Beautiful Feet

"How beautiful on the mountains

are the feet of the messenger who brings good news,

the good news of peace and salvation,

the news that the God of Israel reigns!

The watchmen shout and sing with joy,

for before their very eyes 

they see the LORD returning to Jerusalem."

Isaiah 52:7-8 NLT

All is broken, twisted, ruined because of sin.  Judgment is my inheritance, condemnation my rightful fate (Romans 3:23, 6:23).  Nothing is as God first created it to be.  I need some good news in the midst of all this mess.  

Behold!  A messenger is coming!  Now is the time to pay attention.

Comfort.  It's true, I get what's coming to me.  Whichever path I choose will determine my destination (Matthew 7:13-14).  There is no magic pill that will protect me from experiencing the consequences of my actions (Galatians 6:7-8).  Still, when everything is falling apart because of my stubborn insistence on living my way, God still cares.  He's still there.  He still offers help in spite of my wayward heart (Isaiah 52:9).

How can I receive such help from a holy God?  Since I am sinful to the core, is it even proper for me to approach the throne of grace for assistance from the One with unlimited resources?  Can I even receive His consolation? Feel His caring touch?  Experience peace with him?  Yes!  I am astounded to discover that I can enter into relationship with the living God who will never cease to amaze me.  How?  By turning away from my own selfish ways and taking on Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior (Acts 20:21)!  Through Jesus I find the lovingkindness of God freely pouring into my life (Hebrews 4:16).

The good news of Jesus Christ is that I can receive the comfort of God.

Redemption.  I'm held captive by my sinful flesh.  I'm a slave to the desires of my selfish heart (Romans 6:16).  I can't help but sin for I have no other choice.  As a result, I reap all the results of such a lifestyle.  Hostility rules my heart and I find myself often getting into heated arguments with others over the silliest of things.  Anger erupts on a regular basis and I find my family is in a constant state of divisiveness, as if we can never find common ground.  I am drawn to the substance of my choice as a tool to drown my sorrows, numb my feelings, ease the pain of my life and the only things that seems to bring me any joy is the latest party, the rowdier the better.  I find myself sinking deeper and deeper into such captivity and I feel I have no power to break the bonds that hold me (Galatians 5:19-21).

Who will set me free from such destruction?  How will I ever feel at peace?  Is there hope for me?  Thank God for sending Jesus Christ to break the bonds that bind me and set the captives free (Isaiah 61:1-3, Romans 7:24-25)!  In dying on the cross He took the penalty for my sins, making a way for me to be right with God.  He paid the price to set me free from slavery to sin and now I can dedicate myself to living His way(Romans 6:18).

The good news of Jesus Christ is that I can be redeemed.

Freedom.  Living in tandem with the world corrupts my thinking, taints my heart, and leads me to destruction (Romans 12:2).  I am held back from truly living the life I'm meant to live, from experiencing the joy and peace that is mine, from being who I was created to be.  What is wrong with me, anyway?  Who is this monster that rises up inside of me and does all that is abhorrent to God?  It is sin.  And it seems to be an invincible force.

How will I ever live a pure life, unrestricted from the sin that weighs me down?  Will I ever discover who I'm meant to be, the real me apart from the fear and doubt, the insecurity and pride?  Through faith in Jesus Christ I can find freedom from what burdens me and holds me back.  In Him I have the opportunity to move from slavery into sonship, from shackles to freedom, from rejection to acceptance as a well-loved child.  In Christ I can find freedom from the sin that taints me; the kind of liberty that is real, permanent and authentic (John 8:34-36).  The kind of freedom that ushers me into the family of God forever (1 John 3:1).

The good news of Jesus Christ is that I can find freedom from the sin that corrupts me (Isaiah 52:11).

I am discouraged as I look around me at my life, the world, even my own heart.  Is there anything good, any news to offer hope?  Then I see a messenger coming, an ordinary-looking man without flowery speech or flashy delivery, but I know deep down that his message is important.  When I pay attention and listen with my whole being, I realize he is telling me what I need to know.  He is giving me the Good News of Jesus Christ that offers the comfort of God, redemption from slavery to sin, and freedom that liberates me in every way.  This is the kind of news I need, the message that will endure.  And I am so thankful for the beautiful feet who took the time to deliver such good news to me.   Why keep it to myself?

As I begin this day it is my prayer that God will develop in me a desire to share such good news with others. 

How have I only partially received such news?

When do I expect to have it both ways, sticking to my way of living and wanting the blessings that only come through obedience?       

     

At the Lowest Point

"Comfort, comfort my people,

says your God.

Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,

and proclaim to her that her 

hard service has been completed,

that her sin has been paid for,

that she has received from the LORD's hand

double for all her sins.

A voice of one calling:

'In the wilderness prepare

the way for the LORD;

make straight in the desert

a highway for our God.'"

Isaiah 40:1-3

Judah suffered greatly.  The people experienced tumult and chaos within their own nation, followed by the promise of exile for 70 years.  They were certainly at a low point and must have felt much despair.  As if to showcase His own heart of God, He did not kick His wayward and rebellious people when they were down. Even though they deserved it.  Instead, He offered something unbelievable.  He offered comfort, relief, and hope.  

This, too, is offered to 21st Century people immersed in a culture that has sunk to a low point.  There is blessing offered in the midst of the grief caused by unchecked wickedness.  Even though it seems there is no hope of crawling out of this pit, in Jesus, God is offering something incredible.

Comfort.  He doesn't enjoy watching His image-bearers suffer.  He is loving and kind, compassionate and patient.  But God is also perfectly holy and just, righteous and good.  He can't simply stand by and let sin ruin His creation unchecked.  Sin must be punished according to His own sense of right and wrong (Romans 6:23, Galatians 6:7).  Still, with all His heart He wants to avoid unleashing His holy wrath on any of mankind (2 Peter 3:9).  So He waits, He pursues, He sometimes introduces trials and tribulations that seem so unbearable but are designed to knock us to our knees where we will repent and turn to Him through faith in Jesus, the only way to be saved from His righteous judgement (John 14:6, Acts 4:12).

This is the heart of God.  He cannot change with the times like shifting shadows and is unable to deny any part of His character, yet His love is so strong that it drives Him to comfort the very ones upon whom He's punishing (James 1:17, 2 Corinthians 1:3).  After all, His objective is to draw people to Himself where each will find peace and fulfillment along with salvation from eternal condemnation (John 6:44, Romans 8:1, Romans 5:1).  He wants relationship with those He made who are more valuable than any other living creature.  It is man, broken and unrepentant as we are, that He wants to love.

At my lowest point, when God seems to have turned His back on mankind, He offers comfort in the midst of the pain and suffering.

Relief.  It's hard for me to pace myself if I don't know the end is coming.  If I'm enduring a grueling workout, for instance, it helps to spur me on if I can shoot for the finish line, so to speak.  If I had to keep grunting and sweating indefinitely, it would be very hard to push through the pain.  Humans need to know that relief is coming.

It's the same with life. When I'm weathering the storm, it's good to know the clouds will soon break up and the sun burst through.  To know the suffering is temporary and relief is coming helps me to carry on.  This relief comes through faith in Jesus Christ.  When I wait on Him, I can tap into His abundant, never-ending supply of grace that propels me forward when I'm weary from the struggle (Isaiah 40:31).  He offers relief, not always from the suffering itself but from the impotence I feel to endure the present hardship.  When I am weak, then I am strong because Jesus is my strength (2 Corinthians 12:10).

At my lowest point, when God seems to have turned His back, He offers relief that empowers me to soar even though I feel like giving up.

Hope.  The prophecy was intentionally given at the point when God had unleashed His righteous fury upon His own.  He did so not to see them suffer, but to draw them back to Him and His perfect plan for their lives.  They had fallen so far, forgotten everything He had taught them, and turned to their own wicked ways.  Sound familiar?

We, too, have fallen so far, forgotten everything He taught us, and have turned to our own wicked ways (Isaiah 53:6).  In the midst of such brokenness, God offers hope in the name of Jesus Christ, the promised Messiah who would come to make mankind right with God.  While theirs was a hope deferred, mine is a hope realized.  Today, all have the opportunity to turn away from the destructive ways that come naturally to man and toward Christ who took the punishment for all sin (1 Peter 2:24, Isaiah 53:5).  When I do so, I have the hope that this present darkness will not last forever.  The Light has overcome (John 1:5, 16:33).

At my lowest point, when God seems to have turned His back on mankind, He offers hope in the person of Jesus Christ.  

There is blessing to be found in the midst of pain and suffering.  The difficulties of life are all due to mankind's sin.  And while it is because of this sin that I am broken and deserve God's wrath, it is in the midst of feeling the consequences of this sin that I find treasure.  I discover that God can comfort in a way no one else can, that He offers relief from the burdens I carry, and hope for a future of bliss.  All of this is mine through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ.  Even at my lowest point, God is offering something good.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can stop taking advantage of God's patience and turn my life over to Jesus.

When do I bide my time, figuring I have tomorrow to live by faith in Jesus?

How am I stubborn in my desire to control my own life, thus reaping what I've sown, lashing out at God who waits patiently?