The Daily Walk: Learning to Leave His Footprints: January 2010

January 31

TAKING COVER FROM THE STORM

Father, thank You for bringing me to this place and this time today. I ask You to speak to me right now, and to let Your Word breathe life into my heart. Please use these next few moments to bring me to more of a fullness of You and to learn more of Your Glory and how to leave the footprints of Jesus everywhere I go today. In Jesus Name I pray. Amen!

Read Matthew 2:13-18

I wonder what was going through Joseph’s mind as the angel came to him in his dream on this particular night. I am sure I would be thinking something along the lines of; oh no, here we go again. I doubt he had thoughts like these though, because his response to this warning was quite remarkable. Matthew writes that they fled from Bethlehem in the middle of the night, so apparently Joseph got up immediately and started to Egypt.

Growing up in an area where tornadoes are a somewhat frequent occurrence, I grew accustomed to waking up in the middle of the night to take shelter from storms. From the time I was three, until I reached the age of six my family had a house just outside of town that had an underground storm cellar in the backyard. We had it fixed up quite a bit. There were games and other things there to keep us entertained in case we had to be there for a while. I remember one Monday evening in the fall, it was really stormy, and the meteorologists had already said for people in our area to take cover. My dad had been refereeing a junior varsity football game, and we were waiting on him to get home. As he pulled into the garage, my mom took my sister and me into the cellar. A few minutes later, my dad joined us, carrying a television and some rabbit ear antennas. The Dallas Cowboys were playing the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday Night Football and my dad did not want to miss the game. You see we were somewhat used to spending time in that cellar. We lived in the middle of what is called tornado alley after all. We had it filled with things to make our stay there comfortable.

When Joseph took Mary and Jesus to safety in Egypt, they were not going to a place filled with comforts. They were going to a place of safety. Joseph heard the warning, and acted accordingly. When I was in college, a very powerful F5 tornado tore through central Oklahoma. In part, it was so deadly because people there had become slightly numb to storm warnings. Tornado warnings always seemed to become nothing, so many people did not take the warning seriously. Joseph did not blow off this warning though.

Today, I urge you to have the same type of awareness to what God is telling us. Each of us needs to be willing to act instantaneously when God calls, even if that means going to a place that is uncomfortable.

Leave His footprints as you walk today!

January 30

MAKING THE MOST OF OUR TIME

Read Luke 2:36-40

Anna is a very intriguing Biblical character. She was at least 84 years old, and possibly as old as 104. She had not stopped living though. She had not resigned herself to life in a nursing or retirement home. No, instead she spent her days at the temple worshipping and serving God. She was there constantly to be used by God for His glory. She was making the most of each minute of her life.

So many times in life we want to have our time to rest and relax. We feel as if we have earned it. We have spent our time working and making our mark in the world. Now we want our reward. Anna’s life shows something very different though. She is rewarded, but her reward comes in the midst of her serving faithfully, not in a time of rest.

She was rewarded with an opportunity to see the Christ child. She also had the privilege of telling all that she could about Jesus, and how He would save them. She came to this moment in time because she had not given up serving God in her old age. She sought out his glory more than she did her own rest.

Today I encourage you to leave His footprints by making the most of each minute of the day, and living for His glory.

Leave His footprints as you walk today!

January 29

WHO OWNS YOUR FAITH?

Read Luke 2:21-35

The beginning few verses of this passage let us know that Mary and Joseph were being dutiful Jewish parents. They were presenting Jesus at the temple to be dedicated to God. This was not like the common baby dedication that you might see at your local church. Jewish law required that the firstborn male offspring of both humans and animals be dedicated to God. The animals were to be used in sacrifice, and the male children to dedicate their lives to God. The Levites served in place of the firstborn males, but the males still had to be consecrated to God.

As I read this passage and consider the facts surrounding this event, I am left in awe. According to the law that God had given Moses, the firstborn sons were to be set apart for Him. God then took the whole tribe of the Levites to be serve instead of the firstborn males. Jesus though, did not let a Levite serve in His place. He fulfilled the full requirement of the law, and lived His life for God. He even went as far as being a sacrifice, which was required of the firstborn males of animals.

I meet so many people who live their faith through vicarious means. They live off their parents’ faith, or just depend on their pastor or Bible study teacher. They do not ever start to own their faith, or personalize it. This is not what Jesus did. He owned His own faith.

If we are going to leave His footprints, we must do the same. We cannot rely on others to walk for us. We must do it ourselves. We must spend time with Him daily, and search His word, and share our hearts in prayer. We need to personalize our faith, and make it real to us. That is my encouragement today, that you will leave His footprints by owning your faith.

Leave His footprints as you walk today!

January 28

IF GOD WERE ONE OF US

Read John 1:10-18

Do you remember the Joan Osborne song If God Was One Of Us from several years ago? Verse 14 of this passage makes me think of this song. I particularly love the way it starts:

“The word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.”

The simple answer for Ms. Osborne’s song is that yes, God was, and is, one of us.

Life is hard. It is hard for everyone. We each face different crises and troubles. Something that can make these times easier to face is the presence of friends, and others that understand what we are going through. In my introduction to counseling class during college, the professor talked about showing empathy, rather than sympathy, to those we counseled. Showing sympathy lets someone know you feel for him or her. Being empathetic lets someone know you understand how he or she feel, and why they feel that way. We all want to know that others understand what we are going through. Well meaning friends sometimes cannot give much comfort if they do not truly understand the situation. Those that have been through the same thing, or similar things usually give the best advice and support.

That is why I love the aforementioned verse. Jesus does know! Jesus does understand. We have a God that knows exactly what we are going through. He walked along this earth and faced same and similar struggles. We have a partner in Christ that we can lean on in times of despair.

Today I encourage you to realize that you are not alone in this world. No matter how dark things get, God is there. He understands. He cares. Lean on Him today and let Him sustain you as you continue to walk.

Leave His footprints as you walk today!

January 27

YELLOW SUNGLASSES

Read John 1:1-9

In the beginning. Three words. Only 14 letters. They start both the book of Genesis and the book of John. John uses them to create a connection in the original readers and hearers mind. He wanted them to be taken back to Moses’ writing of the creation that begins with the same phrase in Genesis 1:1. It was a way to link what he is about to write to an already established authority. Doing so transfers that authority to the rest of his letter. Similarly, by using the term Word, John creates a link between the Jewish and the Gentile worlds. To Jews, this was a direct reference to God. To the Gentile or the Greek mind, this was a way to describe reason and the rational principle that governs everything in the universe. John is telling them that what they base their world on is really God, they just do not realize it, much like Paul does in Athens when he uses the statue of the unknown god to explain Jesus to the people (c.f. Acts 17:16-34). Another thing that John accomplishes by employing this term, is to position Jesus as the center of all thought and all creation.

