Monday, June 10, 2013

The Ultimate Pedicure

“How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news.”  Romans 10:15

One day during a late afternoon visit, my parents’ neighbor announced that her daughter was getting married.  Quite surprised and a bit concerned at both the haste and choice of husband, my mom asked the future mother-in-law the good things about the guy.  The lady’s answer—and I am not lying—was, “Well, he has pretty feet.”
That’s not much to stand on in marriage (don’t ask how long it lasted), but if the compliment comes from our Heavenly Father, it’s sure and solid stuff.  “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news”(Rom 10:15). Somebody brought the gospel to you, and it’s your privilege and responsibility to carry it on to others.  People can’t know God unless they know about God, and we’re the ones who get to share His good news.  “How can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?  And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?  And how can they preach unless they are sent?  As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’”(Rom 10:14-15).
Paul borrowed this verse from chapter 52 of Isaiah, where the prophet was proclaiming words of hope to a helpless people.  The city of God and the people of God were in ruins—desolate and desperate, but the situation was not permanent, “for the Lord has comforted his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem”(Isaiah 52:9).  Those who climbed the country’s harsh hills to spread the glad tidings received God’s accolade.  “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news”(Isaiah 52:7).
The path of purposefully bringing the gospel to others is rarely flat, smooth, and simple.  The trail is oft beset with barriers which must be crossed, briars that snag and slow, and dirt which cakes and chafes.  Traveling such roads leaves us calloused, scratched, and sore, but along the way, we meet the hopeless and helpless, the desolate and desperate—people whose lives are ruined by sin.  When we bring the good news of God’s grace to those in need, He thinks our feet are beautiful. 
In a culture obsessed with pretty feet—Americans spend over 1 billion dollars annually on pedicures—perhaps we should also consider a divine approach to beauty.  It’s not what our feet look like that matters; it’s where they go and where they lead.  As we walk with Jesus daily, spreading His truth through our attitudes, actions, affections, and words, our steps become a sermon illustrating His great story of redemption.
Pretty feet aren’t a requirement for husbands, but they should be readily found on Christians.
Let your steps lead others to Jesus.

No comments: