"Let your SHOES shine before men!"

 

I have a lot of great memories from my childhood; traveling around the country with my parents, meeting new people, discovering new places.  Over the years there have been several images that stick out in my mind, places I've been, things I observed my parents doing, and people I've met along the way.

One of the things I remember being fascinated by was the strange wooden box that was in my dad's closet.  For years I had no idea what it was, but I had fun trying to put my foot on the top and stand without falling.  Eventually I opened it up and found all sort of strange cans and brushes and discovered that it was a shoe shining kit.  I can remember sitting in the living room watching my dad sitting on his knees with his Salvation Army uniform shoes out, and all of the various items spread meticulously across the floor as he shined his shoes.

I never would have imagined as a child that one day, I'd find myself possessing a similar kit for polishing my own pair of "Salvation Army Shoes."  I even have a power buffer, because I love gadgets and tech toys!

I was thinking this morning as I was getting ready about the process of shining shoes.  The following familiar verse came to my mind:

"In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."

Matthew 5:16

There's just something about a well shined pair of black shoes.  Whether it's a labor intensive spit shine or a patent leather parade quality shine, people notice a well shined pair of shoes.

You see, there have been times when my shoes have not had much shine to them.

There have been times when others have noticed the lack of shine on my shoes and have mentioned it to me.

What happened in our lives and hearts is very similar to what happens when we allow our shoes to lose their luster.  When you get so busy in your day to day activity, hard at work, constantly on the grind.  We can give all sorts of excuses to justify the lack of shine due to our busy schedules, lack of time etc.

In the same way, it is so easy for Christians to allow the shine that comes from Christ living in us to lose it's luster.  We can get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of our everyday lives, even our ministry, that we lose that shine that people can spot from a mile away.

Jesus commands us to let our light's shine before men...

If we are not constantly On our knees...in the same way we are when we polish our shoes, polishing our hearts and minds with the Word of God, through prayer and scripture, then we will not be able to shine the way the Lord commands us.

Take a look at your shoes...
Take a look at your hearts...

What kind of shine do they have?

#SOULwinning

"Stand firm, and you will #WIN life!"

Luke 21:19

"Under New Management"

Have you ever been by a restaurant or business and noticed a sign in the window that read, "Under New Management?"  Sometimes this can be a good thing or a bad thing.  I noticed one the other day in one of my favorite restaurants and it made me wonder...

You see, we all enter this world under management.  We all live our lives under management.  And at the end of the day, we all die under management.  Sadly, too many people are living their lives--and too many people are dying--with the same management under which they were born.

The Bible says that we were all born into sin--which we have from birth a nature that is sinful. So many people around us are living and dying in that sin. But the Bible also says that you don’t have to live in sin... and you don’t have to die in sin.

If you are a believer in Jesus Christ you are no longer under the old management.  Because of what Jesus did on the cross you have a new nature, and you have been placed under new management. 

"As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, ² in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. ³ All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh^[a] and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. ⁴ But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, ⁵ made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. ⁶ And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, ⁷ in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. ⁸ For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast. ¹⁰ For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

Ephesians 2:1-10

If we are in Jesus Christ, you WERE dead, but NOW you are alive.

You WERE unrighteous, but NOW you have been purified in the blood of the lamb.

You WERE objects of wrath, but NOW you stand before God forgiven.

Because of God’s love, we have been brought out of our past condition...

And he has given us a hope--an assurance for the future that can come about only though a decision to follow Jesus Christ.

I wonder today if this is a sign that you can honestly hang in the window of your heart.  Perhaps it may have been placed there long ago, but it's dusty or covered.

Blessings!

"Heart and Sole" Fellowship versus Factory

A few years ago I was at a conference where we honored a Salvation Army officer who was retiring after over 40+ years in ministry.  He was given an opportunity to speak briefly and what he said continues to influence me to this day.

He spoke of his childhood, of being a "troubled" young man, always in trouble.  He found his way to The Salvation Army as many a troubled young man or woman often do.  He began to notice the way in which the officer interacted with people in need and it had an affect on him.  He told a story about a time when he had seen a man come into the building without shoes.  The officer was down the hall unaware of the young man looking from a distance.  He saw the officer bend down, take off his own shoes, and put them on the feet of the man.  That simple act made such an impact on him that is was one of many things that led to him being an officer in  The Salvation Army.

I have reflected over this story for many years.  I believe we have to be careful in the church and in ministry not to lose that personal and sacrificial aspect of our ministry.  In today's culture of mega churches, government funded programs and state of the art facilities, when we identify a need like; a man without shoes, we are more likely to build a shoe factory or develop a shoe ministry than we are to simply bend down and take off our shoes.

I love the story of when the Holy Spirit came during Pentecost in Acts 2.  Towards the end of that chapter, we have a few verses 42-47 titled, "The Fellowship of The Believers."

"They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles.  All the believers were together and had everything in common.  They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.  Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved."

Oh that we would be a fellowship of believers who are quick to respond to the leading of the Holy Spirit.  Who give sacrificially from what we have been blessed with to those who are in need.

So the question is are you the kind of person who builds a shoe factory or who bends down and takes off your shoes?

Date Night: "We Are God's Children"

One of the greatest Joys of my life is spending time with my two daughters, Riley and Lily.  It is almost impossible to put into words the amount of love that I have for them and the JOY that they bring into my life.

One of the things me and my oldest daughter (almost three) do, is have a weekly "Daddy /Daughter Date."  Every Tuesday we either go to the local Japanese Steak House which she enthusiastically refers to as the "Fire Place," or we go to see the latest animated movie.  It has become such a meaningful time for us both to spend one on one time with each other.  During this time she knows that there is nothing or no one more important to me then her and she has my full undivided attention.

I was thinking about that earlier today and I couldn't help but consider how much God loves us as His children and seeks a relationship with us.  I can't begin to even remotely comprehend how deep or how wide Christ's love is for us, because it is so vast.  Knowing how much I love my daughters and our relationships imagining being loved by God even more than that is something that blows my mind.

There are so many people sadly in the world today who don't experience true love.  My hearts breaks and I am moved to tears when I think about kids living in children homes, maybe even the same age of my daughters who have no home, no one to hold and squeeze them and take them to the movies.  My heart breaks when I see grown men and women who have no concept of what it means to be truly loved.  My heart breaks when I see young girls and boys who get involved with drugs and sexuality as a way to compensate for a void in their life from not feeling love.

^"Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God."

(John 1:12-13)

God created us.  God desires a relationship that is indescribable in human terms.  For you a "Date Night" with God might include prayer or Bible Study.  If you have to be so intentional about scheduling it...do it!

Today why not take some time to consider how much God loves you and wants a relationship with you, and make sure to tell others about how much He loves them too!

Blessings!