Back during college, I was at the local mall one afternoon and walking through a store. As I glanced around, I happened to see some sunglasses with different color lenses. On a whim, I purchased two pairs, one with yellow lenses and one with blue. I thought the yellow ones were really cool, and wore them quite often the next few days. Later that same week, I was driving to visit the girl I was then dating. It was late afternoon/early evening and I had the yellow sunglasses on. I was originally driving in a northeasterly direction so the sun was behind me. When I got to the point where I had to turn north, my cool new glasses quickly became not so cool to me. The sun as it was setting, was at the right angle in the northwestern sky, to almost blind me. The view through the glasses made everything very yellow, and when combined with the sun, well it made driving difficult for the 30 seconds or so it took me to get them off. The lenses corrupted my view. After taking them off, I did not even need to put regular sunglasses on. The sun was not as bright as it had seemed just seconds earlier.

Various things can affect our worldview. Whatever troubles we have going on, or whatever is our current passion, can influence how we see and perceive things. My encouragement to you today is to let Jesus be the lens through which you see the world. Let Him be the center of all your thought and activity.

Leave His footprints as you walk today!

January 26

WHAT ARE YOU BRINGING?

Read Matthew 2:7-12

The story of the Magi has always somewhat bewildered me. I am impressed by their desire to worship Christ, but I am unsure of their motives. Part of this confusion comes from the presents that they bring, and their actions afterwards which serve to protect Christ. Matthew records that they presented Jesus with gifts of gold, of incense, and of myrrh. These were very materialistic gifts. Only the extremely wealthy would have had access to these possessions. My ever curious mind wonders what happened to these valuable items. That is even more confusing than why the Magi sought Jesus. Why does it matter what happened to these material things? I greatly doubt that Jesus put much value in them. He did not come to receive earthly treasure. He created everything to begin with, so really how much would these items mean to Him?

It is humbling to realize that I may be focusing on the wrong thing, just as much as the Magi were. I like to think that I am growing and maturing in my walk with Christ. Yet I often catch myself thinking or doing something that shows just how much I am unlike Him. I am going to guess it is much the same for you. It is easy to get off track and forget the main thing that Jesus desires.

I have a tendency to overspend on presents for those that I am close to in life. I always want to find the perfect and best gift or gifts. As I have gotten older though, I have realized that many times the most special gift I can give someone, is my time. It is not about spending more and more to find something perfect.

Can you imagine what it would be like if we were to go to the mall in search of the perfect gift for Christ? The first obstacle might be price, so imagine that you had Bill Gates’ debit card to use on this purchase. Well, then you might say that there was not a store that would carry the right gift. So imagine you are at the Mall of America in Minneapolis. How hard would that search be? Could you find the perfect gift? I could, and you could too. We could even do it without access to Mr. Gates bank account and without being at the Mall of America. Go into the bathroom and look in the mirror. That is all it takes to find the perfect gift for Jesus. That is what He desires the most. Not material things. He wants you. He wants me. He wants us.

Today I encourage you to leave His footprints by giving Him yourself.

Leave His footprints as you walk today!

January 25

TO WHOM ARE YOU LOOKING?

Read Matthew 2:1-6

As I keep reading through these 6 verses, my mind continually goes to the phrase “the people’s chief priest and teachers of the law.” Since my mind was being drawn over and over to these words, I decided I should do some research and check out what this really means. The people’s chief priests, was a reference to the Sadducees. This group was known for being very worldly and politically minded, and for having an extremely unorthodox theology. They did not believe in things such as the resurrection, angels, or spirits. The teachers of the law, were the Jewish scholars of the day, they were professionally trained in all aspects of the law (at the time would have been the Old Testament Law). Their authority was based solely on human and traditional factors. So, it appears that Herod went to some pretty worldly sources to learn about God. I think there is something very important in this for us to learn.

History tells us that Herod the Great was driven to find the Christ by motives that were entirely self-seeking and impure. He was not interested in seeking God for right reasons. So it makes perfect sense that he went to people that formed their views on worldly and political basis. He was not interested in who the Messiah really was, just wanted to know where He was, so he could contain the perceived threat.

A few days ago, I was on the phone with my best friend, and we were discussing a certain situation in my life. He told me he was upset with me for responding a certain way. It was not that comforting for him to tell me I was wrong. He was right in his assessment of my actions, and I later thanked him for pointing out my mistake. It would have been very easy to just listen to those that would tell me I was acting correctly. That would not help me grow as a person though. The same principle holds true in our growth in Christ.

Why do you and I seek God? Are we seeking Him for who He really is, or is it because of secular and self-serving reasons? Do the answers to these two questions influence who we listen to, and whose opinions we value? It is very easy to listen to those that agree with us, or tell us what we want to hear. It is also easy to look for various scripture which when taken out of context will back our stance. Is this responsible though? Moreover does it lend to us leaving His footprints?

Today I encourage you to listen to those who have God’s interest in mind, and to seek Him for Him. That way you can be sure the footprints you leave are not your own.

Leave His footprints as you walk today!

January 24

LOVE HIM OUT LOUD

Read Luke 2:16-20

There is an amazingly beautiful contrast between the shepherds and Mary in these 5 verses. First, the shepherds go to see the Messiah and spread the message about Him. The wording Luke uses here leads me to believe that the shepherds were telling everyone they could about the Christ child. Then you have Mary, who treasures all of these things in her heart and ponders them.

As I think about these two differing responses, my mind wanders to thinking about the beginning of a romantic relationship. In the course of my self-disclosure in certain of these writings, I have let it be known that I tend to wear my emotions on my sleeve. It is very easy to tell what I am thinking or feeling, especially when I start dating someone new. So I can easily identify with the shepherds in their desire to tell everyone. As I have grown older and wiser though, I have learned the value of not showing too much emotion too soon. There is something to be said to being more like Mary at times. There are some things just too special to share right away. You want to let them soak in first so you can fully grasp and appreciate them.

When it comes to our relationship with Christ, I think we need both. We need a balance. We need to treasure and ponder what He says to us, and does for us then we also need to share those things with others, and in doing so spread Christ’s love. We need a healthy balance of each. When we first take time to ponder Him in our hearts, our telling becomes shouts from the depth of our hearts and not just words from our lips.

Today, I encourage you to first treasure and ponder each step before shouting from your soul as you leave His footprints.

Leave His footprints as you walk today!

January 23

INVASION

Read Luke 2:8-15

Silent Night, Holy Night,

All is calm, all is bright,

Round yon virgin, mother and child,

Holy Infant so tender and mild…

Silent Night, hymn number 89 in the 1975 Edition Baptist Hymnal, was my favorite Christmas song when I was young. So much so, that I knew the hymn number without checking it to make sure I was right. Every once in awhile, at the small Southern Baptist Church I attended, we would have Sunday evening services in which we just sang various hymns, and the congregation would get to choose the songs. No matter the time of year, I usually wanted to sing this song.

