The Daily Walk: Learning to Leave His Footprints

March 2

2010-03-02T00:01:00.001-06:00

THE MEASURE OF A MAN

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 5:33-37

I really enjoy country music. I always have. Maybe I had no choice in the matter, since I grew up in southeastern Oklahoma. A common theme through a lot of country music is being a man. Some recent songs include Measure Of A Man, That’s A Man, I’m Still A Guy, Her Man, Man Of Me, Man To Man, Man Of Conviction, and I’m Just A Man to name a few. These songs and others like them all extol a certain type of man, a guy that is tough and rugged, someone that can take care of himself and live off the land if necessary, a man that can admit when he is wrong if he ever is, and man that is a man of his word. This last trait is why my mind went here after reading this passage. We all know someone like this, that is just a man of his word and that everyone trusts and believes. Maybe it is your grandfather or dad, or a former coach or teacher, or perhaps it is someone famous like John Wayne or Jack Bauer.

Being people of our word, like these men, is what Jesus is getting at in this passage. He is calling us to be people that can let our yeses and our no’s speak for them self. So what is it about these individuals that allow them to be men of their word? I think it starts with a life of integrity. They live a life that can be believed and trusted. They live a life that is honest and virtuous. They are the type of man that would return a $100 bill if they saw if fall out of someone’s pocket. They can let their words speak for themselves because of the life they lead.

This is what Jesus is calling us to be. Men and women like this; men and woman that live a life of integrity. I encourage you to live like this today, but realize that the source of our life of integrity is Him. We cannot accomplish this of our own power. We will always fail. We have to be totally yielded to Him to get there.

Today I encourage you to live a life of integrity. Do not do it to impress others, rather do it because that is what God desires. Walk in His truth today.

Leave His footprints as you walk today

March 1

2010-03-01T00:01:00.001-06:00

FOR BETTER; FOR WORSE.

Read Matthew 5:31-32

I will admit this is a tough devotional to write. I have been racking my brain for several days to find just what God would want me to say about these two verses. They are very self-explanatory. Do not get a divorce just because you want an easy way out of your marriage. Yet how do I apply this to our everyday life. That has been my dilemma.

Finally I decided to stop contemplating and read the notes on this passage from my study Bible. God had given Moses regulations about divorce because it was such a common practice in the ancient world. Sounds kind of like our world doesn’t it? Jesus comes back to this issue because divorce is wide spread again in His day and He is reminded them of God’s truth.

Marriage is to be a picture of God’s love for us, and He wants us it to be a permanent covenant just like His love for us is eternal. We are to model this to world and to be different than their customs. I think that is where we find the application of this passage. God does not call us to be like the world. He calls us to be different and set apart.

The only way we are ever going to have an impact and change the world is by living according to His ways and His laws, especially when they run counter to the ways of the world. We need to come out of our idealism that our culture is still “Christian” and realize how much it is not. We then need to seek to impact our culture for Him.

Today I urge you to be missional and realize that you are taking Him into the culture of those around you. Recognize that you need to act different and live by His standards. Leave Him by living according to Him.

Leave His footprints as you walk today!

February 28

2010-02-28T00:01:00.000-06:00

MERELY A FLESH WOUND

Read Matthew 5:27-30

I love British comedy! I really do. One of my favorite movies of all time is Monty Python And The Holy Grail. There is a really hilarious scene where King Arthur is fighting the Black Knight. The Black Knight will not let Arthur pass over a bridge until he defeats him. During the course of the sword battle the king cuts off both of the Black Knight’s arms and legs. The Black Knight is still trying to get King Arthur to fight him and keeps screaming, it is merely a flesh wound.

As I read this passage just now this scene came to mind. Jesus says to cut off the part of the body that is causing you to sin. I think most of us read this passage and are at first shocked by this command. I think we should instead feel more like the Black Knight from the scene above and regard the loss of a limb or eye as a minor setback.

About a month ago I was spending some time with my best friend helping him to get his youth ministry curriculum written for the rest of the year. We had been in his office late working and had just gotten back to his place to relax and watch a couple of TV shows he had dvred. It was close to midnight, we had worked really late, and he got a text from one of his youth Sunday School teachers. It said this person wanted to bring their laptop by my friend’s office the next day because they were struggling with porn too much. My friend told me to get my shoes back on, and then we drove across town to get the laptop that night.

I think this is the type of behavior Jesus is talking about in this passage. Not the porn struggles, no the willingness to do something radical to remove temptation from you. The world might think you are crazy and foolish, but that should not be our deciding factor, after all Paul says in I Corinthians 1:18 18For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. Being sold out to walk like Jesus will require letting go and removing the things in your life that are preventing you from fully following Him

If there is something in your life causing you to stumble, get rid of it now. If it is internet on your phone call your wireless provider right now and have it disabled. If it is a TV or a laptop, get them out of your bedroom and place them where others can see everything you do, and cancel the TV channels that are providing the temptation. Remove the temptation today before it ruins you and detours your walk.

Leave His footprints as you walk today!

February 27

2010-02-27T00:01:00.000-06:00

HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL BUS TRIPS

Read Matthew 5:21-26

So I am going to say I hope that no one reading this is guilty of actually murdering someone. That being said I think we are all to blame for killing someone with our words. I think we all have said things in anger or jokingly that we did not mean. I know I have done this.

When I was in high school I was the athletic trainer for the football and boys basketball team. It was fun. I really enjoyed it; it was a way for me to be involved in sports since a birth defect prevented me from actually playing. My freshman year I worked with the varsity boys basketball team. I was almost the youngest student in my grade, so this was very intimidating for me at times. I knew most of the juniors on the team since my sister was in that class, but the seniors just seemed so much older; I was only 14 at that time. That year I watched as the seniors would make fun of everyone on the bus, even our assistant coaches.

Unfortunately that habit was passed down at least until my fellow classmates were seniors. We never meant anything by what we said, but I know it hurt some of the younger players at times. I do not think I understood the depth of this until a close friend from church told me they should put a plaque in the locker room declaring my class the king of the put downs. This was a friend I admired because of his intelligence and discernment. When he told me this I began to realize how what we were saying might be hurting those younger than us. Not only were we perpetuating bad habits, we were also destroying their confidence. We should have been building them up and encouraging them, but yet we were doing the opposite.

Hopefully you have never hurt someone this bad, but I am guessing most of you have. For some strange and tragic reason our current culture glorifies this type of behavior. Well, if we are going to follow Him and be set apart we have to change and do something different. Today I implore you to speak words of truth and love and kindness to those in your path. Leave His footprints today by leaving His words of life.

Leave His footprints as you walk today!

February 26

2010-02-26T00:01:00.006-06:00

TEAM SELLING WITH MY D.M.

Read Matthew 5:17-20

I have worked in sales for some time and a highly common characteristic of most all sales jobs is that the most productive and successful people promote. It is not based on any system of seniority or anything other than your personal bottom line. This fosters an extremely competitive atmosphere among coworkers. Several years ago I was working in a mattress store, and to be honest I was not the best at sales in my store. I had my moments, but my two coworkers were much more seasoned and experienced. I was always struggling to meet my monthly budget and quota. One day though our District Manager was in the store for a visit. It was towards the end of the month and I was close to making my month, but was worried if it was going to happen or not. A woman in her early thirties came in, and it was my turn in our rotation system. I mostly led her through the store, but my D.M. decided to help along the way. He had her laughing and joking around most of the time she was in the store. She wound up making a rather large purchase which not only helped me make my month, but motivated me to stay driven and actually finish near the top in total sales and units for that particular month.

