2 John 6 - And this is love:
that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning,
his command is that you walk in love. (NIV)
Our yellow lab loves shoes -- not just anyone's shoes,
it seems, but mine in particular. Thank goodness, he loves only to move them and
not to chew them, or I would probably be writing a different devotional. At
times, I will be doing something in the kitchen, and he will bring me a shoe. On
a rare occasion, he has brought me two shoes, but not from the same pair. It
becomes not so funny, though, when I am ready to go out the door and cannot find
two shoes that match. It's at this time that the whole house hears me: "My shoe!
That dog took my shoe!" Now, our dog is eight years old, so this has been going
on for quite some time, most of the time on the funny side.
This particular day was not one of the funny days. It
had been a busy week, and as I went to leave, I could not find a matching pair.
As I rooted through the pile of shoes looking for a match, I began thinking
about the pile of shoes, many of them being mine. Wow! Do I ever have a lot of
different shoes! Some are practical; others are fun; some are just plain; and
others are for working. I thought about my week, and yes, I had actually worn
each of these pairs of shoes at some time during that week.
What kind of spiritual journey was it, though? Had I
been a witness? Had I been an encouragement? Had I walked in another person's
shoes as they shared their burden with me? Or had I merely walked briefly in
them and then quickly switched to another pair? Humbling thoughts.
It's not really about the shoes, though, is it? It is
about being in a relationship with Jesus, who calls us to be His hands and feet,
and who prompts us where to walk, how to walk, and with whom to walk, if we are
paying attention. We could do this without shoes at all, if we really had to.
Romans 10:18 - But I ask: Did they not hear? Of course
they did: "Their voice has gone out into all the earth, their words to the ends
of the world." (NIV)
Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You that we have been called
to be Your hands and feet. Renew us each day as we come humbly before you.
Continue to show us all Your work to be done. We pray a special blessing on
those called to the missionary field and places of war. In Jesus' name, we pray.
Amen.
Julie Bowles
julieanni@rogers.com
Barrie, Ontario, Canada
Thanks to http://daily.presbycan.ca
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