As I have grown older and matured in my faith, I have started to realize how scripturally wrong this song is. To start with, nothing about this particular night was silent. First of all, you have angels appearing and shouting out praises to God. That does not sound very silent to me. Also in verse 13, Luke says the angels are a company. He uses a military term to describe them. He is saying they are there prepared for war. I am not sure about you, but to me, a gathering of angels explained in military phraseology, does not mesh well with the idea of quietness and stillness. No, this night was neither calm nor silent. It was holy! It was special! It was much more of an invasion, than a peaceful event.

As I think about this, and examine life; especially where I am currently, I start to realize just great the spiritual warfare is that is going on all around us. My encouragement for you today is to remember you are following Jesus through battle as you leave His footprints.

Leave His footprints as you walk today!

January 22

BEST LIFE NOW?

Read Luke 2:1-7

My housing situation of late has been precarious to say the least. I am currently in a state of limbo and trying to figure out where to go, and where God is directing me. Maybe this present situation of mine is what makes the end of verse 7 stand out to me. Whatever the reason, my eyes are drawn to this phrase:

“there was no room for them in the inn,”

This phrase causes me to yet again reexamine my preset ideas about Jesus.

I remember sitting in my General Psychology class as a freshman in college, and learning about the concept of a schema. A schema is nothing more than a generalized diagram or plan. I remember my professor describing it to us in this way though. When you or I drive up to a fast food restaurant drive thru, we expect certain things to take place. We are prepared for them to ask for our order, maybe suggest a new or limited time item, and to encourage us to upsize our order. When this basic order is violated, we are sometimes taken aback. We are all victims of our ingrained schemas. For instance, one time I went through a Taco Bell drive thru, and instead of suggesting a new type of fajita meat burrito or a cheesy gordita crunch, the person on the intercom asked me if I wanted a taco. That is just not what you expect to happen.

The same thing goes through my mind as I read these 7 verses. I do not expect Jesus to face this many difficulties in arriving here on earth. I mean He is denied a room at the inn. Not really what you imagine to happen, is it? You would think that everything would work out for Him; that things would be better choreographed, and that there would be no problems or hardships in life. Yet He arrives in the middle of slight crisis, and is born in a stable.

There is a very disturbing current trend in pop theology that teaches if you follow Jesus, then life will be great. The major problem with this is that scripture, and more importantly what scripture says about the life of Christ, does not teach this principle.

My encouragement for you today is to not expect life to be perfect and trouble free as you seek to follow Jesus. Leave His footprints anyway!

Leave His footprints as you walk today!

January 21

WALLY PIPP

Read Luke 3:7-18

Walter Clement Pipp, born February 17, 1893 in Chicago IL. and passing from this life on January 11, 1965 in Grand Rapids MI., made his major league baseball debut on June 29, 1913 at the age of 20, for the Detroit Tigers. He only played in 12 games that season, before being sent back to the minors. He then resurfaced with the New York Yankees in 1915 and quickly developed into a star. His 12 homeruns in 1916 were a record, until Babe Ruth came along. He flourished at the plate and as a defensive first basemen for the Yankees. In 1924, he had a career high,114 runs batted in and 19 triples. Most of you; except for some diehard Yankee fans and baseball historians, have probably never heard of Wally Pipp. On June 2, 1925, Mr. Pipp had a headache and asked his manager to sit out the game. The Yankees manager, Miller Huggins, inserted a young prospect named Lou Gehrig into the lineup. Mr. Gehrig went on to start a long-standing record 2,180 straight games (the record was broken by Cal Ripken in 1995). That is why most of you have never heard of Mr. Pipp.

John the Baptist makes me think of Wally Pipp. I love what John says in this sermon. He has some amazing points about living the Christian faith. Yet I cannot remember single sermon in the almost fifteen hundred Sundays in my lifetime focusing on what John said here! Why is that? Why do we not extol these principles? John the Baptist was adamant that He was not the central figure, instead he continually pointed to Jesus as the focus for our attention. He did not want to be the one who was to be remembered; he knew Jesus was greater. I have a friend that likes to say, “you recognize quality when you see it”. This describes John the Baptist. He recognized the greatness of Christ.

Today I urge you to do the same. Let Jesus be central. Leave His footprints by deferring to Him.

Leave His footprints as you walk today!

January 20

ACCEPTING OTHERS

Read Luke 3:1-6

As I read these 6 verses my eyes are drawn to the final phrase:

“and all mankind will see God’s salvation.”

The past few days, I have had the privilege of spending a lot of time with several friends from church. Yesterday afternoon and evening I spent a considerable amount of time with a particular new, close friend. We both started attending this church about the same time, and were talking about our experiences there, and seeing how similar they are. One of the disheartening things the course of our conversation unearthed was that we both see the same cliques among our age group. I must say that within my church and my age group they are extremely accepting and welcoming of people. Still though, there are cliques.

Why is this? Why do we cling to those like us? Is it bad that we do? I am not sure it is necessarily evil to be friends with those much like us, and for those friendships to be strong. The problem comes when we start to exclude those unlike us.

These verses are describing John the Baptist role in preparation of the coming Messiah, the Messiah that will bring God’s salvation for all mankind. The Greek wording used here is to be understood as including both Jews and Gentiles. God’s salvation is not at all exclusive. It is there as a gift for all. We have got to realize that we, as representatives of God, cannot become exclusive in our friendships. We must be willing to include all people in our network of friends.

Today I plead with you to leave His footprints by being accepting of all people regardless of sex, race, politics, or even college football team affiliation.

Leave His footprints as you walk today!

January 19

OBEDIENCE VS. FAITHFULNESS

Read Matthew 1:24-25

Being obedient is tough. At times, very tough. I know there were many instances while growing up, my parents wished I would not so easily disobey them. For whatever reason, quite possibly the fall of man, I have a natural disdain for authority. It does not always show itself. A lot of times it lingers under the surface, finally manifesting as a belief that I know more, and that my way is better than that of such and such authority figure. Nonetheless, I do not like authority and the mere thought of following all the rules set before me causes me to become slightly agitated.

When I read two verses such as these, I come face to face with my dislike for authority. Joseph shows much obedience in this passage. He follows what the angel has told him to do, but that is not all he does. Verse 25 shows just how faithful Joseph was. He refrained from having sex with Mary until after Jesus was born. This was going above and beyond what was required of him. The angel did not tell him to abstain until Jesus was born. Joseph followed that out of his own desire for faithfulness. The 18th chapter of Leviticus records various sexual laws, which Joseph would have been familiar with. There is not a single mention of not having sex with a pregnant woman, if that woman was your wife. In fact one of the only Jewish laws that applied to this situation was found in Deuteronomy 24:5.