These verses brought this episode to mind just now. Jesus told those on the hillside with him that their righteousness must not only be great, but must surpass that of the leaders in their religious society in order to gain entrance into heaven. At this particular company my sales numbers not only had to be consistently higher than my monthly goals for me to make money, they had to be above the overall year goal for me to keep my job.

I was able to have a spectacular month one time because my D.M. decided to step in and help me in a very real and experiential way. I might have closed this sale to this woman on my own, but it may have not been for as much, and it may have not motivated me for the rest of the month. I obtained temporary excellence in my job by relying on the strengths of someone else.

We will never reach this level of righteousness on our own. We can only get their by letting Jesus step into our lives and live it out for us. We have to surrender to Him and let Him be our righteousness. I want to urge you today to remember that you are not on your own. You are not on an island. He is with you and wants to lead. Let Him.

Leave His footprints as you walk today!

February 25

2010-02-25T00:01:00.001-06:00

SOONER OR GATOR?

Read Matthew 5:14-16

This last month my OU Sooners lost a hard fought game against the Florida Gators for the college football championship. Both quarterbacks are outstanding athletes and from all reports good people. Both claim to follow Christ and both show examples of this in their life. The qb for the Gators always has a verse inscribed on his eye black and cannot go longer than a sentence in an interview without reminding us the he follows Christ. The opposing qb is quieter and lives his faith out primarily with his actions rather than words. Now I do not want this be seen as criticism of the Florida player. If that is what God has impressed on his heart to do, and how to live then he should by all means keep living that way. However I do not think that is how God calls most of us to shine our light into darkness.

The last verse of this passage says that we are to let our light shine in a way that does not call attention to ourselves yet points others directly to God. I can easily illustrate this with a critique of the on field performance of the two aforementioned quarterbacks.

The Florida offense completely revolves around their qb. He is central to every play and is the star whether it is a run or a pass. The Sooner’s field general however is more of a distributer and lets his teammates abilities outshine his own. I do not think I am alone in this opinion. I heard multitudes of sports commentators say similar things as the postseason player of the year awards loomed. The athlete from Florida was praised for doing it all on his own and being the shining star, where the player from Oklahoma was at times faulted for making his teammates looking so good.

I do not want any of the above to be seen as an attack on the University of Florida or any of their incredible student-athletes, I am simply trying to illustrate this verse. You see I think Jesus is calling us to be more like the Sooner qb. He wants us to be great. He says He wants our deeds to be worthy of praise. Now I do not think we can have good deeds deserving of praise if we are being mediocre. He further says He wants our deeds to be done in a way that the praise does not come back on us, but is turned to the Father.

Today I want you to be great, but do so in an unassuming way and let God receive the ultimate glory for it.

Leave His footprints as you walk today!

February 24

2010-02-24T00:01:00.003-06:00

UNABOMBER CHRISTIANITY?

Read Matthew 5:14-15

Before we get started today I should warn you, I might get to the point of meddling today. I am just sticking to the text though.

Ok so you remember Ted Kaczynski? The Unabomber. Crazy guy that lived in a remote cabin Montana and would mail bombs to various locations. He is really a fascinating person. He had an undergrad degree from Harvard by the age of 20 and a Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University of Michigan by 25. He then became an assistant professor at Cal-Berkley but resigned two years later. He was a savant in his field, could have been the leading mathematician of today had he not lost his mind. He felt that society was on the wrong course and needed to be reset so he began his bombing campaign to bring this along. Regardless of how nuts he was, he really felt the bombings would accomplish this and so continued at a feverish pace. He finally ended the bombings after both the New York Times and the Washington Post published his manifesto, and it was the styling of this piece that led to his ultimate arrest (his brother recognized the thought patterns and literary traits and tipped the FBI).

Far too often I see the Christian subculture being no different than Mr. Kaczynski. We are secluded in our fortress whether it is a cabin in Montana, or a downtown building in Nashville, or mega church in Dallas or Atlanta. We may send bombs or flaming arrows into culture, and we may boycott this entertainment company or that politician but we are about as effective in changing culture as this crazed former professor.

Imagine if Theodore Kaczynski had used his various mental skills in other ways. Imagine if he had engaged culture with these unique skills and abilities. I am not sure he would have completely changed our society, but he would have had a far more reaching impact. He would probably be known for greater things than being the subject of the most expensive FBI search ever. He probably would have made us think about things differently.

Now the church is even more equipped to alter culture than Mr. Kaczynski ever was, but if we continue to pattern our methods in the same way as he, then we will only be remembered a sideshow and circus act much like he is. We have to get out from the fortress. We have to escape the walls and let our light shine into the darkness. Today I urge you to take your light out from under the bowl and let it really light the dark.

Leave His footprints as you walk today!

February 23

2010-02-23T00:01:00.005-06:00

BE THE MOON

Read Matthew 5:14

Several years ago God allowed me to experientially learn more about just how to be His light. I was driving south down Interstate 35 in Oklahoma late one Friday night after getting off work. I had to go home, do my laundry, pack, and then hurry back to Shawnee for work the following afternoon, then I was leaving that Sunday night to go to Winter Park, Colorado to ski for three days. I had a lot on my mind that night as I drove south towards my hometown. As I looked out the window, I noticed how bright the moon was. It was a full moon that night. As I gazed at it God began to speak to me. The moon has no source of light in and of itself; it simply reflects the light of the sun. I began to consider how this applied to me as a Christian and how I should live as reflecting the light of God. That night when I arrived home, I was amazed at being taught by God in this way and I was still processing this concept early the following week. Just over 48 hours later on Sunday night I had met my friend Jeremy and the youth from his church in Norman, and we left for Colorado. We stopped at a McDonalds around 5:30 the next morning for breakfast. It was my turn to drive after that, so we headed out west from Salina towards Denver along Interstate 70. I was the only one awake in the van, and I had several moments to revisit my time with God from a couple of nights back. As I watched the moon sink lower in the sky, I noticed several astonishing things. The higher the sun rose, the more the moon faded into the sky; it ceased to be visible and just started blending into the surroundings. You see the moon only gives off light in darkness. The closer it is to the sun, the brighter it shines in the darkness. In the presence of the sun it fades. It allows the sun to have the glory it is due. In fact, when in the presence, of the sun the moon is only visible because of the intense brightness of the sun.

If we, as Christians, are going to be light in the world, we must display the same principles. We must seek to reflect the light of Christ. We have to reflect the light from Him into the dark places in the world. We cannot be the source of light ourselves, simply the reflecting agent. When we come into His presence we must fade and allow the true light to shine.

Today I encourage you to reflect Him into the dark places around you. Let His light shine your path as you seek to leave Him behind.

Leave His footprints as you walk today!

