Morning Devotional

April 25, 2004

"The Shoe Shine Stand"

by Don Emmitte

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Meanwhile, Jesus was in Bethany at the home of Simon, a man who had leprosy. During supper, a woman came in with a beautiful jar of expensive perfume and poured it over his head. The disciples were indignant when they saw this. "What a waste of money," they said. "She could have sold it for a fortune and given the money to the poor." But Jesus replied, "Why berate her for doing such a good thing to me? You will always have the poor among you, but I will not be here with you much longer. She has poured this perfume on me to prepare my body for burial. I assure you, wherever the Good News is preached throughout the world, this woman's deed will be talked about in her memory." (Matthew 26:6-13 NLT).

Yesterday I dropped Mary off at the DFW airport. She was going to see the grandchildren for a few days. Walking through the airport is always an interesting experience. The shoeshine stand always catches my eye. It always seems like a picture out of the past. Chairs sitting high above the workstation, foot rests, an array of polishes, brushes and clothes, and then, the shoeshine man himself. The majority of customers are men, but occasionally a woman had her shoes polished also. Social interaction may occur, but often there is silence as one gives and another receives.

In life there are also those who give and those who receive. Each of us has the opportunity to fit into both categories. Sometimes, we think giving is more important, but learning to be a gracious receiver is a wonderful attribute. Even Jesus was on the receiving end during special moments while on earth, and He is still receiving today. To this very day Jesus receives great joy when someone comes to know Him personally! He offers to serve you loving kindness, goodness, mercy, grace, forgiveness and everlasting life. Remember you have the opportunity to serve Him by being faithful to Him and showing kindness and service to others. If you give or if you receive… remember to be gracious and thankful for that particular opportunity.

In Other Words, a publication of the Wycliffe Bible Translators, recently told a story about Sadie Sieker, who served for many years as a house-parent for missionaries’ children in the Philippines. Sadie loved books. Though she gladly loaned out some, others she treasured in a footlocker under her bed. Once, in the quiet of the night, Sadie heard a faint gnawing sound. After searching all around her room, she discovered that the noise was coming from her footlocker. When she opened it, she found nothing but an enormous pile of dust. All the books she had kept to herself had been lost to termites. What we give away, we keep. What we hoard, we lose.

So soon following Easter as we remembered the great gift God has given us, it is a good time to think of those ways we may give back. It is not as if we can sacrifice something for God. However, when we minister grace to others around us through our good works, it is as if we have done these things to Jesus. Give it some thought as you being this week. There will be those that need your gifts this week. Give freely! You won’t regret it. Emerson said it so well: The only gift is a portion of thyself.