It sounds so squishy. Er, gimmicky. Same thing. It just sounds fake. Say it: The tenets of Jesus. It sounds like something so removed from His actual person and personality as to be sterile and of little-to-no-use in the everyday world. As, like, some sort of antiquarian guidelines that anyone, regardless of age or gender can take and supersede with the first step. I'm talking about things like this:
"For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake." (2 Corinthians 4:5, emphasis mine)
I should like to touch on the concept of servanthood as exemplified by Jesus. And rotate around it all your world and all your life (yes) to where just about the only thing God wants you to do—understand that everything you want is in view and you could just reach out and touch it—is serve somebody.
The act of washing another's feet whether figurative (praying for and forgiving them) or literal is one of the basest (in a good way) ways that Jesus came to serve. He lives it out in the thirteenth chapter of John. He had led His disciples through the lanes of His ministry (who knows how long it had been since their feet were last cleaned) and He deigned clean up the dirt they accrued from their journey. How fitting a parallel that even though you're following Jesus, you are bound to get your feet dirty on the way and that He is faithful to stoop down and wipe it all away. And as He leads us to do the same, know that the dignity you bestow upon those whom you bless (you have that ability) will come back to you. All has been evened under Christ. "Though the Lord be high..." (Psalm 138:6a)
"The Lord looketh from Heaven; He beholdeth all the sons of men. From the place of His habitation He looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth." (Psalm 33:13-14)
This is Jesus. And that He would lay aside those garments, of resplendence and majesty and power and might, and come to serve. It's heartbreaking and mindblowing. Because we can either serve ourselves and get what we need at the expense of others. Or serve others as unto Him and stand by while He rewards us with joy and peace and contentment. And even if your attitude isn't where it should be (mine isn't many times...) He's faithful to bring that in line with the aforementioned "all your world and all your life". Yes. But what does it look like? God knows. Realize that with the sweetness of your heart, you are serving Him at all times. Anything spontaneous the Holy Spirit intimates to you on your way, is service enough. Don't complicate it.
"And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many." (Matthew 20:28)
This kind of rubric is why I can't dismiss something corny-sounding like "the tenets of Jesus". They're more than we know. They are the ways and means that we walk in as Christians. Dirt notwithstanding.