February 22

2010-02-22T00:01:00.006-06:00

SUGARLESS SYRUP

Read Matthew 5:13

Several years ago I was a sponsor at a conference for one of my friend’s youth groups. After the Friday night session we went to a local Waffle House to eat before going back to the hotel. As we were sitting around talking I looked over and saw a bottle of syrup that said Sugarless Syrup. I have to tell you, I was a little freaked out by this. Still am unnerved by this idea of sugar free syrup to be honest. I mean what is it? I just grabbed a bottle of normal syrup from the pantry and here are the ingredients: sugar syrup, corn syrup, artificial maple flavor, salt, caramel color, and potassium sorbate (a preservative), so syrup has sugar, flavoring, coloring and preservative. It is really sugar in its purest form, so I am not sure what sugarless syrup is and do not wish to find out.

Now this bottle of strange artificial syrup may have been an unsettling sight for me, but it in no way compares to the anxiousness created by Jesus’ warning at the end of this verse. Jesus says that salt that loses its essence is worthless and only good to be thrown underfoot. The past few days we have looked at several aspects of salt, it makes people thirsty, it flavors, it preserves, it is valuable (the word salary has its roots in salt), it can be used in healing wounds, in fact salt, as we discovered yesterday, is said to have over 14000 different uses. It is multifunctional and essential. Yet with all these potential applications Jesus says we must maintain the saltiness or it is all for naught. I think we should take this warning seriously and avoid its repercussions at all costs.

Some might read this warning and see that Jesus is saying it is possible to fall away from Him and so to somehow lose our salvation. I, however, do not think so. Salt cannot lose its saltiness just by mixing with other things. Salt poured into water retains all the properties of salt and does not become something new. Salt poured onto French fries is still salt. It takes a violent chemical reaction triggered by combustion to alter the chemical makeup of salt. Since I believe that Jesus teaches that once we truly believe in Him we cannot lose that salvation, I do not think there is a force with enough power to separate us from Him. However an initial and understandable reaction to this warning might be to pull back and only hang out with other salt. It is going to be hard to lose the saltiness while stuck deep down in the salt shaker right? But maybe that is just where we might lose our saltiness. Salt really has no impact on other salt. So for us to fulfill any of the purposes of salt we have to escape the homogenic setting and get out into the world. Today leave His footprints by getting out of the salt shaker and onto the plate. Maintain your saltiness by putting it to use, otherwise you are going to lose it, and well that is costly.

Leave His footprints as you walk today!

February 21

2010-02-21T00:01:00.002-06:00

UTILITY PLAYER

Read Matthew 5:13

Pick up a dropped egg. Soothe a bee sting. Eliminate a grease fire. Clean up oven spills. Set color. Kill poison ivy. Make cream whip more easily and egg whites whip faster and higher. Test for rotten eggs. Clean the brown spots (from starch) off a nonstick soleplate (the bottom of your iron). Repel fleas. Kill grass growing in cracks in the cement or between patio stones. Clean a glass coffee pot. Halt the mountain of suds from an overflowing washing machine. Clean artificial flowers. Keep windows frost-free. Clean tarnished copper. Keep radishes safe in the garden. Clean coffee and tea stains from china cups. Keep potatoes and apples from turning brown once they're sliced. Clean a cutting board. Preserve food. Serve as an interesting paper weight. Bless a new couple on their wedding day. Ward off evil spirit (Middle Ages thought).

Listed above are over 20 random uses of salt. There are many many more. Some people claim there are over 14,000 different uses for this simple rock. Salt actually is a rock. It is the only rock we eat. Well I ate gravel on the playground in elementary school, but I am pretty sure humans are not supposed to do that. A guy named Mark Kurlansky wrote a book about salt. It is almost 500 pages long. When I first started reading it I did not know what to expect. Several pages into the book, though, I was captivated and really intrigued by just how much world history was influenced by this simple rock.

Salt has to be one of the most multifunctional natural occurring substances that exists on earth. If we are going to be the salt of the earth then we also have to be multi-faceted as well. We have to be able to relate to all people, like Paul did when he declared: “I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some.” (I Corinthians 9:22) This does not mean we change who we are in a shallow or in insincere way or that we water down truth. Rather we need to be able to relate to anyone and be approachable by all. Also we need to be continually repackaging the truth in ways that can reach everyone.

Today I encourage you to be a utility player for God. Be able to play many different positions and so salt the earth more than in just one spot.

Leave His footprints as you walk today!

February 20

2010-02-20T00:01:00.005-06:00

SUGAR, COCOA, OR SALT?

Read Matthew 5:13

I just had to take a break from writing to change a load of laundry and get some more coffee. While in the kitchen I decided to do some exploring and see just what all contained salt. Butter, check. Ketchup, check. Mustard, check. Salad dressing, check. French onion dip, check. Bologna, check. Hot dogs, check. Chocolate syrup, check. Ice cream, check. Ritz crackers, check. Peanut butter, check. Cereal, check. Bread, check. Dr. Pepper, check. Pretty much everything I looked at contained salt. I did this little exercise because I was thinking that at times I wish Jesus had called us the sugar of the earth, or the cocoa powder of the earth. I mean who does not love sugar and all its delicious sweetness? Chocolate, now find me someone that does not love chocolate and is sane. My mom cannot eat it now, but she did love it when she could, and still longs for it at times. I do not think salt excites people as much and sugar or chocolate. Then my mind goes to French fries, not sure my mind is ever far from a good burger and fries but that is an issue for me and my clogging arteries to deal with later. As I think about a large order of fries covered in salt my mouth starts to water, and I momentarily turn into Joey Tribbiani from Friends and my mind is so consumed with the fries that I lose my train of thought.

I admit it, I am a saltaholic, not even sure that is a word, but I am one. I put salt on just about everything. I have never tried it in my coffee, but I bet it would be good even there. If we are going to fulfill this characteristic of salt then we, as a collective church body, also have to be good at everything and be flavoring every aspect of life.

Several years ago an Op-ed piece by conservative columnist Cal Thomas challenged the way I thought about how flavor life. In the column, Mr. Thomas criticizes the way that most conservative Christians confront culture. He argues that attacking cartoon characters for supposedly advancing a homosexual agenda is a far cry from the thousands of years when Christians led the way by flavoring the arts, thought, music, science, and all aspects of society. Consider these intellectual and cultural heavyweights from the past; writers such as: T. S. Eliot, J. R. R. Tolkien, John Donne, John Milton, C. S. Lewis, and G. K. Chesterton; philosophers and thinkers such as: Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, William of Ockham, Anselm of Canterbury, and John Duns Scotus; scientists like: Isaac Newton, Johann Kepler, Robert Boyle, Louis Pasteur; and musicians and artists as: Handel, Brahms, Bach, Rembrandt van Rijn, and Albrecht Durer. These men and others like them shaped and flavored their culture. They created great works and advanced technology to never before imagined heights. They thought critically and used the intellect given them by God. I implore you to follow their lead today and flavor your surroundings for Him.

Leave His footprints as you walk today!

February 19

2010-02-19T00:01:00.004-06:00

THESE PRETZELS ARE MAKING ME THIRSTY

Read Matthew 5:13

There is a great Seinfeld episode during season 3 where Kramer lands a bit part in a Woody Allen movie that is being filmed in their part of New York City. He is supposed to turn to Woody in a bar and tell him “these pretzels are making me thirsty.” He struggles through the whole episode in deciding just how to say this, and eventually is replaced in the scene. One of the immediately recognizable aspects of salt is that salt makes us thirsty.

