Ephesians 6:15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
I have always loved getting new shoes. Haven't you? Your clothing ensemble isn't complete without a good looking pair of shoes. I have a funny story about shoes that is almost embarassing. I began wearing a size 9 shoe when I turned eighteen years of age. I just thought that was the size I would wear from here on. I thought that until about 3 years ago when I bought a new pair of tennis shoes and when asking the worker to get me my size, he promptly asked "Do you want me to measure your foot?" To which, I replied, "Nope, I am a size 9. Always been a size 9 since I was eighteen years old, and I am still a size 9. To which, he proceeded to go ahead and measure my foot. He looks up from the shoe sizer and says "Sir. You are a good size 10 and possibly a 10 and a half for some shoes. I was thoroughly convinced of my shoe size and never considered it might be different, until I got my foot measured again.
When we are born again we many times don't realize how much more prepared we are to handle spiritual situations, so we think we are not different than we were before we were born again (except for the going to heaven) part. And then someone asks us to do something that "stretches" us in our walk and we have to maybe witness to someone about Jesus. Looking at sharing our faith from a distance is quite scary, but possibly the difference in each of us after receiving Christ puts a new "size" to our Christian walk and we can do more than we first thought. I went on a visit to a home to find out the spiritual condition of this man and whether he was saved or not, and a friend of mine from church went with me. As we were talking to this person about their church life and their spiritual life it became evident that they had not accepted Jesus, to which I began explaining to them that faith walk. Halfway through the gospel, the guy who was with me interjected an amazing point that ended up being a defining point in the whole thing. The person we visited prayed to receive Christ and we left almost shouting as we thanked God for His salvation. When we got in the car the guy who went with me was feeling great and proceeded to tell me he wanted to visit with me again and again.
Old mister "timid" had realized his walk with Chriist was bigger than he thought it was and now he was like a dog on a hunt!! He thought he was just the same after salvation as before, but he was mistaken and found out he did have a "shiny new faith." Ephesians 3:20 Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, When we receive Jesus things are "radically" different and we are equipped to do more than we first thought possible, but it sometimes take a person to help us to get a correct measure of our faith to show us the possibilities. Romans 10:13-15 says it this way 13 For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”14 But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? 15 And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!”
Time to take out that shiny new faith and see how God has equipped you to share it. You may be surprised to find out you are capable of sharing that faith in a powerful way. It is a new size, but the correct size because you are now filled with the Holy Spirit. So much easier to use the weapon of the Master when you realize you "have" that weapon. The feet shod with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Beautiful feet and the correct size!!
The Pilgrimage Continues....
David Warren