“If a man has recently married, he must not be sent to war or have any other duty laid on him, for one year he is to be free to stay at home and bring happiness to the wife he has married.”

The Hebrew word translated as happiness, is not very ambiguous. Joseph had the right to enjoy Mary as his wife, yet he did not. He knew this was a special situation and required extreme faithfulness that went beyond surface level obedience. He followed through with that faithfulness too.

My dislike for authority comes shining through when I drive. I rarely drive under the speed limit and few times right at the speed limit. Theoretically, I should only drive the speed limit when I am in the biggest hurry and under it the rest of the time. This is the level of faithfulness Joseph showed here.

Today I urge you to leave His footprints by having faithfulness that goes far beyond obedience.

Leave His footprints as you walk today!

January 18

DEAL OR NO DEAL

Read Matthew 1:18-23

Very little is preserved from the life of Joseph of Nazareth. I suspect though, he was much like many of us. Verses 18 and 19 of Matthew chapter 1 lead me to this conclusion. Here we find Joseph wanting to make the responsible and right decision.

Tonight as I write, I am casually watching a popular game show on NBC, in which the contestant has to make a series of decisions about cases of amounts of money. The contestant this particular evening admitted she sometimes struggles with decisions, and in the end she made a rather quick decision to take the $97,000 offered by the banker. I had said to myself that I would have taken the offer a couple of rounds earlier, when the amount reached 6 figures. I thought she was making a responsible decision when she took the money. Had she kept going to the end though, she could have walked away with three quarters of a million dollars. She acted somewhat too soon.

I am so thankful Joseph did not act too quickly. Sometimes it is easy to act and make a swift decision when it seems the right and responsible thing to do. It would make sense that saying yes to almost $100,000 is responsible. It would also appear that maintaining our social standing, while protecting the reputation of a loved one would be a correct decision. The problem is we base decision such as these on our perspective and not God’s. Had Joseph done what was considered right by worldly or even Jewish standards, his life would have been drastically different. Mary would have still had Jesus, and Jesus would have still died for us. Joseph though, would have missed out on a lot. He would not have been blessed by being part of Jesus’ life, and would have not been included in God’s plans. Joseph’s life was fuller by not acting quickly; he instead listened to God and went with the somewhat surprising option. The game show contestant from earlier probably would have liked to have $750,000, instead of just under $100,000, but where Joseph did listen to the voice of the angel, this contestant did not listen to the voices of her support group.

Today I encourage you to leave His footprints by listening closely for God’s voice, even when the decision at hand seems like a cut and dry one.

Leave His footprints as you walk today!

January 18

BEING EMOTIONAL & SENSIBLE

Read Luke 1:46-56

I love the stark contrast between verses 46-55 and verse 56. In the first 10 verses of this passage, we find Mary being given to great emotion and bursting forth into song. She is showing her emotions and expressing her feelings over what is taking place in her life.

I can easily relate to this part of the passage. Saying that I live by my emotions might be an understatement. I do not hide my feelings well at all, and many things cause me to become emotionally involved. Many of these often create a desire to shout out or, like Mary, burst into song: the first kiss with a girlfriend, the OU Sooners or New York Yankees winning a big game, someone cutting me off in traffic (not all emotional outbursts are positive), or numerous other happenings. I can easily grasp why Mary released her emotions as she did.

Verse 56, though, is of a completely different nature. It says Mary stayed about three months with Elizabeth, and then went home. Why did she stay that long? Well a few verses earlier, Gabriel had told Mary that Elizabeth was in her sixth month. So apparently, Mary stayed until John was born. As I write this, my sister is about two months away from giving birth to her third child. As a woman nears the time to give birth, there is a lot to be done. Even more so for a first child, and I have to believe this fact was deeper over two thousand years ago. So Mary stays to help out with tasks that had to be done. Also, because Elizabeth was considerably older than Mary was, I am guessing that Mary was able to help out quite a bit. So this verse shows a great deal or practicality and sensibility.

Being one that lives primarily on emotion, I sometimes struggle with being practical. Maybe for you it is just the opposite. Maybe you are incredibly practical, but fail to show emotion very often. These verses show that we need both, that to live in a way to bring glory to God, we need to be at times emotional and at times quite practical.

Today I encourage you to leave His footprints by being both emotional and sensible.

Leave His footprints as you walk today!

January 16

LEAPING EMBRYOS

Read Luke 1:39-45

I have a big family. Not my immediate family, but my extended family on my Dad’s side. My Dad is the youngest of 9 children; I am the youngest of 26 grandchildren. As I said, it is a big family. Being the youngest grandchild, I am quite a bit younger than most of my first cousins. Even so, I am somewhat close to some of them, and close to some of my second cousins as well. This passage makes me think of them. It is commonly thought that Jesus and John the Baptist were cousins. Their exact familial relationship is not known for certain, but that is not the important part here. I wonder if John leapt in his mom’s womb because Jesus was his relative or because he was Jesus. Would any baby have leapt for joy? (Which brings up a great question, how does a pregnant woman know if a baby is full of joy, but I digress.)

I have a cousin that plays professional baseball. He currently is in the minor leagues with my beloved Yankees. I was privileged to watch him play a lot his last year in college. I enjoyed watching him pitch because he was my cousin, but that was not the only reason. If he had been horrible, I probably would not have enjoyed going to the games as much. He still would have been my cousin, but I would likely not have been cheering from the stands. I enjoyed watching him because he is good. The other people in the stands, the friends, teammates, and random fans, they all enjoyed watching him, yet had no family ties to him. They just wanted to see quality.

Considering all of this, I do not think baby John was jumping around because Jesus was related. I think he was dancing just because of who Jesus is. That is how we should respond. We should not be joyful about Jesus for any other reason than He is who He is. Sure He died for us, but if that is the only reason we love Him, aren’t we elevating the gift over the giver? So just enjoy Him for Him. Worship Him.

Today leave His footprints by loving Him for simply being Jesus.

Leave His footprints as you walk today!

January 15

GETTING BEYOND OUR CONCERNS

Read Luke 1:26-38

This is a special devotional for me to write. God used a Christmas Eve sermon by a former professor, over this passage, to inspire me to quit talking about this project and to take action. These verses bring much to my mind. One thing that I love though, is that once again God is showing up asking someone to do the seemingly unthinkable and impossible. I mean hasn’t He been doing this since the beginning. He asked Adam to give every creature a name. He asked Noah to build an ark when it had never before rained. He asked Abraham to trust Him and to be willing to sacrifice his son. He led Joseph to go from tending sheep, to imprisonment, to leading Egypt. He asked Joshua to conquer (wandering in the desert for 40 years is possibly not the greatest military training program). He asked Elijah to defeat the false prophets. He asked David to defeat Goliath. He asked Nehemiah to lead the rebuilding of Jerusalem, when he knew nothing of construction. There are a multitude of other instances of this. Now, at the start of the New Testament, He is doing it again. Asking a young girl, (probably early teens) to give birth.

