Walking in Jesus’ Shoes

Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread. I'm James Banks, and I titled our reading today, Walking in Jesus' Shoes. What would it be like to walk in the shoes of royalty? Angela Kelly, the daughter of a dock worker and nurse, knows. She was also the official dresser for the late Queen Elizabeth for the last two decades of the monarch's life. One of her responsibilities was to break in the aging queen's new shoes by walking in them around the palace grounds.

There was a reason for it. Compassion for an elderly woman who sometimes was required to stand for extended periods at ceremonies. Because they wore the same shoe size, Kelly was able to savor some discomfort. Kelly's personal touch in her care for Queen Elizabeth makes me think of the Apostle Paul's warm encouragement to the church in Colossae. Writing in Colossians 3, he said, Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. When our lives are built on Jesus, we become God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved. He helps us take off our old self and put on the new self, living out the identity of those who love and forgive others because God has loved and forgiven us. All around us are those who need us to walk in their shoes and have compassion for them in the day-to-day challenges of life. When we do, we walk in the shoes or the sandals of a king, Jesus, who always has compassion for us.

Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from Colossians chapter 3 verses 8 through 17, a challenging text. But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these, anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its creator.

Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all and is in all. Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you, and over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace.

And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. Let's pray. Thank you, Jesus, for your perfect forgiveness and love. Help us to receive it and also to share it with others today. In your name we pray. Amen. Thanks for listening today. My name is James Banks, and today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.