The first way we can fulfill this verse is to fulfill this aspect of salt. We have to make people thirsty. We have to make them crave Christ. Too many times Christians are seen as boring or bland. It is up to us to change this perception and to spice things up. Smile more. Laugh. Love. Enjoy the simple things in life. Maintain a positive attitude during hard times. Live different. This does not mean be so different and set apart that we exist in an inaccessible place. Rather, I think the emphasis should be on the word live. We have to still live and experience life, but in a way that causes others to take notice and want what we have. So relax. Loosen the tie. Let your hair down and live a life that makes people wonder why you are so happy and content.

A couple of years ago I was at a local McDonalds with some of the guys from church. It was our custom to go out and eat after Bible Study on Wednesday nights, and I welcomed the chance to build relations with some of the students. This particular Wednesday night we were all sitting around the table, most of us had finished eating, and David started pouring salt into a pile of ketchup on Phil’s tray. David must have emptied ten or more salt packets into the ketchup, and Phil was sitting there watching him do so. Phil then absent-mindedly stuck a fry into the concoction, ate it, and immediately grabbed his cup only to find it empty. He then almost sprinted to the drink refill station to get some relief. This overload of salt had caused him to crave something to drink, and gave the rest of us a reason to laugh quite a bit.

Today I urge you to be like that ketchup on Phil’s tray. Be so overloaded with Christ that you cause all those we touch to sprint to Him.

Leave His footprints as you walk today!

February 18

2010-02-18T00:01:00.004-06:00

A-ROD & RUSH WEEK

Read Matthew 5:10-12

I pledged a social club in college (my small liberal arts Baptist school did not allow national sororities or fraternities so we had our own social clubs). I stuck with it for about two weeks before deciding that it just was not for me. It was in the middle of a really difficult time of my life and several good friends decided at the last minute not to pledge. I think there are probably still legends told of how I wound up de-pledging, but I did what I thought I had to do at the time. I can still recall some of the experiences I came by during that brief period. Mostly I remember constant encouragement from older members letting me know that I was not being subjected to anything they had not also faced. It increased my confidence and my hopes to know I had someone I could go to, someone that had walked this path before. I was not the first to tread down this way, and I could take heart with the knowledge that many had passed through successfully.

The preceding paragraph describes why I deeply love Jesus’ words in these 3 verses. There have been scores upon scores of believers who have traveled before us. Whatever ridicule or persecution we might face is not new. We are not the first to experience it. We can even rejoice when we are being subjected to the same treatment as the giants of faith. Just as I did not have to fear anything while pledging, we can go through all manners of trials and tribulations without fear because it is not our suffering alone.

The start of the baseball season is just around the corner, and there have been many stories about the upcoming season lately, quite a few about my beloved Yankees. They have signed several big name free agents, had a not so glowing tell-all book come out, and their star 3rd baseman revealed he once was a steroid user. There has been much scrutiny directed towards Alex Rodriguez for this, and I am sure it has been excruciatingly painful at times. He has hired media firms to help him manage the press and sort through salvaging his image. He has leaned on his agent and brand manager. Yet one of the best places he can go is within his own clubhouse, as a teammate faced a very similar situation just a year ago. A-Rod can call upon this older teammate at anytime for advice or just to talk through everything. His best place for encouragement through his trials is within the family.

It is the same for us as we follow Jesus. I would say with confidence that no matter you are facing today, there is someone within your local church that has faced the same. You cannot know this without being actively involved with that body. One way you can leave His footprints today is by getting more connected to your church, both to serve Him and to more strongly bond with the family there.

Leave His footprints as you walk today!

February 17

2010-02-17T00:01:00.001-06:00

BOY, YOU’RE GETTING MORE LIKE HIM EACH AND EVERY DAY

Read Matthew 5:8-9

In case I have not mentioned it before, I am a big fan of country music. Always have been and probably always will be; most days as I write I am listening to country music either through my iTunes program or via an internet radio station which I prefer. The title of today’s reading is a line from the George Strait song So Much Like My Dad, because as I have thought more and more about these verses I have continually come back to the phrase “for they will be called sons of God.” So I want to explore this concept of being a son or daughter today, and look at how we are sons of God.

The easiest way to be a son or daughter of someone is to be the biological offspring of them. A second way is to be raised by someone and exhibit characteristics of them. Now in the perfect setting both of these tasks are completed by the same people but more and more this is not the case. Shaquille O’Neal during his thankfully brief and incredibly dreadful rap career had a song entitled Biological Didn’t Bother. I feel that I must confess that I actually own a cassette tape with this song on it. In this song Shaq says the man that raised him is his real dad, because his biological father was absent. His adoptive father taught him how to be a man and it is his traits that Shaq tries to emulate.

Now I am pretty much certain that God is not the father of any of us in the first sense. We all have biological fathers, some great, some not so great, but since none of us are Jesus, then none of us can claim God as our actual biological father. However, and this is the good news, we all have open and equal access to being His son in the other sense. That is obtained by accepting Christ as our personal Lord and Savior and asking for forgiveness of sins. This brings us into the family. Signing adoption papers also brings an individual into a new family, but they become recognized as being part of the family when they start to take on family traits. Verse 9 in today’s passage gives us a hint of how to take on the traits of God’s family so we can be readily known as His.

It is the peacemakers that will be called the sons of God. Today you can leave His footprints by being an agent of peace among those around you. I encourage you to do this.

Leave His footprints as you walk today!

February 16

2010-02-16T00:01:00.005-06:00

A WORD IN SPANISH

Read Matthew 5:7

Blessed are the merciful. I have been rolling this verse around in my head for several days trying to nail down just what this concept of mercy entails. It is forgiveness. It is grace. It is compassion. But it seems to have some other indefinable quality as well. As I worked through this I pulled out a Bible dictionary, a commentary, a thesaurus and my Webster’s dictionary. I even grabbed my Spanish-English dictionary off the shelf. I looked through the all of these and it was finally when I looked through the Spanish-English dictionary that I was able to find some inspiration.

The Spanish word for mercy is misericordia. As soon as I saw this I immediately thought it sounded a lot like misery. So I looked up the Spanish word for it, miseria. Now, I do want to make clear that my knowledge of the Spanish language and grammar is very limited and I could be way off on this, but I do think there is something very teachable here. Ok so as I was looking at these two Spanish words I could not help but notice that they are the same root word. So is there a connection between mercy and misery?

I think there is. You see when we do not accept God’s mercy we become increasingly more and more miserable. The same thing happens, when we do not extend mercy to those in our lives. We are to be merciful because He is merciful to us. Living a life that leaves His footprints means walking like Him. So if He is merciful, then we are to be merciful as well. Living a life like this may not be easy, but it is what is called for in our life. We are called to be compassionate and graceful; to forgive others and be willing to extend love to all.

Today I urge you to extend mercy to someone that you have previously denied. Maybe it is a former friend of co-worker. Maybe it is an ex-girlfriend or boyfriend. Whomever it is I hope you take the steps to do so today. It will bring some relief to misery.

Leave His footprints as you walk today!

