Jeremiah 5:22 Fear ye not me? saith the Lord: will ye not tremble at my presence, which have placed the sand for the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it: and though the waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail; though they roar, yet can they not pass over it?
It is no accident that my friend’s devotional and mine have the same title. I read his and it inspired me. Not the same, but inspired all the same.
We walk by faith, we who have placed our trust in the Lord. Walking by faith is like walking at the water’s edge. We feel the pull of the tides against our feet. This is the tug of the Spirit of God. Yet we do not always walk and run in the water.
When I was a teen I would run the length of Long Sands in York, Maine. The white loose sand made it more difficult to run on. Loose footing, beach traffic, people on beach towels and hidden obstacles like broken glass and sea shells caused me to run in the wet sand close to the waves. My toes dug in and I left human claw marks were my bare foot toes would dig in. On my return trip from the end of the beach I could see that the waves had erased my footprints in the sand.
That memory passed over me this morning as I read my friend’s devotional. Jesus washed the disciple’s feet as an example of the forgiveness of sin, where our feet need only be cleansed because they were the only part of us that touched the world. What about the footprints we left where we walked? Are not the footprints also evidence of our sin?
For those of us that walk by faith, the Holy Spirit erases the footprints leaving no evidence of our passing. But the tide only goes so far. The sand of the sea is the perpetual boundary, the tide will only remove evidence of sin only so far. The closer you walk to the waves the faster the footprints are erased, but the tide comes in and removes evidence of sin for those who did not come to the water’s edge, but only so far.
Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
PS One of my favorite verses in the bible.
I love where The Lord took you with this; how good He is! It is safer close to the water.
Thanks to the both of you for your posts. I loved reading Jeremiah 5:22 and Galatians 5:22 together. I live by the ocean, so these 2 comparisons are so great. Fred’s post was entitled “Tides” and Larry’s entitled ” Waves”. What the Spirit of God brought before me in this comparison is the fact that the tide may be high, or it may be low, the waves continue to roll. My soul revels in the joy that whatever the condition of my soul, God is ALWAYS faithful. This bows my heart in thanksgiving. I may be walking in dry sand at low tide leaving seemingly lasting footprints, but the tide rises and eventually washes them out. I am eternally grateful for the blood of Jesus and the Spirit of God Who dwells within me. Thank you both for the blessings of your posts this morning.