“And when she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbours together, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!’” Luke 15:9

Dearly beloved in Christ, Greetings to you in the sweet name of Jesus Christ. Once after a meeting I came to wear my sandals. I found to my wonder that there was only one of my sandals along with a shoe. How is it possible for anyone to wear one sandal and one shoe? Anyhow, I walked away barefooted. For another meeting, I had purchased a new pair of sandals. Even there after the meeting I found one of them missing. Later it was found that a dog had bitten it and rendered it impossible to wear. Similarly in the ministry in another area, one of the sandals was missing. I was praying for a young girl. The evil spirit in her told me that it was responsible for this. I was angered that the devil and the dog play mischief with my sandals. After a long time she was delivered. We could retrieve the lost sandal there itself. Some days back I had been to a house for rededication. I gave the message. After that there was a meeting at a distant place. I ate the food given to me and travelled two and half hours for the next meeting quite gleefully.  Then I returned home. I noticed some difference between the two sandals I wore. But I did not make much of it. I used them for some days. One day I wanted to polish the sandals seeing that they were dirty. Then I noticed they were different. So I left them at home and bought a new pair. They were quite costly ones. When I lost them, I began to think of the sins in my life and began to seek forgiveness from the Lord. In my church one man used to carry his sandals in one bag and the Bible, and hymn books in another bag. When I saw that, I used to think that the sandals were also attending the worship. I also thought of the one who would have worn a shoe on one leg and a sandal on the other as an eccentric. Now I asked for forgiveness for the way I thought. Recently in a meeting held in Chennai, the sister who had conducted the rededication service at her home had also come. My wife enquired her whether anyone complained to her about a sandal exchanged. She replied that there was no such complaint. Later she came to know from one of her relatives that it was true. Then she informed my wife about it. I was also happy. I had realized that I had lost the separated life to which the sandals are symbolical. Loss of sandals was in a way loss of separated holy life. So the getting back of the lost one meant to me getting back the lost separated life in Christ. I was so glad about it. I got back the redemption that is in the precious blood of Christ. Let us also preserve this salvation in Christ and be joyful in Him.

            May the Lord bless us!

            Bro. C. Ebenezer Paul.