He suffered and died voluntarily. The Good Shepherd gave his life for the sheep. He had the power to keep his life, to lay it down and the power to take it again.

The prophet Jonah preached against the city of Nineveh. He told them clearly that they would be destroyed because of thei9r wickedness. Often God's prophets were despised and rejected. Their message was also rejected. However, when Jonah went to Nineveh they repented. God showed mercy to them. How did this affect Jonah? He was very angry. He felt that he had lost credibility as a prophet. So as he left the city, he was very disgruntled.

It was normal for a servant to wash dusty feet. It was a lowly task. In the upper room there were only the disciples and Jesus. When none of the disciples offered to do this work Jesus, the Son of God, became a servant unto all. Peter then made some mistakes which we can learn from.

Today there is pressure to go along with evil. The powerful demand idolatry. In the book of Daniel the three Hebrew men faced the test, would they bow to the golden image? They had the courage of their convictions. They were strong in God's strength.

There has been a time of testing, a time of difficulty. I believe this has been a time of preparation and the Lord has work for us today.