Steady my steps with your Word of promise so nothing malign gets the better of me. (Psalm 119:133 MSG) Steady steps require more than good footwear, but it sure goes a long way! God tells us to have our 'feet shod' with the 'readiness that comes from the gospel of peace'. (Ephesians 6:15) We might not think much about the 'readiness' of our 'footwear' spiritually, but if we want to do more than 'wobble' through life, we need a sound footing! Spiritual readiness isn't instant - it requires a commitment to the things God says will help us gain such readiness, especially the study of his Word. In the times scripture was written, footwear was actually 'tied' to one's feet. These bindings actually held one's footwear securely under one's foot. Without the effects of the binding, the feet would be unprotected. We find the security of the gospel of peace providing a protective 'barrier' just as the footwear of those da...
If anyone loves me, he will carefully keep my word and my Father will love him—we’ll move right into the neighborhood! Not loving me means not keeping my words. (John 14:23-24 MSG) Jesus has just finished saying that a "loveless world is a sightless world" in response to Judas asking if Jesus was about to make himself plain to his disciples but not to the world at large. If anyone loves me - we must all answer to that standard - no one is exempt. The world wasn't ready to embrace him, but they would be given the chance to do so - their heart needed his love more than they knew it. Without his love, we all live 'sightless' lives, for we cannot truly see the goodness of God apart from his love indwelling our hearts. Loving God means we will reveal evidence of that love toward him through our obedience to his Word. His instructions, all of them, lay before us. We make an active choice to either follow those instructions or reject them as meaningless or worthless to...