotes: GETTING WHAT WE DON’T DESERVE (February 19, 2021)
Bill Knott's GraceNotes: MANNA IN OUR WILDERNESS (February12, 2021)
Bill Knott's GraceNotes: ASSUMED IDENTITY (February 05, 2021)
Bill Knott's GraceNotes: WHY GRACE MAKES US UNCOMFORTABLE (January 29, 2021)
Bill Knott's GraceNotes: REASSURING RHYTHMS (January 22, 2021)
Bill Knott's GraceNotes: RECLAIMING OUR IDENTITY (January 15, 2021)
Bill Knott's GraceNotes: LOVE THAT WON’T LET GO (January 08, 2021)
Bill Knott's GraceNotes: RENEWAL IN THE RUINS (January 01, 2021)
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