Read: Romans
10:1-15
And how
shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the
feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good
things!
Romans
10:15
Look at
your feet. Would you say they are beautiful? I can understand calling a lady,
or a painting, or a majestic mountain scene beautiful, but feet…? They are just
not usually associated with the word beautiful.
In 490 BC, the Greeks defeated the Persians at the Battle of Marathon. It was
an important victory because it showed the rest of the world that the Persians
could actually be defeated in battle. Legend says that Philippides ran from Marathon
to Sparta to announce the victory. Because of the distance (over twenty-five
miles), when he arrived with the news, he collapsed and died. The modern
marathon was born out of that legend and is popular today. While this is a
legend, it is highly probable that something like this may have taken place. Before
the days of motor vehicles and telecommunications, that is the way word would
be taken back to the city to announce the army’s victory. A runner would carry
the good news over rugged terrain and through any weather condition to bring
the tidings. As that man would arrive, his feet would be torn up and bruised
from the rocks and the dust. As the people in the town began to tend to his
bloodied feet, they would say, “How beautiful are these feet that bring us the
good news.”
Beauty can be found in places where some
may not see beauty. It can be in a child’s picture drawn out of love for his
mother; it can be in an old, wrinkled face in a nursing home; it can be in the
love of a dog for its owner. God finds beauty in the feet of those that carry
the gospel. Sure, we will get worn out taking the gospel to people who have
never heard it or have never accepted it. It will not always be an easy task,
but it is a good and important one. If there were no messengers available, how
would the people hear the news? God is looking for willing servants who will
take the good news of the gospel to the people across the world and to the
people across the street. As excited as those messengers must have been to tell
the city that they had won, we have a victory to announce that is so much
better and more important. We can tell the world that the devil was defeated on
Calvary’s cross! No longer must we live in bondage to sin because Jesus won the
victory for us. Start working on making your feet beautiful. Take the good news
of the gospel to those who need to hear.
Quote
of the day: “To be a witness means to live in such a way that your life would
not make sense if God did not exist.”
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