Romans 10:15
‘And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’

In this world beautiful feet seem to be found in the spa after a pedicure.
In the Scripture we see that beautiful feet are callused and worn and dusty… from traveling, working, striving, and walking to those in need. They are worn and they are beautiful. beautiful because it is the proof that the heart that pumps the blood into those feet is filled with Christ’s love. It is filled to the brim to be poured out to others. That heart is not a heart of cold religion professing to believe and saying they love. It is a heart that believes and is moved to act. no matter the cost, no matter the pain, they have be saved by Christ and want the whole to know. they will go wherever He bids them to. they will take up their cross and follow Him. they will leave it all behind for Him. because they have seen and tasted that the LORD is good.

So the heart check now for me is, what condition do i find my heart and feet in?
am i consumed with myself and trying to be beautiful from world’s standards or am i consumed with Christ and His love and will carry His name to all people. to give and love others. to first love God with my soul, heart, and mind and then love others. truly love them. not just in word. but in deed and truth.

‘This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.’ John 15.12-13

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13.34-35

Be the light and shine in this dark world because Christ lives in you and me. Go and love. Love because He loves us. Give because He has given us the gift of salvation and abundant life to the full. Live. Live today for we will give account for our time spent. Build up treasures. Not here. Not treasures that can be seen. but Treasure that are in Heaven to be placed at the feet of our Great Lord and Savior. Work. Work hard as unto the Lord. Use the gifts He has given you. Use them to bring Him glory. whatever you say and do. do it for the glory of God. He alone is worthy to receive the glory, honor and power.

Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.
Hebrews 12.28

when i think and ponder on the Holiness of God and His amazing and astonishing works. i am in awe. how can we not fear Him and tremble at His Word?

just by stopping for a time and reading His Word. my heart is overwhelmed and overjoyed by the Words jumping off the page and coming to life. it is the Living Word of God. my God is alive and hears with me. I am in Him and He is in me. amazing in itself.
but thinking how He has chosen me. how i am adopted as His Child and secure forever in Him… amazing.

Think of it. my Heavenly Father is the God that created this earth. the One who holds it now. the One ‘who stills the roaring of the seas, the roaring of the waves, the tumult of the peoples, so that that those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at your signs. You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy.’ (Psalm 65.7-8)

so won’t you join with me,
‘come and see what God has done;
he is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man..
come and hear, all you who fear God,
and I will tell what he has done for my soul.’
Psalm 66.5,16

for so long i have been thinking of God based on what He does for me, or how He answers my prayers. i have been filled with pride to a degree that makes me sick thinking about it. how many times i would cry out to God to rescue me, and then based on the outcome would praise Him or be angry and bitter towards Him.

He has now graciously opened up my eyes and my heart to see this and confess and repent. and to catch a glimpse of How Great He Is. and to realize that He is worthy to receive all the praise, all the glory, all the honor, and all the worship and sacrifices i can give because He is God. He is ‘I AM’. He is is God. Him alone. I am not. i am not in control. i am not worthy to receive the glory. the only good in me.. is Him. i am only saved by His grace through faith and His imputed righteousness on me.
so i have the choice now… to praise Him only when the circumstances are good.
or continue to cry out to Him to remind me that it is not about me. my life is for His glory . so I want to praise Him and offer up sacrifices of praise and worship every day because of who He is.
To then go forth and proclaim what He has done in my life. proclaim His glory and awesome deeds. proclaim His redemption and salvation and everlasting love and grace that is so deep i shall never know the end. every morning… His mercies are new. so this morning, as the sun rises… let us stop.
stop for a time.
and lift up our eyes to Jesus.
and lift up our hands.
singing Hallelujah with the breath that He has given us today.
for one day we will all breath our last breath here on earth and as His child we will be swept up to Heaven and be with Him forever. we will then see Him face to face.
and beholding His glory…. we will fall down in worship, in awe.
For He is God Alone. There is no other.

