When I was a boy of 11 or 12, I was in church, sitting on the front row. close to the action, but way over to one side near a door of escape. I thought everyone on the platform had to be angelic, without fault, failure or sin. One Sunday, we had a famous evangelist sitting next to the Pastor, with his legs crossed. As my eyes studied this man of God sitting there in front of the choir, the baptistery, and under a great wooden cross, I felt I was looking at two of the greatest men in the world and wondered how they got that way. My eyes focused on the Evangelist, up and down, down, down to his right foot, crossed over his left leg .... and there, in the sole of his shining black shoe was a hole. No, I thought, that must be some kids chewing gum he stepped on ... but, no, it was a hole in the leather sole, of that perfect man's perfect looking shoe, the size of a half dollar. Is this man of God so poor or has he just not noticed that hole in his sole, I wondered. Does he also have holes in his pockets or his shorts, like I do? Does he belch and and do other unmentionable things like other people ... and me? I know he doesn't think of girls or smoke sidewalk, cigarette butt like I do. Can a man of God be just a human like me? No, I thought, he could never be like me and I could never be like him, but I did accept Christ during that revival meeting.
Then I was grown, a Marine in North Korea, freezing, starring death in the face, and trying to figure out who I was and how I ever got in such a hopeless situation. Was I going to die right there and "hopefully" wake up in heaven? I still didn't know much about what the bible said about eternal security. My buddy and I where talking quietly about the future, hoping we had one, when I said, "I would like to be a preacher ... but I'm not good enough for that". My buddy thought about that a moment and said, "Nobody is .... not even the best of them."
Now, I''m half way through my 90th year and have had a dozen or two holes in my own preacher shoes over the years. I still belch .... etcetera, and I've learned a few things about the bible, and a few about people and about "Men of God". Many people are men or women of God, though not all are preachers ,,,, but all men and women of God ... including all the preachers, are just people ... with holes in their soles from time to time, though their shoes may be bright and shinny. I'm way short of bright and shinny and still find holes in my soles time to time. However, though Rayburn Blair has grown from that almost innocent boy into an old, worn out, scuffed-up, leather shoe .... I have a brand new, washed in the blood of Jesus, perfect soul underneath it all.
"There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit." Romans 8:1.
| Tis so sweet to walk with Jesus, Step by step and day by day; Stepping in His very footprints, Walking with Him all the way. | |
| Step by step, step by step, I would walk with Jesus, All the day, all the way, Keeping step with Jesus. | |
| ’Tis so safe to walk with Jesus, Leaning hard upon His arm, Following closely where He leads us, None can hurt and naught can harm. | |
| Step by step I’ll walk with Jesus, Just a moment at a time, Heights I have not wings to soar to, Step by step my feet can climb. | |
| All the way I’ll walk with Jesus, Through the sunshine, through the gloom, Though His blood-marked steps may lead me To the garden, to the tomb. | |
| Here a while we walk with Jesus, But the time will not be long Till the night shall change to morning, And the sorrow into song. | |
| Then, with all who walked with Jesus, We shall walk with Him in white, While He turns our grief to gladness, And our darkness into light. | |
| Jesus, keep me closer—closer, Step by step, and day by day; Stepping in Thy very footprints, Walking with Thee all the way. |
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