Sunday, March 18, 2012

Good Looking Feet

Good Looking Feet
March 19, 2012
Isaiah 52:7 "How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news . . ."

Feet aren't generally considered an attractive part of the body; they are completely functional in nature. In Biblical times, feet were usually pretty dirty most of the time, due to the fact that people likely wore open-toed sandals. When you combine open-toed sandals with dirt and animal filth, you get feet that would not have been considered beautiful. But if a person is coming from afar, walking a great journey, bringing with him treasures of goods or information, then his feet would have been considered beautiful, as if the feet were the actual vehicle carrying the precious cargo.

In Isaiah, the prophet spoke of one whose feet would be considered beautiful; the feet of the one bringing the good news of salvation from Heaven. This, of course, was referring to Jesus, who was the long anticipated method of redemption from sin. Jesus brought with Him the message of salvation, the message of the cross, which would enable all people to enter into eternity, setting them completely free from the chains of sin. What good news! This is also why the Gospel messages of Jesus' life and death are affectionately called, "Good News."

The message of salvation, however, didn't stop with Jesus. The Apostle Paul took up the mantle in proclaiming Jesus' message of salvation, the Good News, to every city possible. Paul also re-iterated that the message of salvation was to be carried by EVERYONE after Jesus. He wrote to one of his church-plants in Rome and reminded them that everyone who receives the message of salvation then has an obligation to perpetuate it. He even quoted Isaiah's original words of "beautiful feet" and placed that responsibility onto every one of us today.

Paul further emphasized this new responsibility when he wrote to another one of his church-plants in Ephesus. He told them that they should ALWAYS be ready at a moment's notice to proclaim the message of the Gospel and to carry it with them wherever they go. This mandate applies to you and me today. We are to have our "feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace." To translate that into our modern language, we are to always wear the message of the Gospel in our lives, wherever we go, being willing and able to share that message with every one we meet, every minute of the day. This means wearing the badge of Christianity in your day-to-day life in front of non-believers and for all to see. It carries over into every facet of your life: driving your car, sitting in a meeting at work, walking down the hall at school, etc.

If you have ever called yourself a Christian, you are then obligated to have good looking feet.

Don't take my word for it; look it up: Isaiah 52:6-8, Rom 10:14-15, Eph 6:14-16

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