There are two verses from the Bible that make me smile when I hear them, and they are almost identical in their wording. In the book of Isaiah, the prophet says, “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, "Your God reigns!" They take me back to the many hiking trips with my friends when we ascended the heights and paused to rest, taking a moment of contemplation. With the sweat drying on my face due to gentle breezes, and a rock behind my back, I looked around. The birds soaring, the hills in front, and the valleys below – all caused me to thank God for His bounty in creation.
But I knew that I could not stay on the mountaintop. My feet had to carry me back down. My job was not to rest in the blessings, but rather to share the good news, the peace, the good tidings of salvation, to proclaim the truth that My God reigns!
The second verse was penned by Paul to the Romans. "How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And 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!" There it is again, the beautiful feet of those who preach the good news, and those of us who speak, preach.
What is the good news? The Good News? How can something good get distorted and create bad feelings in the hearts of listeners? How can good be accused of being judgmental, self-righteous and arrogant? It should be a message of perfect love offered to an imperfect world. Of mercy, service and the most beautiful word in the world – grace. A message of freedom, of thirst assuaged, of rest. It should bring a smile and a hug.
Where do we with the beautiful feet fail? I don’t know, but I do have a prayer in my heart tonight – Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me. As I descend the mountain and re-enter this world, may people see You in me. May I speak these words, “God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him” with joy and in love. If I can, I’ll never need a pedicure again!
"How can something good get distorted and create bad feelings in the hearts of listeners?" What an excellent question. Over and over again I ask myself, "Why don't we want to accept the love of God?" It is our nature. We are a self-reliant bunch! The preacher said today it comes to this, we say to God, "Thy will be done." Or God says to us, "Thy will be done." It's our choice.
ReplyDelete