Gospel Feet

“How beautiful are the feet of those

who preach the gospel of peace,

who bring glad tidings of good things!”

    Romans 10:15 (quoting Isaiah 52:7) (NKJV)

“Stand therefore, having girded your waist

with truth, having put on the breastplate of

righteousness, and having shod your feet

with the preparation of the gospel of peace;”

    Ephesians 6:14-15 (NKJV)

My feet are sturdy and practical, but I do not consider them physically attractive.  Yet God calls our feet “beautiful” when we bring His gospel to others, when we walk to share His good tidings with the lost world. And part of the full armor of God includes our equipping our feet with His truth so we can walk in the world without compromise, armed against the wiles of the enemy. Moreover, when we’re busy with the Lord’s work, we will avoid one thing the Lord hates:  “feet that are swift in running to evil” (Proverbs 6:18, NKJV).

I thought of this the other day when I was walking door-to-door in the community distributing flyers for an event at our church along with gospel tracts.  My heart soared to think that I can have a small part in spreading the wonderful message of His glad tidings. Even if you don’t feel called to traditional evangelism, we can (and should) be a walking sermon—living out God’s redemptive grace before our family, friends, neighbors, colleagues and being ready to share the truth we’ve experienced. 

It’s amazing to me that God can use an ordinary vessel like me to bring the good news to others and I love to start the day asking Him to help my feet be beautiful in sharing the great gospel story. 

Where are your feet taking you today? How are you walking out the good news?

Thursday Devotional - Love Letter

At the beginning of the month, the kids and I pulled out our Valentine decorations. James was curious why we celebrate Valentine’s Day. Sarah suggested I ask “Period” (which is what James use to call Seri, for some unknown reason! 😊) I looked up the origin, but there isn’t anything concrete and no one knows for sure. It could possibly stem from the martyr of a St. Valentine. One was killed for secretly marrying people and the other wrote a letter to his sweetheart on the day of his death, supposedly February 14^th.  

After not being able to answer James’ questions, he continued decorating. With some heart sticks we pulled out (picture attached), James decided we should each hold one and then go around and say what we love about the other family members. Then, he suggested we wave the heart sticks up and down 3X chanting “God loves you, God loves you, God loves you!” It was a great way to start the “love” month. God is the perfect Valentine. He’s the One who first loved us!

I John 4:10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

I John 4:19 We love because he first loved us.

God gave us the best Valentine gift – Salvation through Jesus Christ.

God gave us the longest, most helpful and encouraging love letter – the entire Bible!

Last week we talked about the need to read and know the entire Bible. The Psalmist knew the importance of this, as well.  

Psalm 119:73-77      Your hands made me and formed me;
    give me understanding to learn your commands.
⁷⁴ May those who fear you rejoice when they see me,
    for I have put my hope in your word.
⁷⁵ I know, Lord, that your laws are righteous,
    and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me.
⁷⁶ May your unfailing love be my comfort,
    according to your promise to your servant.
⁷⁷ Let your compassion come to me that I may live,
    for your law is my delight.

Which part of God’s Love Letter will you read and delight in today? 

Alice

The Guiding Light

“The crowd responded, “We understood from Scripture that the Messiah would live forever. How can you say the Son of Man will die? Just who is this Son of Man, anyway?”

Jesus replied, “My light will shine for you just a little longer. Walk in the light while you can, so the darkness will not overtake you. Those who walk in the darkness cannot see where they are going. Put your trust in the light while there is still time; then you will become children of the light.”

After saying these things, Jesus went away and was hidden from them.”  John 12:34-36 NLT

Last week, I talked a bit about my own fear. There was a great deal of apprehension that went with it, and the days after writing it were a bit nerve racking to say the least.  However, the thing I gained greatest comfort in was God would take me one of two places.  One, He would show how wrong I was, and I would see that I needed to be more aligned with Him.  Or two, He would give me greater courage and strength assured He is as I knew He always was; with me.  Today, the light is on, and my walk is illuminated.  Occasionally, I must confirm the light is not a freight train, but so far, so good.  The thing that drove me toward that belief is quite simply trust.  I keep reading His word and trusting in it, and it reassures me.  I hear Him in a sermon, and feel His presence when I question something that I have prayed on.  When there is no light, I seek it, and it’s always there.  Guiding me.

God always provides us with light to guide us through darkness.  Reading today’s verses, there are three things I am struck by.  First, the perspective of the crowd is an example how people often see their problems through a worldly and not Godly lens.  The crowd was well read and understanding of scripture, but they could see no further than what they read and heard.  They were looking behind at what they knew, but not ahead at what was possible.  How often are we stunting our own growth by limiting ourselves by what we once did rather than asking what through Jesus Christ we can now do?

Second, Jesus talked about trusting “in the light while there is still time.”  At first, one might think the verse is referring to Jesus’s time on earth is coming to an end.  While this is true, one must also note that if we have life on earth, we can become that very child of the light as well.  Think of the man on the cross when Jesus said to him, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43b)  There the man acknowledged he deserved punishment (judgment), and simply asked Jesus to remember him (repentance).  He had only three simple verses in the Bible, and yet, they gave us hope knowing the compassion Christ has for those who have sinned and repented.  How cool is that?

Finally, my focus went to how Jesus went and was hidden from them.  In the subsequent verses, it noted that most still doubted who Jesus was, but there were those who chose to believe in Him.  Those who believed had two things going for them that are important for us to remember today.  First, they fully trusted in Jesus.  This gave them a sense of surety that while He was hidden from them, He was always there.  Second, the light was now shining from within them.  Therefore, they had a sense of where they were going.  Think of their journey as an infinite game.  There was no winning or losing.  They were angling to continue forward with Christ, and thus left their former lives behind them.  They were now ‘children of the light,’ and their focus was on eternity.  Not the moment.  We too must think of our journey of faith as an infinite one.  Our time in this world is but a point along the road.  Our goal is to continue forward not looking back at our old self but instead focusing on our ever-growing relationship with God through Christ.  This not only reveals to us His light but also flips on the light within us for others to follow.

In a world that is filled with darkness, we are indeed shown the light through Jesus Christ.  Yes, there are times where it is difficult to see, and we can at times find ourselves lost in the wilderness.  But if we know Him, we are never alone, and no matter how dark it seems, we know the light is there.  We can walk with purpose knowing that as His child, we will not only find light but also be the light for those around us.  Let us always be knowledgeable of that simple truth.  Are you following His light?  Will you share your light with those closest to you?  My prayer is simple.  Focus on the guiding light of Christ, and trust it to lead us for all eternity.  Amen.

Love

1 Corinthians 13:4-5

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

With Valentine’s Day coming up this week, I thought it would be good to write about love.  Often times we think of all the beautiful things that love is.  Hugs, kisses, flowers, sweets, the list is endless.  But what does love look like in the hard times? 

My husband has dealt with anxiety and depression for many years.  Sometimes it can get rather ugly.  He missed his medication one day last week and the day after was not a beautiful love story.  It was however our love story.  He had an anxiety attack and it was rough.  Thankfully though, God gave us each other and he has blessed me with the ability to be patient (not easily) during these times.  And then in return, my husband is patient with me when I have moments that are not as enduring as others.

Do you show love even when things aren’t easy?  Are you patient with that person that frustrates you?  Have you stopped to think about the patience our Heavenly Father has extended to us in the times that we are not so easy to love?

May you feel the love of Christ this Valentine’s Day!