I love Mary’s practicality in all of this; the first chance she gets to respond, she brings up the fact that she is a virgin. I am sure to her; this seemed like an incredibly legitimate point. I know I respond to God in a similar way all the time. He leads me to something, and I bring up all the different obstacles I can think of. I am sure many of you do the same. I am not talking about small petty excuses such as: I have to be somewhere, or I do not know what to say. I am talking about legitimate verifiable excuses, or what we would deem as such. Maybe we tell God I do not have a passport or I have financial limitations. I wonder if we are so busy reiterating our excuses at times that we fail to hear God’s response. His response, delivered to Gabriel, to Mary was quite clear. Gabriel did not gloss over her concerns or berate her for having them: instead he gave her a specific answer. Is God that direct with us? If so, do we just not hear Him? If we do happen to hear Him, do we keep insisting on our excuse, or do we have the faith to echo Mary’s response and simply say, “may it be to me as you have said”?

Today leave His footprints by hearing God address your concerns, then believing in His power to accomplish what He says.

Leave His footprints as you walk today!

January 14

MISSING THE POINT

Read Zechariah 9:9-10

I love how this passage starts. It is so majestic and grand. THE KING IS COMING! I start to picture something out of a King Arthur story. I can see Jesus, looking very much like Sean Connery, riding through a corridor of knights holding high their torches. Then I get to the last part of verse 9. I check my Bible to make sure I did not misread the verse.

“riding on a donkey…the foal of a donkey”

Uhm Zechariah are you sure? That just does not fit. It does not match the movie scene in my head. Surely Jesus was a on a great stead. You know, similar to how Donkey looks as a horse in Shrek 2. So I flip over to the New Testament to see the playing out of this prophecy. WOW! It really was a donkey. Hmm.

I read on in Zechariah and see what verse 10 has to say. As I do, the truth nails me. You see great stallions were used in war. That is why we can so easily picture King Arthur, or Napoleon, or George Washington mounted on a horse. They rode horses into battle. They did not ride a donkey, let alone the foal of a donkey. Donkeys are much slower and more peaceful. If you want to go to war, you want a swift animal underneath you. This brings me to a really simple conclusion: Jesus did not come to start a war, or to even engage in one already taking place. He came to spread peace.

Earlier, I mentioned this verse not synching up with the way I think it should be. I think that is true for this entire passage. This is one of the areas I believe we really miss the mark in leaving Jesus’ footprints. We are so eager to be right and to be heard, that we fail to live like Him. We become combative and argumentative. As we seek to defend our worldview and God’s truth, we forget to spread peace and encourage people. Growing up in church I have heard the phrase, “love the sinner, hate the sin,” over and over. Yet I have rarely seen this principle lived out. I think there are many reasons for this, which we will continue to explore the next 11 ½ months. Today though, I encourage you to consider leaving peace, instead of hatred or displeasure.

Today leave His footprints by going out of your way to brighten someone’s day and share peace with them.

Leave His footprints as you walk today!

January 13

RIDING WITH THE WIND

Read Micah 5:2

Have you ever set down to work on a task and felt so completely unable to accomplish it? I feel that way right now as I sit here trying to write something meaningful from this verse. It is not that the verse is bad or anything. It is a lovely passage. Well, really all the Bible is lovely, but I especially adore any passages dealing with Jesus. I am just struggling to internalize this verse and apply it to leaving His footprints. I have a desire to always be the best at what I do. I am somewhat of a perfectionist. As I write that bit of self-disclosure, and ponder the reality of it, God starts to unpack this verse a little more for me.

I am sure there were a lot of towns, in which the inhabitants wished that the coming Messiah would be born there. I am not sure how it is where you live, but in my home state of Oklahoma, it seems all the little towns have signs up as you enter town, letting you know what famous people hail from there. I imagine towns like Jerusalem, Jericho, Bethany, and others wanted to someday post a similar sign about the Christ. They all thought they were the best town around, and that God should send the Savior through them. God did not do what the people thought was best though. He did as He saw fit. He sent Christ to earth via Bethlehem; a small town in a small region of Judah.

Isn’t that how it always is with God? We think we know what is best and we start out to follow that path. We want to achieve greatness in some arena and we know how best to find it. We may go a ways and fall, so we get up and continue to move forward. Maybe this journey becomes even tougher, so we start to fight even harder. Earlier today, I went for a bike ride. I have been riding just over 5 miles each day this week. My ride was going great. I started out going north, then turned to the west, and soon reached the point for me to turn back south. As I did, my ride could no longer be described as great. My first thought as I pedaled against the stiff wind was I wish I had my cell phone with me, so I could call someone to pick me up. I fought through the pain and the wind though. I was extremely sore when I got home. More so than any other day this week. Going against strong opposition does that. It causes pain and discomfort. When I was riding north today, my ride was smooth. I was making great time. Riding with the wind was easy. In the same way, following God’s path is always easier than fighting against it.

Today leave His footprints by not insisting on life being lived according to your plans. Let God guide you.

Leave His footprints as you walk today!

January 12

WHAT IS BEAUTY?

Read Isaiah 52:13 - 53:12

This is a very long and detailed passage. There is a lot that we could discuss. Today as I read these fifteen verses, I am drawn to the second part of verse two of chapter 53. That draws my mind to this question: what is beauty? What makes something attractive to us? Why do I think the dark haired woman that just entered Starbucks is more attractive than her blonde friend? Doesn’t that reduce beauty to a very subjective and relative state? Surely true beauty is more than that.

I am somewhat taken aback by the aforementioned verse. This passage, oft called the gospel in the Old Testament, is one of the longest continuous prophecies about Christ. So as I read this part of verse two, I wonder, wasn’t Christ good-looking? I mean He was God. Although I doubt He looked anything like the various pictures people paint of Him, surely He was attractive. The prophet says something quite different of the coming Messiah though:

“nothing in His appearance that we should desire Him”

So why is this such a shock to me? Why am I so certain that Jesus was in fact beautiful?

What do I know of Him? Well to start I know nothing of His appearance, other than He probably had much darker skin than me and some Jewish features. I do know things He said and did though. Is this enough to make someone beautiful? I have never heard the voice of the previously mentioned dark haired woman. All I know is of her appearance, some of her sense of fashion, and of the presence of a quite large diamond ring on her left hand. Yet I would say that Jesus is far more beautiful than her or any person I have met or seen. Well then, words and actions must be a far more critical criteria for determining beauty than physical appearance.

