Between the Lines

Preparing our spiritual feet to stand and walk 

Most women love shoes.  My favorite Disney movie is about a shoe, Cinderella.  Once the Prince comes calling, looking for the owner of the shoe, we see a shoe that doesn’t fit and one that does.

Why do we wear shoes?

• Protection:  They protect us from stickers, hot sidewalks, mud
• Foundation:  They give us a good foundation for standing and walking
• Style:  We want them to match our outfit and be cute.

We take our shoes off when it is time to rest (we don’t sleep in our shoes) and we put them on when it is time to work, walk, stand or run.

Shoes can be a lot of fun, but they can also cause pain if they don’t fit properly.  When our shoes fit as they should, we will be in good shape and feel good.  If they don’t fit it may be a struggle to walk and stand; they can cause blisters and bunions.  When our feet hurt it is hard to concentrate on anything else.

Paul told the Ephesians to have their feet “shod with the preparation of the gospel”, part of the Christian’s armor (Ephesians 6:15).  So, what do our spiritual shoes look like?  Are you wearing your spiritual shoes?

Shoes in the Bible

 The job of the lowest servant in the household was to bind the sandals on their master’s feet, stoop down and unloose them when taking them off, and carry them until needed again. Disciples sometimes did this job for their teacher, it was counted as an honor. John the Baptist told his followers that when the Savior came he would not be worthy to carry His sandals (Matthew 3:11).

In the Old Testament, Moses and Joshua were told to take off their shoes because they were on holy ground (Exodus 3:5 and Joshua 5:15).  They weren’t going anywhere, they were standing in God’s presence.  There was a sense of respect showing total dependence on God at that moment.  In many cultures today, shoes are taken off before entering the house or place of worship.  It is a sign of respect and leaving the “dirt” of the world behind.

When we are in God’s presence to worship, we figuratively take off our shoes.  We are going  to leave the dirt of  the world behind and come to Him in purity.  When we leave worship, we put those figurative shoes back on to go back into the world so that we can stand, walk, and fight!

Preparing for a journey, we put our shoes on.  When Israel was preparing to eat the Passover before leaving Egypt they were given this command:

“And thus you shall eat it: with a belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. So you shall eat it in haste. It is the LORD’s Passover.” (Exodus 12:11)  When the Angel was delivering Peter from prison, he told Peter “Gird yourself and tie on your sandals” (Acts 12:8).

What are your Christian Shoes?  

When we dress up for a special occasion we want to were pretty shoes.  Most times those shoes are just for show, they are not very practical or comfortable.  For our daily shoes, we want to have good sturdy shoes with a sturdy foundation and a good fit.  The Christian is not meant to sit, but to stand and walk daily for Jesus.  The shoes we wear need to be functional and practical.  So, what do your Christian shoes look like?

High Heels?

Are you wearing spiritual high heels?  High heels are not usually meant for walking or standing for long periods of time.  They look pretty and are mostly superficial, only for special occasions.  We don’t usually wear them everyday.

With spiritual high heels on, we have the appearance of godliness.  Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:1-5 that in the “last days” – which we are in – some will “have a form of godliness but deny its power”. 

In the Old Testament, Israel’s spiritual shoes were high heels.  They said they loved God put were worshipping idols. 

Isaiah 29:13 – Therefore the Lord said: “Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths And honor Me with their lips, But have removed their hearts far from Me, And their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men,” 

Ezekiel 33:31 “So they come to you as people do, they sit before you as My people, and they hear your words, but they do not do them; for with their mouth they show much love, but their hearts pursue their own gain.” 

In the New Testament, the Jewish leaders had on high heels. 

Matthew 23:27-28 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.  Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” 

Romans 2:21-24 “…You who preach that a man should not steal, do you steal? 22You who say, “Do not commit adultery,” do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? 23You who make your boast in the law, do you dishonor God through breaking the law? 24For “the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you,” as it is written. 

By the way you live and act, are you causing God to be glorified or blasphemed?  Are you wearing spiritual high heels?

Flip Flops?

Flip flops are unstable and flimsy.  James 1:6 talks about unstable and flimsy people when he says,  “But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.”   A flimsy Christian is not sure of her salvation, yet John tells us that we can KNOW, and be sure of our salvation.  “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.”  (1 John 5:13)

Wearing spiritual flip flops, we can’t stand firm.  We are warned about wavering from one doctrine to the next.  “Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines” (Hebrews 13:9), “tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting (scheming)” (Ephesians 4:14). 

We need to stand firm, without wavering.  ”Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:23).

Slippers (house shoes)?

We put slippers on when we are resting and not going to work.  They are not work shoes and we usually don’t wear them out in public.  Christians who are wearing their spiritual slippers are sitting in the pews, taking in all of the teaching but never getting to work in the kingdom.  James told us we must not only be hearers of the word, but doers (James 1:23-25).  The slipper wearers are always telling others what to do but not willing to do it themselves.

When we wear these slippers we are idle and can become busybodies and gossips.  Paul said that some of the Thessalonians were “not working at all, but are busybodies” (2 Thessalonians 3:11).  Peter lists a busybody with murderers, thieves and evil doers” (1 Peter 4:15).  If we are busy in the kingdom, we won’t have time to be in other people’s business.  Take your slippers off and put your working shoes on.

Walking Shoes?

These shoes are not always pretty, but they provide sure footing, protection and comfort.  The sure footing is our faith, protection is Salvation and comfort is the peace of mind that comes from resting in God’s promises.  When we have these shoes on we can stand against the “wiles of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11).  Wearing these shoes we are ready for anything:  running from the devil, standing for our faith, walking with God.

In the next article, we will consider how we should walk in our spiritual walking shoes.