How much did you spend on your feet this past year?

Okay, I know that seems like a bit of an odd question, but humor me on this one. How much did you spend for shoes, socks, hose, tights, orthotic devices, doctor visits, heel pain, ingrown toenails, cushion insoles, clippers, arch supports, pedicures, and medicines? Once you start adding all this up and you realize that we spend a ton of money on our feet each year trying to make them beautiful or keep them from hurting or keep them protected.

Did you know that God gave a formula for beautiful feet? The prophet Isaiah mentioned and the apostle Paul picked up on his lead:

For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile — the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."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 anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" (Romans 10:12-15 NIV).

Did you notice that last sentence? Paul is referring to the following statement made by Isaiah:

How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation ...(Isaiah 52:7).

He is talking about a messenger or runner who brings good news. The great irony of what Paul quotes and Isaiah originally said is that the messengers, or runners, of the ancient world had the ugliest feet of anyone. So how are their feet beautiful?

The real beauty of our feet is not determined by how they look, but what they do! And the way to have beautiful feet, according to the apostle and the old famous prophet is by GOING with the good news or SENDING others to share the good news of God's salvation, love, and grace!

Who can argue with having beautiful feet?
But where are we to go and where are we to send?

We go to the same kinds of people Jesus went to when he walked this earth. Go poke around in the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John in the New Testament) and notice all the different kinds of people with whom Jesus spent time — old and young, rich and poor, religious and sinner, powerful and powerless, influential and insignificant, helpful and helpless.

We go where Jesus leads us today. Reading the book of Acts reminds us that it is the Holy Spirit's job to help us know where to go and empower to go (Acts 1:8). So as we pray and as we seek those who need God's grace, the Holy Spirit will open doors, give us nudges, convict our hearts, give us dreams, point us in the right directions, and give us companions so we can go where Jesus leads.

But how important is all of this?

When it came time for Jesus to share his parting message with his closest followers before he went back to the Father, what was Jesus' first word? "Go!" (Matthew 28:19). The Lord's command to "Go!" is part of Jesus' last words and what must be our first priority!

Or as Paul reminds, those who go and send have beautiful feet! And who can argue with having beautiful feet?