February 15

2010-02-15T00:01:00.001-06:00

RED VELVET CAKE

Read Matthew 5:6

Last night I had the pleasure of having several real good conversations with some dear friends. One was over the phone with a longtime friend that happens to be a chef. We were talking about different things to eat and about our mutual love affair with carbohydrates. At one point our conversation came around to red velvet cake and to the details of how each of us made our cakes. Ever since then I have been wanting some good moist delicious red velvet cake. It is one of my two favorite deserts (key lime pie being the other). I can almost taste it in my mouth right now. I am furiously hungry for it because I know how wonderful it is.

As I sorted through the various aspects of hunger in my mind while reading and rereading this verse I finally settled on this trait. Some of the deepest and most intense times of hunger and thirst come when we are desiring something we have once tasted. There is something about the cake, or the wine, or the pasta sauce that just captures our tastes buds and we cannot get it out of our memory. Then this desire turns into a severe craving that will not go away until filled.

I think that is what Jesus is talking about here. This type of hunger for something once, possibly even briefly, experienced that just overtakes our life and dominates our thoughts and actions. When we have encountered a bit of righteousness and had the pleasure of seeing its beauty then we will hunger for it all the more deeply.

Now here is something really cool. Psychological and medical researchers have discovered that the receptors in our brain that process stimuli for personal experience are the very same ones that process things we observe. That is why we can glean so much from observation. I am pretty sure Jesus was aware of this when He spoke these words, since He created us and all.

Maybe today the way you leave His footprints in the manner of this verse is to be that bit of righteousness that someone experiences and causes them to hunger and thirst after Jesus in a deep way. I encourage you to do that and live in a way that causes others to want Him.

Leave His footprints as you walk today!

February 14

2010-02-14T00:01:00.002-06:00

THE CROPS ARE DYING IN THE HARSH SUNLIGHT

Read Matthew 5:5

I recently read David McCullough’s biography of John Adams and deeply loved being engulfed into that time period as I read. Adams’ prided himself on being a man of the land and one ever-present thought throughout all of his travels for the cause of independence was wanting to get back to the pleasure of farming. There is something simple yet majestic about farming. It is not easy work, but it is fulfilling. It is very risky, but the few people I know that have farms, large or small, would not trade them for the world.

This verse today brings these thoughts to the forefront of my mind. Blessed are the meek. A couple of days ago we looked at pride and humility. Isn’t this just the same thing? Yes and no. Being meek entails being humble, but it is more about our dependence on God, and not whether we place ourselves above or below others.

Most long-time farmers are meek people. They realize that no matter how much care they take in planting the seeds and keeping out the weeds and pruning their various vines and plants and stalks, they are still wholly reliant on God for any measure of success. They are not in control of the final outcome. They have to sit back and wait and trust in God’s wisdom and goodness.

I am not good at this whole waiting thing. I am currently in the middle of a job search and it is so hard to wait for potential employers to call back; I want to go about making every connection there is and networking with every possible contact I can, when maybe I should be making networking with God my number one priority and leave it to Him. The same thing applies to my seemingly endless pursuit of a spouse. Maybe I need to talk to Him more about it and actually trust in Him.

I do not what you to think that I am promoting laziness where we just pray and then shirk our own responsibilities. A farmer cannot just throw out his seed and then do nothing but pray and expect a great harvest. I guess they could, but more than likely they would lose their farm pretty quickly. Jesus speaks openly at times about fulfilling our responsibilities and duties. I do not think it would be prudent for me to just pray all day for a job while never looking for openings. At the same time though it would be equally unwise for me to look and look for a job yet never ask God to oversee and guide the process.

Today I urge you to leave His footprints by doing what is required of you, yet yielding the results to Him. Be meek today.

Leave His footprints as you walk today!

February 13

2010-02-13T00:01:00.002-06:00

SERENITY NOW

Read Matthew 5:4

I am a big fan of the former NBC show Seinfeld, so much so that I even remember going to a viewing party with friends to watch the final episode. It really was a great show about nothing. There was one particular episode during the final season where George’s dad is trying to learn to control his rage and lower his blood pressure, so he starts screaming serenity now every time he gets upset. In the same episode Jerry finally decides to embrace his feelings and lets them come flooding out, to the point that he actually cries and is confused by the salty discharge from his eyes.

My mind went to this episode as I read this verse just now. At times it seems that culture is permeated with the idea that is it cool to be completely detached and void of feelings or any type of connections to others. I constantly find this disheartening and discouraging. I think this verse speaks to this trend.

You see it is a very natural thing for a parent to comfort a child. In fact it is one of the most instinctual things for a parent to do. A few weeks after my first nephew was born I remember stopping by my sister’s apartment to see her. I was completely amazed at how my nephew, Kevin, would look up at her, and how she could stop his crying just by looking at him and picking him up or touching him.

So when Jesus makes this promise of comfort for those that are mourning, He is reiterating the idea that God is our Father. He tells us that God wants to comfort us and to heal our broken hearts. When we act completely aloof and deny our feelings we are denying God the chance to pick us up and console us. In a way, when we do this, we are almost acting as if we are never in need of this parental act from Him, and that we are ok on our own.

Today I want to encourage you to leave His footprints by opening up your emotions and letting them come out, even it is painful or hard to do. He promises to be there to comfort you. Trust Him and stop being closed off.

Leave His footprints as you walk today!

February 12

2010-02-12T00:01:00.006-06:00

LAY DOWN MY PRIDE

Read Matthew 5:1-3

I am struggling to get started with this day’s devotional. Poor in spirit, what is that all about? What does that even mean? I am sitting here at my desk doing all sorts of things, listening to a podcast in iTunes, talking to people on facebook, sending e-mails, thinking about writing this, trying to decide what to write, but not actually writing anything down. So I googled poor in spirit. It returned over 69 million results in .15 seconds. As I searched through the results pages I also decided to look at the comments in my study Bible. As I did both of these things I started to realize why this is such a hard passage for me to digest. Being poor in spirit is all about being humble and not prideful. I am naturally very prideful. I may try to hide this fact at times in a sense to make people think the best about me, but this just increases my pride even more. This is a hard passage for me to grasp because it is so foreign to me.

Now I could be very wrong here but I think that possibly many of you also struggle with this issue. For those of us in the west it is a daily struggle. The American ideal is still the self-made man that does it all on his own and needs neither help nor assistance from any one. It is hard to not have a degree of personal pride in this culture. Does that make it ok? Not really. The culture into which Jesus first spoke these words had every reason in the world to be prideful. The Romans had conquered all of the known world and built a massive system of roads to connect it. They established the most representative form of government that existed until the late 18th century. These people had every reason to be overconfident in their abilities. Still though Jesus praises and extols those without pride.

I think it is very important for us in our day and age to recognize this and to drink in this truth. We also need to not just try and hide our pride and fake humility. That might be worse than open arrogance. How do we do this? I am by no means an expert here, but maybe we do it by getting as close to God as possible. The closer we get to see His grandeur and awesomeness, the less chance our pride has to rise.

Today leave His footprints by seeing just how amazing God is. Go outside and gaze into the open expanse of the skies, stare at the myriad of stars tonight, go for a walk or bike ride in the park and delight in what He has created. Do something today to see the grandness of Him and the smallness of ourselves.

Leave His footprints as you walk today!