Honestly though, I do not live this way. Much too often I let someone’s outward appearance determine whether or not I will befriend them. It hits me rather hard when I realize that if I applied this norm to Christ, I might choose to have nothing to do with Him. I could blame society or the media for this type of thinking, but they are not at fault. My own shallowness is.

Today I plead with you to leave His footprints by looking for beauty that is deeper than skin level. Search for it in the words and actions of others.

Leave His footprints as you walk today!

January 11

JESUS & THE PHANTOM

Read Isaiah 50:6

Well that is a very uplifting verse. No really, it is. Here, let me clue you in to where it takes my mind.

I love to watch people; be it at a restaurant or coffee shop, a movie, at church, or my favorite – the mall. We are always trying to play some role. It is so obvious by what we wear, what we order (who knew coffee could make people so pretentious), what we drive, and what we say. We are usually always trying to impress others, and we all have different things that can impress us. For some, it is another’s vehicle, for others it is their purse (thanks to former girlfriends I can easily spot a Coach, Dooney Burke, and Louis Vuitton). Personally, I notice someone’s shoes; maybe it is because I sold shoes for several years. All this leads me to say that humans are funny. We really are! We are constantly trying to refine or reinvent our image. Sociologist Irving Goffman would refer to this as changing our various masks, which are affected by the level and type of social feedback they produce. He is right.

So many of us live our lives consistently worrying about what others are thinking about us. Why? Why do we let what so and so may say keep us from doing certain things which are perfectly ok to do? It makes me think of the musical, Phantom Of The Opera. The Phantom, is in love with Christine, but is so afraid of who he really is, that he hides behind his mask. He has been terrorized by people before for his appearance, and he lets this fear negatively affect his life. This hiding costs him.

Aren’t we all like the Phantom in some form? Almost all of us are hiding from something. Susan is sarcastic and distant because her father abused her. Johnny loves sports above all else because it was the only thing him and his dad have in common. I never wore shorts to school until Jr. High because I was self-conscious over my right leg being smaller than my left. We all have something or many things that we attempt to hide.

How did Jesus live though? Surely there were rumors and gossip about the circumstances surrounding His birth. Oh and didn’t many people think He was crazy? Did He hide though? Not hardly. This verse says He opened Himself up to their mocking and criticizing. He did not live behind a mask and hide His true self. I urge you to do the same today and to be true to yourself. Leave His footprints by loosing the mask.

Leave His footprints as you walk today!

January 10

SHARING A VANILLA LATTE WITH JESUS

Read Isaiah 7:14

Immanuel! God with us! Such a beautiful name! So meaningful, it changed the course of history, and time itself.

I decided to get out of the house to write today. It is a beautiful, early winter day, temperature in the low 60’s, not a cloud in the sky. I am sitting beside a window at a Starbucks in Richardson, TX watching cars pass by. From my position in the corner of the coffee shop, I can see at least five face-to-face conversations and one text message conversation currently taking place. Directly behind me is one of the busiest highways in Texas, if you follow it south for a few miles you will run into one of the most congested highway interchanges in the nation. There are hundreds (possibly thousands) of other Starbucks just like this one in this metropolis of some 6 million people. Right now, there are countless conversations taking place within their walls, as the various persons mull over lattes, fraps, or tea. One gigantic thought comes to my mind as I watch this unfold: we need each other! Life was never meant to be lived alone.

I am one of few people sitting alone in my Starbucks, and the other isolated individuals I can see appear to be waiting on someone. Why is it that we crave connection with people so much? I have a strong suspicion that God created us just this way. If you go back and read the first part of Genesis, you will only find one instance where God says something is not good. When He looks upon Adam’s aloneness He knows it is not good, because He made us to live, interact, and connect with other people. It is ok to not like to be alone. Contrary to popular belief in certain ultra-conservative circles, wanting to be around people is not a sign of spiritual immaturity.

I am blessed beyond measure with close and deep friends. They make life better and more enjoyable. God understands that. He sent His son because of that. He sent Him to be with us and walk among us. He sent Him so we could connect to Him as we do our friends. That is why, out of all the names for Jesus, I love Immanuel the most. It reminds me that Jesus lived and walked among us. He understands that need for connection and wants to interact with me.

As you go about your day today and talk to those in your life, remember to give time to connect with God as well, whether while enjoying a vanilla latte or passion tea, on a long bike ride, or on your commute to and from work. Spend time with Him!

Leave His footprints as you walk today!

January 9

JESUS, MY DAD, & THE ST. LOUIS ARCH

Read Psalm 118:22

Today I was talking to a good friend. He was telling me that this next fall he would take his capstone class, as he finishes his bachelor’s degree. Then as I read this verse, I see that it also mentions the word capstone. So I began to wonder, what exactly is a capstone? I decided to look up what the original Hebrew word used here really means. I found that it literally means ‘head of the corner’, and that it is referring to either a large stone over the door, a corner stone that aligns the corner of a wall, or a keystone in an arch.

I was greatly blessed as a child. My parents took my sister and me to many of the historical landmarks around this nation. My dad loved to watch the videos of how monuments, such as Mt. Rushmore, were created. I am sure that you could call him today and he could tell you how the builder positioned the dynamite just right so it would form the faces of Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Roosevelt. Another landmark that I know for certain my dad could recall the formation of, is the St. Louis Arch. If you have never seen it, it is majestic. The river behind it, the gateway city stretched out before it. It is breathtaking. One unique feature is, as in all arches, the very center piece is the key to the structure, or the keystone. Without it the sides would collapse on each other. It creates the perfect situation for the arch to stay suspended in air.

Jesus, to whom this verse refers, is even more key to our lives. We all are busy. We all have many things going on, and are being pulled in multiple directions. I, for instance, play quite a few roles each week: son, brother, uncle, friend, writer, teacher, and others. Each of these roles demands my all at times, sometimes, several of them are demanding my all instantaneously. I know that life is the same for you, and more than likely, even more demanding. The only way we can keep our lives from crumbling on top of us, is to make Jesus our keystone. Let Him hold up our life, and be the center of it.

Today leave His footprints by allowing Jesus to bear all the weight, and then living life with Him at the center.

Leave His footprints as you walk today!

January 8

JESUS, KING DAVID & THE BAMBINO

Read Psalm 110:1

We all have heroes. We all have people we look up to, and aspire to be. For some, these are people who greatly excel in their chosen field; be that business, or teaching, or music, or art. Others look to a sports figure. Still for others, it is someone we personally know who has overcome great obstacles. Then some idolize a superhero such as Superman or Batman. I am sure the Jewish people of Jesus’ day had several heroes; men like Noah, Abraham, Moses, Elijah. I have to believe that greater than all of these was King David.

