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URFM is a Spiritual Teaching and Christian Counseling ministry
Matthew 28:19-20, 2 Timothy 2:2



The HIGHEST CALL

(September 8, 2014)

What can I say? Fifty five years ago, on September 8, God orchestrated that I should see the daylight in
Miulesti a miniscule village in Romania in a simple and poor family. In remembrance of that day and to
celebrate fifty years as a sojourner on this planet I am compelled to write this simple essay. By it I am
challenging myself to a Christ-like humility.

The highest position in the Kingdom of God is reserved for the foot-washers. The position and
the job description have been promoted by the Son of God Himself. From all the Gospel writer only
John write about this event: Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that
He had come forth from God and was going back to God, got up from supper, and laid aside His
garments; and taking a towel, He girded Himself. Then He poured water into the basin, and began to wash
the disciples feet and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded (John 13:3-5). Wow! What
an example of servant-heart-attitude. Willingly, compelled only by the agape love for the world, Christ
ripped Himself up of His divine prerogatives and wrapped Himself in our filthy humanity. He made Him
who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2
Cor. 5:21). Paul writes, Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although
He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied
Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in
appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a
cross (Php. 2:5-8). And God is calling us to follow in the footsteps of Jesus.

Lets recognize it! We live in a culture where success, money, status, recognition, initials before
and after ones name are sought-after. Social media with its multiple facets and dimensions are big
promoters of human ego. In other words: look at me; see what I have accomplished; pay attention to
myself; and so on. No wonder that millions of people are so preoccupied with selfie
1
. I am not sure if
this raises you eyebrow, by after doing a little bit of research, to me having a exaggerate preoccupation
with self is a very big deal. I am not talking here of having a balance and healthy self-esteem. Not at all.
Now, thank to the Social Media the word selfie is big time in circulation and it is included as an
official word in the Oxford English Dictionary. Listen to this: Initially popular with young people,

1
The term selfie was discussed by photographer Jim Krause in 2005, although photos in the selfie genre predate
the widespread use of the term. In the early 2000s, before Facebook became the dominant online social network,
self-taken photographs were particularly common on MySpace. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selfie).
selfies gained wider popularity over time. By the end of 2012, Timemagazine considered selfie one of the
top 10 buzzwords of that year; although selfies had existed long before, it was in 2012 that the term
really hit the big time. According to a 2013 survey, two-thirds of Australian women age 1835 take
selfiesthe most common purpose for which is posting on Facebook. A poll commissioned by
smartphone and camera maker Samsung found that selfies make up 30% of the photos taken by people
aged 1824. By 2013, the word selfie had become commonplace enough to be monitored for inclusion
in the online version of the Oxford English Dictionary. In November 2013, the word selfie was
announced as being the word of the year by the Oxford English Dictionary, which gave the word itself
an Australian origin.
2
Wow! Can you believe this? Only from this prospective alone we can declare that
we are deep into the prophetic last-days. Listen to what Paul (before his martyrdom) wrote: But realize
this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, unloving,
brutal, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they
have denied its power; Avoid such men as these (2 Tim. 3:1-5). Did you notice the gravity of Pauls
words? These people, who are holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power, are
crowding our local churches.

The situation described in the previous paragraph is far from what John the Baptist declared when
he met Jesus: He (Christ) must increase, but I must decrease (John 3:30). We can declare that pride and
all of its derivatives, is the malady of the last days. And we are living in the last days.

However, the Kingdom of God still standing and it is going to come into reality sooner than many
of us would like to recognize. Jesus continues to promote His values (divine humility and self-sacrifice)
and His nature (agape love). He still speak in our hearing these words: , You know that the rulers of
the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. It is not this way among
you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be
first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to
give His life a ransom for many (Matt. 20:25-28).

Are you wishing to become great among your community? Do you want to make a difference in
the todays culture? Do you want to be noticed? Are you looking to be rewarded by God? There are still
multiple positions open in Gods economy. In fact this is the highest position in the Kingdom of God.
And this position is reserved for the foot-washers the servants for the least of these, as Matthew
writes: Then He will answer them, Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the
least of these, you did not do it to Me (Matt. 25:45).

Let me conclude by quoting Walter A. Henrichsen who writes, The key to being FIRST is to be
the LAST. The key to LIVING is to DIE. The key to being FREE is to be a SLAVE for Christ. The key to
RECEIVE is to GIVE. The key to being a LEADER is to be a SERVANT. The key to being EXALTED
is to HUMBLE yourself. Everyone wishes to LIVE, but no one wants to DIE. Everyone wants to be
FREE, but no one wants to be a SLAVE. Everyone wants to RECEIVE, but no one wants to GIVE. This
PRECISELY the situation where we are in CONFLICT with the GODs PLAN.
3


With Love in Christs Service,

Valy Vaduva

Foot-washer

2
Ibid.
3
Walter A. Henrichsen, Disciples are Made, Not Born, (Victor Editor, USA), 1988, pp. 33-34