February 11

2010-02-11T00:01:00.004-06:00

MIRROR, MIRROR ON THE WALL

Read Luke 19:1-10

This is a story that is much like that of Jonah, or David and Goliath or Noah and the Ark, or Moses and the Red Sea. It is too familiar. We all learned it at a young age in Vacation Bible School or Sunday School. In fact I bet many of you right now are singing “Zacchaeus was a wee little man, a wee little man was he.” I think we need a new look at this short man’s encounter with the Holy Living God.

What happened to this man to change him from a cheat, a crook, a dreg of society to one who is willing to give up all to follow Christ? What is it that happens in these ten verses that changes his heart? The simple answer is he meets Christ. Yes that is the truth, yet what is it about this encounter that has these far reaching consequences?

First, I do not think Zacchaeus expected to meet Jesus. He wanted to see him, wanted to find out what all this hype was about, but not sure he expected to meet Him. So he runs through the crowd and gets up on a tree so He can see. He has a good view now, and the tree is safer. Up there he does not have to risk standing next to one of the countless citizens of Jericho that he has cheated. So from his safe haven, or his comfort zone, he sees Jesus. He is probably happy as Jesus walks by, probably caught up in his thoughts. Yet Jesus looks up. He looks in the tree. He looks Zacchaeus in the eyes and speaks to him. Jesus looks there at Zacchaeus in the middle of his comfort zone and calls him out. I am certain that Zacchaeus is astonished and amazed that this wonderful man wants to hang out with him. I mean who is not excited to spend time with the most popular Guy around. There is a sense of pride floating around Zacchaeus heart as he climbs down the tree.

When he looks at Jesus something amazing happens. Looking upon Jesus is like looking at a mirror into his own soul. Yet only those parts of himself that match the perfection of Jesus appear. He sees this nearly empty image on the mirror and he realizes his utter lostness and complete hopelessness. He looks upon perfection and realizes his life is nothing without Jesus. He wants nothing else than to be filled by Jesus. Yet to do that requires a radical change in his own soul. He falls in love with Jesus in a single instance. This was true deep love at first sight. He changes his life to be completely about Jesus’ purposes and his ways.

How are you reacting as you come face to face with Jesus today? Are you realizing how imperfect you are, much as Zacchaeus did? Are you falling in love with Jesus all over again or for the first time? Today leave His footprints by filling the places personal imperfection with His perfection.

Leave His footprints as you walk today!

February 10

2010-02-10T00:01:00.004-06:00

MAJOR MEDICAL, DENTAL, VISION & SIN?

Read Luke 5:27-31

Currently the healthcare system in my country is pretty broken. It has become a disease management system instead of an organism committed to prevention and healthy living. It is much like Jesus describes at the end of this passage, it is not the healthy that are going to the doctor, only the sick. Now, since it is highly politicized, I will leave this issue to be addressed in other places and at other times. I do, however, want to unpack what Jesus says about the righteous.

Whereas medicine is still done the way Jesus describes here, the way we do church and ministry has flipped 180 degrees. It is no longer the sinners, but the “righteous” filling chairs and pews in our buildings. We have shifted from being a change agent to be all about maintenance. I used to greatly lament while working on church staffs because my time was so busy with churchy things that I rarely had meaningful contact with people outside of relationship with Him. We may be spending time leaving His footprints, but if we are only doing so amongst those already following Him, what impact are we really having?

Leaving His footprints in a manner consistent with this passage is easy. Change what you are doing. Move beyond your natural boundaries. Go to where you are not comfortable, and get to know some people. These changes can be really subtle. Start going to the same coffee shop every morning around the same time. Chances are there are other people doing the same thing and probably a lot of them do not know Jesus. Join a new gym and take a group fitness class. Go to happy hour with your co-workers and get to know them on a deeper and more personal basis, you do not have to drink with them to interact.

This is not only a good idea it is what being a Christian is all about. We are called to take Him to the world, not transfers numbers on membership rolls. It is impossible engage the sinners from safe inside our well built fortresses. We have to get outside the walls and mingle with people and show them true and real love. In a large sense churches are to be more about sin management than about “righteous” maintenance. As you leave His footprints do your part to alter this pattern today; the world will be better for it.

Leave His footprints as you walk today!

February 9

2010-02-09T00:01:00.004-06:00

THE BRITISH ARE COMING! THE BRITISH ARE COMING!

Read Luke 5:1-11

Listen my children and you shall hear

Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,

On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five;

Hardly a man is now alive

Who remembers that famous day and year.

He said to his friend, “If the British march

By land or sea from the town to-night,

Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry arch

Of the North Church tower as a signal light, –

One if by land, and two if by sea;

And I on the opposite shore will be,

Ready to ride and spread the alarm

Through every Middlesex village and farm,

For the country folk to be up and to arm.”

The above is the first two stanzas of the famous poem Paul Revere’s Ride by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and is recognizable by most all Americans. We all remember the story and how he rode long and hard that night to warn his fellow patriots that the British were coming. It is probably one of the most famous calls to arms and to action in all of history. It inspired man and woman, boy and girl to do all they could to protect what they felt was theirs.

Today we read of a different call, from a different time, from a different man. Jesus called His disciples to follow Him, and He is calling us today to do the same. Paul Revere’s call required great sacrifice on the part of all who heeded it. Jesus’ call demands so much more. It compels us to give our all no matter the costs. Today I implore you to relinquish whatever is necessary to fully follow Him.

Leave His footprints as you walk today!

February 8

2010-02-08T00:01:00.004-06:00

FOLLOW ME

Read Mark 1:16-20

When I was in college, I worked at a Baptist youth camp for four summers. It was a great and wonderful experience. I learned so much, about God, about life, about people, about myself. I made many friends and had a plethora of experiences that will stay with me for my lifetime. One of my bosses/mentors had a life philosophy based on part of this passage. He woke up each day asking what “Follow Me” meant that day. We used that to get us through the long hot miserable Oklahoma summers days. One day “Follow Me” might men leading a group of students through spiritual discussion. One day it might mean hammering rebar into wood to finish the work on the ropes course. Still another it might mean helping sponsors navigate through our ever changing registration process. Another day might necessitate it meaning resetting the same tent for the millionth time.

It was during those memorable days that I learned just how quixotic this journey of faithfully following Jesus and striving to leave His footprints can be. The straight and narrow path may be narrow but it is definitely not straight, rather it is filled with curves and twists and turns, and it is quite long and tiresome.

A few summers ago I was at a church in Bedford, Texas one Sunday evening. I was there to set up several inflatable games for a youth event they were having. During the course of the event they played the game capture the flag and asked me to participate. I wound up being on the same team as the youth minister and we were quick to capture the flag for our team. As he was holding it in the safe zone he motioned for me to follow him along a certain side of the church. He took off running and I was close on his heels, yet a few yards later he was way out in front of me and pulling even farther away. I tried to keep up, but he was much faster than me. (I later learned that he had run track throughout high school and college.) For a while I kept jogging then that turned into walking, and eventually I went back to the neutral zone by a different route, a much shorter one. We start out on fire for Christ and follow Him closely. Then things get hard, the journey gets difficult. We slow down to a jog, and then to a walk, then eventually we may set out on our own course.