There is a wonderful scene from the movie Sandlot where the main character, Smalls, meets the other boys and they start talking about Babe Ruth. Smalls has no clue who this is, and makes the grave mistake of asking who that is. I love what follows:

“What did he say? What, were you born in a barn, man?

Yeah, what planet are you from?......

……You never heard of the Sultan of Swat?

The Titan of Terror?

The Colossus of Clout? The Colossus of Clout!

The King of Crash.”

I really think that a similar scene may have taken place in and around Palestine at the time of Christ, had a young Jewish boy asked who King David was. The man who killed the lion with his hands! The one who killed his ten thousands! Killed a bear with his hands! Yeah, killed a bear with his hands! KILLED GOLIATH!

David was huge to these people. Yet what did Peter say when using this text on the day of Pentecost? He used this verse to show how Jesus was even greater and above King David.

Today leave His footprints by looking beyond whoever your hero may be, and looking instead to Jesus.

Leave His footprints as you walk today!

January 7

FIGHTING THROUGH THE PAIN

Read Psalm 69:21

This verse makes me think a lot. As I read it the other day my initial thought was; what is gall? I looked at the text notes at the bottom of the page in my study Bible, but they did not help. So I pulled a Bible dictionary off my shelf to gain some insight. I looked up gall and found out that this particular use of it may be referring to myrrh. So I looked up myrrh. Myrrh is gum resin from a shrubby tree which grows in this region of the world. The color varies from a pale reddish yellow to reddish brown to red. The taste is bitter. The substance is astringent, and can be used as an antiseptic or a stimulant. It was also used as perfume (was a gift from the magi). In the New Testament myrrh was often used as a key ingredient in a pharmaceutical mixture to deaden pain. This verse is foreshadowing the day when Christ will hang on the cross, and they will offer Him the gall mixture to deal with the pain. If you fast-forward to that event, you will see that Christ refuses.

Maybe it is because of what is currently going on in my life, but this verse not only makes me think; it comforts and motivates me. My life is going through a deep valley of sorts, and there is tremendous pain and hurt. Today, as I have spent time studying, reading, and writing, I have hurt deeply. My heart is aching, and there is a desire to just put on some “comfy clothes”, as my nephew calls them, and curl up in bed and shut out everything and everyone. This verse causes that desire to die. Jesus was in pain on the cross. More pain than we could ever imagine. He was offered a drug to soothe that pain. He refused. Sometimes, the way to work through, and deal with deep emotional hurt is to press on. There is a country song that has been out about a year now, entitled If You’re Going Through Hell. I love the chorus: “if you’re going through hell, keep on going, don’t slow, if you’re scared don’t show it, you might get out, before the devil even knows you’re there.” Now I don’t want to break this song lyric down theologically here, but I think there is some truth to this. I think we see that truth as Jesus is offered gall on the cross. He does not seek to deaden the pain or lessen the hurt. Instead, he keeps about His Father’s work.

Life is hard. There are times of long sustained hurt. Today leave His footprints by fighting through that pain and focusing on Him. Do His work and don’t seclude yourself from the world.

Leave His footprints as you walk today!

January 6

RED BEANS & RICE WITH JESUS

Read Psalm 41:9

I like to eat. Good food is one of the things I enjoy most in life. In fact, the past few days I have had a craving for good ol’ red beans and rice. You know the kind. Ones from the heart of Louisiana. Cajun. Flavored with Tony’s Creole seasoning. Covered in Tabasco sauce. My mouth is watering just writing this. Ok, ok back to the text. This verse makes me think of good food. Furthermore, it makes me think about great conversation with good friends while enjoying good food. I have been called a slow eater by quite a few. Especially if I am with a big group of friends. I like to talk; to enjoy the experience. My Dad grew up as the youngest of nine children. He had to learn to eat fast. I was the youngest of two, so the urgency to eat before all was gone was not passed on to me. I learned to converse and visit while at a meal. I think that is what I enjoy the most about eating. That fellowship with people.

Thinking about the fellowship is what amazes me most about this verse. Jesus knew before He ever set down to a meal with Judas, that Judas would betray Him. Now I have eaten with those that would later betray me, but at the time I did not know. Had I known, I would have probably chosen someone else to sit besides, or possibly even eaten alone. I would not have granted them access to my closest feelings and emotions. I would have built a wall between them and me to try to minimize the damage they could do. This is not what Jesus did though. He befriended one He knew would betray Him. Wow! Amazing! He let him into His life. He shared all with him. He built no walls, nor cut him off at any time. I am simply speechless at this.

Today I encourage you to leave His footprints by not caring how others have hurt you in the past, or may hurt you in the future. Have a bowl of red beans and rice with them anyway.

Leave His footprints as you walk today!

January 5

THE TRUE GRAIL QUEST

Read Psalm 22:18

For some strange reason this passage makes me think of Monty Python And The Holy Grail. Then as I start to think deeper and mentally unpack the truth’s found here I am greatly humbled and in awe of our Father.

David is telling of the time when the Roman soldiers will equally divide the clothes of Christ and have a lottery for the seamless undergarment. You see, this undergarment Christ was wearing was unique and valuable. Not because it carried any holy powers, but because it was one piece of material, not several pieces patched together. The soldiers placed great value on this material possession all the while ignoring the greatness of the Man that had been wearing it.

These soldiers make me think of the scene in the Monty Python movie where Arthur and Sir Galahad go to the French Castle located in England. The French Guard asks them what they are doing and Arthur tells them they are trying to find a grail, and in the course of the witty banter the guard informs them that his master already has one. I think at times we are all seeking some sort of grail, maybe not in the same manner as the Arthurian legends or even less likely similar to one of Dan Brown fictional characters. One of the reasons that grail stories and stories about Jesus’ face appearing in a slice of toast are so appealing is because we all want to be just a little bit closer to the divine. But just like the Roman soldiers, we miss it; we get caught up in seeking the wrong thing.

So many times we focus on the wrong things in life. I know I do! I spend way too much time deciding what to wear each day and making sure I will, in some way impress those that see me. I get upset and at times downright angry when someone cuts me off in traffic or if I change radio stations only to find my favorite song is just ending. Funny thing though, I cannot remember a time since elementary school where someone actually made fun of my clothes, and I am sure I infuriate just as many, or more, people on the roadways, and come to think of it how many favorite songs do I have anyway (and aren’t they all among the over seven thousand songs on my iPod)? So my encouragement today is for you to leave Jesus’ footprints by seeking Him and only Him, and by not letting material or worldly things redirect your paths.

Leave His footprints as you walk today!

