Ep 64: Keep Your Shoes On!

0:00 Well, good morning, I'm Daniel Dowd and this is for your Sunday morning drive. The short podcast with the goal of providing some motivation, Dr. and encouragement on your way to worship and helping you recenter your minds on spiritual things on those hectic Sunday mornings. We are brought to you by the Ministry League network of podcasts. Ministry League offers many great resources and podcasts to help you spiritually. All of them are free and all of them can be found through ministryleague.com or through their app. Thank you so much for making as a part of your weekly routine. It means so much to me that you do. This morning. I have a special request for you. You're used to me asking you to share and to post the podcast wherever you can.

0:40 But this morning, if you could post it or you could share it with someone that you love with, someone that you care about and someone you're praying for. I hope it makes a difference. Let's go ahead and get the show on the road today. This is episode 64. Keep your shoes on. Let's go to church. Are we there yet? Have you ever uttered the phrase, I'll leave a light on for you? Well, if you have, then you know the intention behind it. Maybe it's leaving a porch light on so someone can find their way home.

1:22 Or maybe it's you waiting up late into the night next to a lamp, just waiting for your child or your spouse to come home after a long day of work or a night out. But regardless of the reason, it still carries the weight of saying that I love you, that I care about you, and I want to welcome you back home, no matter how long you've been gone or what you've gone through. I want to start this episode off with a question. Have we turned off the lights as Christians? Have we forgotten how to leave a light on? Or more likely, have we become really good at giving up? You know, I don't think I'm good at a lot of things, but one thing I can do and I try to do and I think I'm good at is leaving a light on.

2:07 I refuse. I refuse to turn a light off on someone. Let me explain, friends. My heart hurts as I'm recording this episode for so many of my friends and those that I love that have walked away from God, that have wandered away from the church that Jesus died for, that have surrendered their hope, their glory, and their crown for a life of of folly. And knowing what Jesus has done for me, knowing the Luke 1511 through 32 parable of the prodigal son and knowing that Jesus is the light that is left on for me. How dare I give up on my brothers or my sisters that have walked away. You see, my fear is that we as Christians have become more apartment, more comfortable, more prone to giving up than we are to continue to hope and what the gospel can do to transform lives. Jeremiah 32 verse 27 says, behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh is anything too difficult for me? Do you believe that?

3:09 Do you believe that there is nothing too difficult for God That applies to those that have left their hearts can still change. You know, I, I've seen in the past where sometimes Christians will use the instruction that Jesus gave when he sends out the 12 apostles in Matthew chapter 10 to justify giving up on those who've walked away or who have rejected the word of God. Matthew 1014. Jesus tells them whoever does not receive you nor heeds your words as you go out of that house or that city, shake the dust off of your feet. Well, when this happened back in those times, it was a symbol of judgement and of rejection and people would take off their sandals and and kind of clap them together to remove the dust.

3:54 Friends, using this to symbolically justify us for getting or giving up on brethren that have fallen away. To me, it poses several issues, but I believe this is Jesus speaking to a very specific audience with a very specific mission. And if we're going to follow that logic, we also have to hold to Jesus's message in verse 5 about not preaching to Gentiles or Samaritans. No, friends, I think we need to learn how to leave our shoes on and how to not worry about the dust. You see, my encouragement for you today is don't give up. Never ever, ever give up because you don't know what God can do through his word. Never, never, never give up on your friends and your family that might have walked away.

4:35 Christian, you leave a light on James chapter 519 through 20 My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back, let him know that he who turns a Sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and cover a multitude of sins. It's possible. And if we give up, if we shake off our shoes, if we turn off the lights, how's it going to happen? Who's going to do it? Love your brothers and sisters enough to not give up. And if this episode should find its way into the ears of a friend or a stranger that has wandered away from the light of the Lord, I'm not giving up on you. Reach out if you need help finding the way because my shoes are on, my feet are dusty, and I left the light on for you. Well, those are my thoughts for your Sunday morning drive. Now it's time to hear yours.

5:24 And don't forget you can always share those thoughtsoryourcomments@foryoursundaymorningdrive.com. Our discussion questions for this week are who is someone on your heart that has turned away from God? Have you given up on them? What can you do this week to actively leave that light on? And if you have walked away, isn't it time you come home?