I was not physically able to keep up with the youth minister that night. I was too slow. My muscles were not in as good as shape as his. Had I been using his legs I could have easily followed him. When we try to follow Christ on our own strength and our own power we quickly tire and are void of all energy and strength. We have to rely on Him to fill us and give us strength. How closely are you following Christ through the twists and turns of what “Follow Me” means today? I urge you to let Him supply the power for your footprints today.

Leave His footprints as you walk today!

February 7

2010-02-07T00:01:00.002-06:00

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS IN ISRAEL

Read John 1:43-51

I get what Nathanael says in verse 46 of this passage. “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” This morning I am listening to country recording artist Blake Shelton as I write. I try hard not to care for him or his music. It is not that I dislike country music at all. A majority of the 900 something CD’s I own are country. I just do not want to be a fan of his. I really do not have a problem with his personality; in fact when I have seen him on television he comes across as funny, personable, and engaging. You know those traits really screw up my efforts to not like the guy. See, he is from Ada, Oklahoma. I am from McAlester. The Ada Cougars were our number one arch rival. I graduated from high school almost 15 years ago, yet I still do not want to admit that good things can come from Ada High. So when Nathanael makes this comment about Nazareth I think about Ada. It makes perfect sense to me.

There is another somewhat famous person from Ada. He plays in the National Football League and shall remain nameless. He is very brash and cocky and seems to be a jerk. He comes across so abrasive he that he almost epitomizes how I want all people from Ada to be viewed. (Editorial Comment: Actually I think most people from this town are pretty good and very decent people, it is just old rivalries die slow and hard). I bet Nazareth had a number of residents that were known to be scoundrels and not so great characters. That is probably why Nathanael responds this way so quickly. His knowledge of and experience with the town must have not been so good.

My opinion of Blake Shelton changes the more I get to know about him. My opinion of people in Ada in general has drastically changed as I have gotten to know them and see them live their lives. Nathanael’s opinion of the ability of good to come from Nazareth changed because of the character and wisdom of Jesus.

There are multitudes of people in and around us who doubt anything beneficial can come from the Bible or that good can exist in those “church” people. It is up to you and me to change their opinions. We cannot do it on our own; in fact if we try that, we will fail. We have to do it by allowing Jesus to not only direct our steps but to fill the footprints as well.

Today I encourage you to leave His footprints by letting Him live through you in a manner that will change other’s opinion of Him.

Leave His footprints today!

February 6

2010-02-06T00:01:00.002-06:00

ARRANGE THE MEETING

Read John 1:40-42

Denzel Washington is one of my favorite all time actors and I greatly enjoy watching his movies. Several years ago he made a movie entitled Man On Fire, in which he is hired to protect a young girl in Mexico City from the ring of kidnappers terrorizing Americans in the area. She is eventually kidnapped and he subsequently goes on a rampage to find her and bring all those responsible for the kidnapping to justice. While he is doing this he goes into the apartment of an elderly couple to use their window to shoot a missile at a motorcade. As he is setting up the shoulder canon the aged gentleman tells him that at the church they say you should forgive people. Denzel looks straight at him, and says, “Forgiveness is God’s business; my job is to arrange the meeting.”

I remember the first time I saw this movie in the theater, I was immediately like, whoa that is it, that is what the Christian life is all about. We are to spend our time and our energy arranging for all of our friends and family to meet with God.

This is what Andrew is up to in this passage. In fact it is what Andrew is up to all throughout the Bible. Andrew is mentioned nine times in the Gospels, and once in the book of Acts. Out of these ten times being mentioned, three times are within the lists of disciples, and in six of the remaining seven times Andrew is seen bringing people to Jesus. He continually arranged meetings for his brother, or a friend, or a random person on the street to meet Jesus.

It has long been a custom in diplomatic state relations for a new foreign minister or ambassador to wait to meet the leader of the country to which they are sent. They are to wait on a formal introduction by an intermediary. Perhaps it is an official from another country that is known to each. This individual, known to each, is to decide the best timing for the two to sit down and talk and to come to know one another.

Today, you and I are that other state official for all of our family and friends to bring them to the table with Jesus. We are to broker the meeting and make it happen. We do not have to wait on the perfect time, because that time is now. I admonish you to leave His footprints today by bringing others to Him.

Leave His footprints as you walk today!

February 5

2010-02-05T00:01:00.002-06:00

JOHN THE BAPTIST OR DWIGHT K. SCHRUTE?

Read John 1:35-39

I have recently become a fan of the NBC show The Office. I think I was always destined to like the show at some point in time, since it originated as a British Comedy, and well those Brits they do have a terrific sense of humor. There is a character on the show, Dwight, that is very unforgettable and not for good reasons. I am sure we have all known people like him. The ones who are just obnoxious and completely lacking in social skills. The coworkers that are just so super serious they do not know when others are laughing with them or at them. In an episode during the third season Dwight arranges a meeting with Jan Levinson who is his boss, Michael’s, boss. In the meeting with Jan Dwight tries take the job of regional manager away from Michael. He is unsuccessful and Jan even calls Michael to tell him about the meeting.

I thought of that episode as I read these verses just now. I think John the Baptist is very much the anti-Dwight. Instead of being jealous of Jesus, he openly praises Him among his followers. Instead of trying to wrestle power from Him, he speaks in a manner that causes his followers to leave and run after Jesus instead. I, personally, would take something like that hard. To have people who are looking up to me and being mentored by me abandon me for someone else would cause a measure of despair. My pride would flare up and get in the way. There is no mention whatsoever of this happening with John the Baptist. He instead just keeps deferring to Jesus and pointing people to Him.

This is such an unnatural thing for us to do, yet it is what we should do when it comes to Jesus. We should continually be speaking of Him in a manner that makes people want to know Him more and more. In the Song of Solomon the friends of the beloved ask her what makes her loved so special and she tells them all his great qualities. Immediately after she does her friends ask where he is so they can help her look for him (c.f. Song of Solomon 5:9-6:1). This is how we need to speak of Jesus. We need to tell of Him in such a way that causes others to want Him.

Today I urge you to point others to Jesus and to speak of Him in a way that makes others desire Him greatly.

Leave His footprints as you walk today!

February 4

2010-02-04T00:01:00.004-06:00

JESUS & SEN. BYRD

Read Matthew 4:1-11

I love how Jesus answers all of the temptations of Satan by quoting scripture. It brings to my mind the admonition of Paul to Timothy to be prepared in season and out to give the Word (c.f. II Timothy 4:2). It also makes me think of Senator Robert Byrd from West Virginia.

Sen. Byrd has served his home state in the U.S. Senate for over fifty years, even completing his Juris Doctorate during that time. He is known among fellow senators for always carrying a small copy of the Constitution of the United States in his pocket, and he gives out similar copies to all incoming senators. He is renowned for his love of this historic document and knows it by heart. He is prepared to give anyone the reasons for his support or opposition to any piece of legislation based on the Constitution alone. He can quote it and defend it well.

I think of this giant of the United States Senate partly because I also love the founding documents of my country but more so because I want to be just as devoted to the Word of God as he is to the Constitution. I want to always be learning the Bible at a deeper and deeper level so I can call upon that knowledge at a moments’ notice.