January 4

SEAT TAKEN

Read Psalm 22:7

Close your eyes for a few seconds. As you do, picture the touching school bus scene from Forrest Gump, where young Forrest is walking through the bus trying to find a seat. Nearly every face he encounters greets him with the same words, “seat taken” draped in a thick southern accent. What feelings come to mind as you picture this scene? Do you feel sympathy for Forrest? Do you cheer Jenny as she gives him a seat? Does it awaken feelings from a specific time in your life? I feel all of these as I picture that scene. I wish the other kids on the bus would get over themselves and let Forrest sit down. I am glad Jenny is there to befriend him. Also, I remember a time in 9th grade when a close friend made fun of me. It was right after Christmas break. The varsity basketball team (for which I was the athletic trainer) had traveled to a basketball tournament the week after Christmas. One of my Christmas presents that year was a book about a former major league baseball player, and while riding on the bus across the state I read part of the book. One day during geometry class the next week a close friend of mine was talking to a couple of other classmates, and proceeded to demean me for having been reading on the bus. I cried that night as I lay in bed, I had had a crush on this friend for some time, and I was hurt. Now, thirteen years have passed, we have both gone to college, she is married and lives on the west coast. I recently got to see her and visit some at our ten year reunion. I doubt she would realize it is her if she read this, and that is ok! I was not ruined by this event by any means, and I harbor no ill will over it, but yet I remember that initial feeling so well.

That scene from Forrest Gump and that feeling from my high school geometry class come to my mind when I read these words of King David. He is referring to things going on in his own life, but also prophesying about the life of Christ. As I read them again, it brings comfort to me. You see I may have been momentarily hurt by a friend in high school, but we went on to have a great friendship and worked in several clubs together and helped each other study. But consider Christ. He was mocked as He went to the cross, and as He died for our sins. He was degraded by the very ones for whom He was dying. My hurt or whatever hurt you may feel does not come close to matching that. Yet Jesus pushed on and continued to do His Father’s will. So today, leave His footprints by not caring about silly hurts or humiliation, instead look to Him and receive His blessing and peace.

Leave His footprints as you walk today!

January 3

WALKING TALL

Read Psalm 16:8-10

Hopefully, many of you are starting to share my love for the double meanings found in the prophecies of the Old Testament. Today brings us to another such passage, this time from the pen of King David. The immediate fulfillment of this promise is in the life of David himself, but the completion is once again found in Jesus Christ.

Let’s consider this being filled in the life of Jesus for a few moments. What does it mean that God will not let His Holy One (i.e. Jesus) ever see decay, and that He will not abandon Him to the grave? Furthermore, how does it help us leave the footprints of Jesus today? The Apostle Peter, in his sermon on the Day of Pentecost, used these verses to introduce and give historical or prophetical credence to Jesus’ resurrection (c.f. Acts 2:14-41). So similar to the devotional two days ago, these verses can bring comfort by the fact that God knows what He plans to do, and carries it out to fruition, but there is also more here.

God took care of and protected both King David and Jesus. He has promised the same to us. He has promised that He will never leave us nor forsake us (c.f. Joshua 1:5). This gives me confidence and strength to do the right thing. It fills me with courage to boldly follow in the footsteps of Christ and to leave His footprints with conviction. I urge each of you to do the same today. Trust in the Lord with all your heart today and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways, this day, acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight as you seek to leave His footprints (adapted from Proverbs 3:5-6).

Leave His footprints as you walk today!

January 2

THE ART OF LISTENING

Read Deuteronomy 18:14-19

Alright so some of you might be checking to see if this devotional is really going to follow the life of Christ or instead keep replacing one random hard verse from the Old Testament for another. Today brings us to a second passage in which is it difficult at first to see Jesus, and to see how to leave His footprints.

This passage is taken from Moses’ final address to the Hebrew nation before they begin to take possession of the promise land. He is reminding the people of their request to have a prophet speak to them, instead of God directly. They were afraid of God, so he is admonishing them to listen to the words of the prophets and to follow the Word of God that they convey. This prophetic passage was fulfilled many times over the course of the next fourteen hundred plus years in the lives of the various prophets. Both the apostle John and John the Baptist understood this to also be completed in the life and person of Jesus (c.f. John 1:21).

So after reading the associated passage from John, I reread these six verses with the life of Jesus in mind. Wow. Calling this a hard and difficult passage was quite correct. Since Jesus is the final fulfillment of this prophecy to raise up one who speaks the Words of God, then it is imperative that we not only hear what He says, but to let those Words affect our hearts and minds. To not listen to Him is to cause ourselves to come before the judgment of God. So to truly be one who walks like Jesus and leaves His footprints, we must spend time daily digging into His Words and actions and searching out what they say and what they mean. Then going and doing likewise. I encourage you to today listen to Him and let it soak into your being.

Leave His footprints as you walk today!

January 1

RECOGNIZING GOD’S PURPOSES IN A RECIPE

Read Exodus 12:46

Ok, so you may be thinking this is somewhat of a strange verse to begin a year-long look at the life of Jesus. I would say that at first glance, I agree. But upon deeper examination, it is the perfect place to start. This seemingly insignificant verse, stuck in the regulations about eating the Passover lamb, contains beautiful and wonderful truths about God.

My initial thought, when God led me to start with this passage, was one of how am I going to write a meaningful devotional using this verse. Yes this verse in true Old Testament prophecy form has a double meaning; it speaks of the Passover lamb that each Hebrew family would sacrifice, and also points to the day when Jesus would be put on the cross and would choose to die thus resulting in His legs not being broken by the Roman guards (c.f. John 19:31-37). Still how does this apply to today I wondered? How does this verse become relevant and even more how does it teach us to walk like Jesus? Then as I was walking through my parents’ house on Christmas Eve, in the stillness and quietness of night, it hit me.

Earlier I referred to this verse as seemingly insignificant, and in a large part it is. The Passover was around three thousand years ago. Most Christians (save for some Messianic Jews) do not celebrate the Passover today. Yet it was in this set of instructions that God spoke of the greatest moment in human history. It was in the middle of the directions to prepare a meal that God gave a hint that something bigger and greater was on the horizon. Millions of men and women across the world today will prepare meals, some for a few, some for many. It is a common thing. Yet God chose this common practice to remind us of His eternal plans.

As I write this my life has taken some interesting and even frightful turns the past few months, yet I find comfort in the fact that God speaks of His plan and His purposes in the day to day ordinary happenings of life. So how does this verse teach us to leave Jesus’ footprints? By reminding us to stay focused on Him no matter what and teaching us to do even the mundane and insignificant tasks with His purposes in mind.

Leave His footprints as you walk today!

The Daily Walk: Learning to Leave His Footprints

A Note About The Devotional

Blog Archive

January 31

January 30

January 29

January 28

January 27

January 26

January 25

January 24

January 23

January 22

January 21

January 20

January 19

January 18

January 18

January 16

January 15

January 14

January 13

January 12

January 11

January 10

January 9

January 8

January 7

January 6

January 5

January 4

January 3

January 2

January 1