Monday, December 29, 2025
Scripture Readings
- Primary Reading: John 13-15
- Secondary Reading: Psalms 150
Key Verse
John 14:11 — “Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake.”
Devotional Thought
The upper room holds the weight of the world, though no one but Jesus seems to know it. It is the night before the Passover feast, and the Lamb of God sits at supper with His disciples. John tells us plainly that Jesus knew His hour had come—that He would depart out of this world unto the Father. And then comes one of the most remarkable sentences in all of Scripture: “having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.” He loved them to the uttermost, to the last measure, all the way through. And He showed it not by summoning legions of angels but by rising from the table, laying aside His garments, taking a towel, and washing the feet of men who would within hours scatter, deny, and betray Him. He washed the feet of Judas Iscariot, knowing what was already in that man’s heart. He washed Peter’s feet, knowing Peter would deny Him three times before the roosters crowed. This is the love that stoops—the love that serves its enemies and its failures alike.
Then He opens His heart to them. He tells them He is the way, the truth, and the life—that in His Father’s house are many mansions, and that He goes to prepare a place for them. He promises the Comforter, the Holy Ghost, who will teach them all things and bring all His words to their remembrance. He speaks of peace, but not the world’s kind of peace. He tells them they are not servants but friends. And He gives them the image that should shape every believer’s life: “I am the vine, ye are the branches.” The branch does not strain to produce fruit by its own strength; it simply abides, drawing life from the vine. Apart from Him, we can do nothing. In Him, we bear much fruit, and the Father is glorified.
We are in the final days of December, standing at the threshold of a new year. The calendar itself invites us to look back and look forward. Perhaps this past year held seasons where you felt like Peter, bold in your promises and weak in your follow-through. Perhaps you have known what it is to be washed by Christ and yet still need your feet cleansed from the dust of the road. The invitation of this passage is not to try harder but to abide more deeply. To let His word dwell in you richly. To let His joy remain in you and your joy be full. And notice that this whole discourse on love and fruit-bearing ends where Psalm 150 begins: in praise. The psalmist calls for trumpet, harp, timbrel, strings, and loud cymbals—everything that has breath praising the Lord.
What a fitting close to the year. The One who girded Himself with a towel and washed His disciples’ feet is the same One who prepares a place for us and will come again to receive us unto Himself. He has chosen us—not because we chose Him first, but because He loved us unto the end. So let everything that hath breath praise the LORD.
Reflection
- Jesus washed the feet of Judas, knowing full well what Judas would do—what does that reveal about the nature of His love, and how does it challenge the way you love those who have hurt or disappointed you?
- In John 15, Jesus says the branch can bear fruit only by abiding in the vine—where in your life this past year have you been striving in your own strength rather than abiding in Him, and what would it look like to rest in Him as this new year begins?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, we bow before You as the One who took a towel and washed the feet of those who would fail You. Forgive us for the times we have loved conditionally and served only when it cost us nothing. Teach us to abide in You as branches in the vine, drawing our life and strength from Your presence rather than our own effort. Let Your words dwell richly in us, and let Your joy remain in us that our joy may be full. As this year draws to a close, we join with all creation in praise—with trumpet and harp, with everything that has breath. You are the way, the truth, and the life. We love You, and we trust You unto the end. Amen.
Psalm Verse
Psalms 150:1 — “Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power.”