I think this is what walking in a manner to leave Him behind means today. We need to leave others with an uplifting message from God’s love. We need to do this both with our mouths and with our actions. I encourage you to do this today.

Leave His footprints as you walk today!

February 3

2010-02-03T00:01:00.005-06:00

TRAVELIN’ MAN

Read Matthew 3:13-17

Johnny Cash had a very popular and catchy song entitled I’ve Been Everywhere, and in it he told of all the various towns he had visited. This passage causes my mind to start racing from verse to verse in the Bible. Let me see if I can unpack its voyage for you, like Cash did in the aforementioned song.

First I go to James 4:17. “Anyone then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.” I go here because Jesus submitting to the order of baptism is an act of obedience He could have avoided. He was God, He did not need to be baptized by man, yet He did it because He knew He should, and it was an act of total submission to the Father. He knew the good He should do, and He did it.

Next my mind flies to the book of Micah, to chapter 6 to verse 8:

“He has showed you, O’ man, what is good

and what does the Lord require of you?

To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.”

I travel to this verse because it shows us what is good and what is necessary to be done. Acting justly and merciful and being humble are things we are strictly commanded to do. They are a large part of the good we are to do.

Then my mind races from verse to verse considering all of the various sorts of good we are to do in life. I go from Deuteronomy 15:11, to James 1:27, to Matthew 5:13-14, to James 2:15-17, to Exodus 20:2-17, to Matthew 28:19-20, to Mark 8:34-38, to Matthew 25:31-46, to Mark 12:28-31, I Peter 4:11, to I Corinthians 10:3, to Colossians 4:17, and on and on.

Finally I come to the verse that gives this devotional its name, I John 2:6:” Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did.” And I start to think of what it means to leave His footprints based on this passage. I think for today, it means to do what is required and what we know we should, even if we do not have to. Drive under the speed limit on your way to work and back, regardless of whether or not a police officer is near. Be diligent and productive at work, no matter if your boss is around. Open the door for others. Pay for the person’s lunch behind you in the drive thru lane. Leave His footprints by leaving good.

Leave His footprints as you walk today!

February 2

2010-02-02T00:01:00.002-06:00

GROWING UP JESUS

Read Luke 2:41-52

Several years ago there was television show on the A&E network entitled Growing Up Gotti. It was a look at the life of the daughter of the late mafia boss John Gotti and her three sons. It examined the pressures of life they faced with their famously incarcerated family patriarch. For some very odd reason this passage makes me think of this obscure reality show.

I have long said that I grew up in a glass house and lived with the knowledge that people were watching my every move. This was mostly due to my dad’s professions. He was a bivocational pastor and a leader at church when not preaching. Also he was a school administrator which made it necessary to be involved in local politics. Because of these factors people paid attention to our family, and how we lived and handled times of blessing and trial. Once as a sophomore in college I spent an entire afternoon cooped up in the stacks section of the library. It is the part with all of the journals and periodicals, and a rather drab place with no windows or foot traffic. You have to be going there for a specific purpose to wind up that place. I was busy trying to finish a project for my developmental psychology class. The only person I saw was a girl I had liked quite a bit my freshmen year named Emily. She was working on the same project, and we only spoke briefly. I stayed hooked up on the research all afternoon until I had to go back to the dorm to shower and get dressed to meet my parents for dinner. I did not talk to anyone on my walk back to the dorm or as I was getting ready. My dad came up to my room when he and mom got there, and the first thing he asked me was how was studying with Emily. My mouth dropped open and I was stunned. To this day, over ten years later, I do not know how he knew and he has never told me. Things like this happened quite a bit growing up Gragg.

I doubt Joseph and his status in life put that much pressure on Jesus to conform to any high standards more so than for the normal Jewish boy in that day. There might have been some added curiosity about His life because of the circumstances surrounding His birth, and some pressures with that. However, He did know He was God’s Son and He chose to live to those standards. If we are to leave His footprints today we must choose to remember that we are also a child of God and we have to conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of that Name. We must decide to grow up Jesus, no matter our last name.

Leave His footprints as you walk today!

February 1

2010-02-01T00:01:00.003-06:00

WHO IS IN CONTROL?

Read Matthew 2:19-23

I think I can completely get what Joseph must have been feeling during all of this. Life was crazy for him. These angels kept appearing to him in dreams and telling him different things to do. First one shows up and tells him that his fiancée is pregnant and it is conceived by the Holy Spirit. Then an angel tells him to go to Egypt, and then tells him to come back. Then lastly an angel tells him to settle in a different region of Israel. I wonder if Joseph was ready to just stop having dreams at this point.

This year my life has been crazy. My theme song for the year is Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield. It seems that God is leading me from one door that is closed to another one that is opened several times each day. I have said many times already that I am not in control of where my life is going this year. I can sense it. God is writing something amazing this year and it is exciting, because I know that He is going to use all of this for His glory, at the same time though it is unnerving and scary. I have already fought God on some of these decisions just a month into the year. It is very hard for me to give up control of the pen of my life. It is probably harder for me to give up control of the course of my life, than it is for me to allow someone to change the channel when watching an OU football game. I like to be in charge of my life. I am giving up more and more of it each day though. It has been a struggle.

Knowing how hard this has been for me is why I am so amazed at Joseph’s response in this passage. In this passage, just as in the previous two dream occurrences, Joseph immediately obeys what God tells him. The text shows no hesitation in his move to action. This quick compliance shows to me just how faithful of a man Joseph was. There is not one time that scripture shows him questioning God. I wish I could say the same for my life.

Today I encourage you to leave His footprints by giving up control of your life and quickly obeying when God calls to you.

Leave His footprints as you walk today!

January 31

2010-01-31T00:01:00.002-06:00

TAKING COVER FROM THE STORM

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

2010-01-30T00:01:00.002-06:00

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

2010-01-29T00:01:00.002-06:00

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

2010-01-28T00:01:00.002-06:00

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

2010-01-27T00:01:00.003-06:00

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

2010-01-26T00:01:00.004-06:00

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

2010-01-25T00:01:00.005-06:00

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

2010-01-24T00:01:00.001-06:00

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

2010-01-23T00:01:00.003-06:00

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

2010-01-22T00:01:00.002-06:00

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

2010-01-21T00:01:00.001-06:00

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

2010-01-20T00:01:00.002-06:00

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

2010-01-19T00:01:00.002-06:00

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

2010-01-18T00:01:00.004-06:00

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

2010-01-17T00:01:00.010-06:00

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

2010-01-16T00:01:00.004-06:00

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

2010-01-15T00:01:00.003-06:00

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

2010-01-14T00:01:00.001-06:00

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

2010-01-13T00:01:00.003-06:00

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

2010-01-12T00:01:00.000-06:00

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

2010-01-11T00:01:00.000-06:00

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

2010-01-10T00:01:00.000-06:00

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

2010-01-09T00:01:00.003-06:00

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

2010-01-08T00:01:00.002-06:00

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

2010-01-07T00:01:00.002-06:00

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

2010-01-06T00:01:00.003-06:00

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

2010-01-05T00:01:00.000-06:00

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

2010-01-04T00:01:00.003-06:00

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

2010-01-03T00:01:00.003-06:00

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

2010-01-02T00:01:00.008-06:00

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

2010-01-01T00:01:00.000-06:00

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!