Romans 10:9-15 NLT
9 If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that
God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is by believing in
your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your
faith that you are saved. 11 As the Scriptures tell us, “Anyone who trusts in
him will never be disgraced.” 12 Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect.
They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him. 13 For
“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
14 But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him?
And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can
they hear about him unless someone tells them? 15 And how will anyone go and
tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are
the feet of messengers who bring good news!”
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Those of us who have been around Olney Pres. for a while will
remember back to the summers when the Christian Endeavor teens went annually to
Camp Okanickon. As a small child at the time, my strongest memories are from
the infamous slide shows put in front of the congregation each year upon their
return. They’d usually include some thoughtful, reflective portions as well as
parts filled with funny photos.
I remember one year their silly song theme was “Beautiful
Feet” where lots of the photos of camp activities just featured people’s feet!
Sandy Patti’s song of the same title referencing this Scripture played in the
background. This passage in Romans from the lectionary text for these days
reminds us of the more serious charge given to the feet of those who know the
good news. We have both the responsibility and the privilege of spreading the
word! How often do we really remember to do that?
Each year at Penn Christian Academy, the school where a
number of us serve, the children celebrate International Month during March.
Every single grade selects a country to study for those weeks-- to learn about
the people, the culture, the history, the geography, and much more. In
addition, each class corresponds with missionaries in the various countries via
letters or online video chats. The culminating musical that the students put on
in full costume for the families also always has a focus on worldwide
missions.
Isn’t that a good reminder for each of us? We might think of
the missionaries we know from time to time in a newsletter or when we see their
photo on the bulletin board, but we probably could be remembering them with
prayer and support much more often.
Don’t forget, though, the challenge we all have to give
ourselves those “beautiful feet” mentioned in Romans. We’re part of worldwide
missions each day! Spreading the Gospel is something we do all the time--
through our words, our demeanors, our choices, whatever we do or say! May
today’s Scripture be an inspiration and reminder for each of us of the
importance of that task.
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