 |
| Carry my sandals and staff. |
But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to watch him baptize, he denounced them. "You brood of snakes!" he exclaimed. "Who warned you to flee God's coming wrath? Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. Don't just say to each other, 'We're safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.' That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones. Even now, the ax of God's judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire. I baptize with water those who repent of their sins and turn to God. But someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I'm not worthy even to be his slave and carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire." Matthew 3:7-11
Meditate.
Read the scripture passage three times.
It
was time for Jesus to begin His ministry. John the Baptist had been out at the
Jordan River calling for people to “Repent” and change their ways. He was baptizing
those who repented. It seems that the Pharisees and Sadducees thought they were
holier than anyone else, but John the Baptist saw through them. Was he warning or
accusing them of being bad fruit? Every tree that does not produce good
fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire. Bad fruit—pride,
haughtiness, unrighteousness. That was what John was seeing in the Pharisees
and Sadducees. He was condemning them to Hell—thrown into the fire.
John the Baptist was foretelling of Jesus Christ and
the Holy Spirit. He already revered Jesus. He felt he was not worthy to even carry
Jesus’ sandals. Who carries another person’s sandals…or even unties them, but a
slave? Was John considering himself lower than a slave?
Prayer
– Lord Jesus, like John, I am unworthy to untie or carry Your sandals—but by Your
blood and sacrifice, You have saved me from the doom of Hell or of the
rejection of the Father. Thank You. I look forward to serving You forever in
Heaven one day. I would even be willing to carry Your sandals.
Verse
of Salvation ~ Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never
know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those
who believe. It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it
is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom. So when we preach that Christ
was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it's all nonsense.
But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the
power of God and the wisdom of God. This foolish plan of God is wiser than the
wisest of human plans, and God's weakness is stronger than the greatest of
human strength. 1
Corinthians 1:21-25
© 2026 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All
rights reserved.
All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless
otherwise noted.
New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale
House Foundation.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream,
Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.
Books by Mickey M.
Hunacek
Available as e-books or paperbacks at Amazon.com
Parenting Day By Day - Daily Devotional for Building Character
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