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(Editor’s Note: The following article is based on an
invitation given by Doug Morris, some time ago. He provided most of the types of
shoes and passages. I simply filled in the blanks. D.T. ) What
Kind of Shoe Describes You? Contrary
to what people in other places think, those of us in Tennis
shoes are common. Some people wear them because they are comfortable; others
wear them because they are going to play tennis or some other sport that
requires speed and action. “2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of
season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching” (2
Timothy 4). Are we ready and able to “preach the Gospel” or are we slow as
molasses? By the phrase “Be ready in season and out of season,” Paul is
saying we need to not just be ready, but be busy in spreading God’s word. This
includes teaching our brothers and sisters in Christ with words of encouragement
or rebuke. I can see Peter telling
the brethren to put on their tennis shoes in 1 Peter 3:15, “But sanctify the
Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to
everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and
fear.” Are we like tennis shoes and ready to preach the Gospel and defend it? Loafers
are very casual and comfortable; they are best for wearing inside. You would not
wear a pair out to hunt or work outside. Unfortunately, some people are like a
pair of loafers. They are not interested in working for the Lord. They are on a
permanent break. We read of a person like that in Matthew 25.26, "But his
lord answered and said to him, 'You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I
reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed.’”
This one talented man was not condemned because he possessed only 1 talent but
because he did not use that talent. I wonder how many think they have an excuse
to not work because they are not as talented as others. It may be disguised as
humility but Jesus describes it as being “wicked and lazy!” The saints at High
heels are worn mostly for formal or “dressy” occasions. They lift one up and
make them walk taller. The Bible warns us of pride and haughtiness. “3 For I
say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think
of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has
dealt to each one a measure of faith” (Romans 12.3). Pride is never used in
positively in the Bible. It is connected to arrogance and rebellion. A prideful
person thinks they can do what they want because of who they are, and they tend
to look down on others. We need to cast aside pride and replace it with
humility. “God resist the proud but gives grace to the humble… Draw near to
God and He will drawn near to you” (James 4.6, 8). Overshoes
are worn when the weather gets rough we want to protect our regular shoes. They
help to keep our feet dry and warm. I remember putting them on to walk out in
the barnyard. One would almost go down to their knees in the muck and mire but
their feet were protected. Some Christians think of their religion as overshoes
to slip on only when times get rough. Prayers of brothers and sisters are
requested when trials are upon them but otherwise they are not interested in
praying to God. On the other hand some Christians see their relationship to God
as a day by day thing. Their faith is strong and ready to help them whenever
problems arise. Personally
I never had been a big fan of house shoes but some people like them. They are
comfortable and keep one’s feet warm in the house but they are not very
practical or workable. Such describes Christians that wants the work of the
church to be done but not by them. They want good Bible classes, song leaders,
evangelism, and so on. However, they don’t see a need to do any “personal
work” or try to teach a class or help in areas of benevolence. They consider
their obligations fulfilled when they show up on Sunday morning. Anything more
is just more than reasonable. They are “at ease in Sandals
are worn by a lot of people during the summer. There is not must to them, just a
few straps to keep them on your feet and a soul. This describes some Christians.
They are a mere skeleton of a disciple of Christ. They have never grown to
maturity due to a lack of a spiritual appetite. “Therefore, laying aside all
malice, all guile, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, 2 as newborn babes,
desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, 3 if indeed you
have tasted that the Lord is gracious” (1 Peter 2:1-3). Christianity is not
just defined by what we are not doing but in what we are doing. For a person to
grow they must desire it and that is dependent on what interest us. The
term “Sunday shoes” goes back to a time when people had a special pair of
shoes that they only wore on Sunday. I remember on the Beverly Hillbilly’s the
Jed and the gang talking about their Sunday clothes. Is this how you view your
Christianity? Do you wear it only on Sundays? “Then He said to them all,
"If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his
cross daily, and follow Me” (Luke 9:23-24). Christianity is a day by day
religion. The people at Berea were more fair or noble minded than those at
Thessalonica in that they searched the scriptures daily to see whether their
things were so, Acts 17.11. The saints in Another
shoe that one will see in the summer time is flip flops. They are also very
casual and comfortable. However, I have noticed their tendency to come off
people’s feet. I have seen people run out of their flip flops or kick them
off. Some Christians are like flip flops in that they are pretty unstable and
wishy washy. Jacob in describing his son Reuben said, “Unstable as water”
(Genesis 49.3b). In other words, Reuben lacked backbone. He kind of stood up to
his brothers when they wanted to kill Joseph but he did not stand with Joseph.
James 1.8 speaks of those that are “double-minded” and “unstable.” Some
people will not defend the truth when it is being ridiculed. They are afraid of
controversy or making others angry. They want to be friends of the world and
God. Such is not possible. With them it is a faith problem, they just don’t
have enough. Work
shoes are just what they are called. They are shoes that we wear when we are
ready to work. There is a commercial in which a pair of work shoes is
personified. It says I have spent more time on dirt than concrete. I like that
description of work shoes. They are not afraid to get some dirt on them or to
get wet. As Christians we should be like a good pair of work shoes. Not afraid
of the wear and tear of work but ready to embrace it.
Jesus came to do the work of His Father in heaven. “I must work the
works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can
work” (John 9:4). Likewise we will have a time of rest but now is not that
time. We are still in the day and now is the time to work out our salvation with
fear and trembling, Philippians 2.12. So
which shoe or shoes best describes you? The thing about shoes is you can change
them. – Dennis Tucker |