‘even to your old age I am he,
and to gray hairs I will carry you.
I have made, and I will bear;
I will carry and will save.’
-Isaiah 46.3-4-

‘But i trust in you, O LORD;
i say, “You are my God.”
My times are in your hand;
-Psalm 31.15-

when the tide is smooth in life, it is easy to say ‘I trust in You God.’
and we mean in. even think we mean it down to the depths of our heart.
but then we forget.
the storm starts brewing… the winds begin to gust.
slowing… or sometimes they come like a tornado. out of nowhere.
and then we are in the midst of the storm.
and we find our boots a shaking.
trembling.
fear crippling.
and i cry out to the Lord. so many emotions.
fear. yet knowing i should trust. and then questions about why?

‘how long, O LORD? will you forget me forever?
how long will you hide your face from me?
how long must i take counsel in my soul
and have sorrow in my heart all the day?
how long shall my enemy be exalted over me?’
-Psalm 13.1-2-

see the storms can come in a variety of ways.
illness, tragedy, depression or pits of despair, wounds from others by words or abuse,
financial ruin, and the list can go on.
these are the things in life that rock our boat.
whether small or large… they can show where our trust really is.

so where is my trust?
where is my hope when life grows dim?
who do i call out to rescue and save me when the waves are crashing around me?
do i try to save myself? or do i give up hope?

No.
it may be dark. whether because of the storm or because the night in near and despair seems to block out the light.

i will choose today.
to cry out to the Lord.
confess and repent of my unbelief and fear.

‘be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me.
for in you my soul takes refuge;
in the shadow of your wings i will take refuge,
till the storms of destruction pass by.
I cry out to God Most High,
to God who fulfills his purpose for me.
My heart is steadfast, O God,
my heart is steadfast!
I will sing and make melody!’
-Psalm 57.1-2,7-

oh the only thing i can hope in and always trust in is the LORD.
only He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
it may be still now, and by evening the course of my life could change.
i could live in fear. but that only steals joy and energy that i could use to worship the LORD.
or i could live trusting, waiting, hoping, and worshipping the LORD.
knowing He will hold me. whether the diagnosis is good or bad.
whether the day is filled with the sun and blessings or is cloudy and filled with raindrops alongside my heavy tears. i will worship.
i will worship the LORD.
because He is for me. not against me.
it may hurt. i may never see the good in the pain.
i may never understand the unanswered prayers.
but i will trust.
i will trust that my God loves me and has Saved me and will therefore never leave me. i will always be held by Him.
from this day forth, my may life be lived to glorify Him alone.
to sing praises and consider it joy when the trials come.
remembering trials bring forth perseverance and hope.
it is refining fire.
molding and chipping away.. to make me more like Him.
to reflect Him to be an imitator of Christ.

(Isaiah 30)

Oh LORD,
i know i am weak in the flesh and will fail. i cannot rely on my own efforts.
it is only by Your Spirit that i can find peace and rest for my soul.
Fill me. Reign in my heart.
Your will be done. I surrender.
my life is not my own. i have been bought with a price,
the precious blood of Christ. so i will not live for me.
it never was and it never will be about me.
it is all for You. all for Your glory.
not to us, not to us Lord.
to You be the glory.

‘I will give thanks to you, O LORD, among the peoples;
I will sing praises to you among the nations.
for your steadfast love is great to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the clouds.
Be exalted, O GOD, above the heavens!
Let your glory be over all the earth!’
Psalm 57.9-11

satan came to steal, kill and destroy.
has has devoured too many days.
too many days have been stolen to live in sin.
today i declare. a resolution
a resolution to put sin to death by the Spirit.
to renew my mind.
to put off the old self and put on the new self.
to declare war.
put on the whole armor of God.
and to take the sword. the Word. and combat the lies that i have been believing for years.
it is time for me deal with the hurt.
the locusts came. they destroyed parts.
i was broken.
innocence was stolen. i was hurt.
alone. tears. pain.
we all know it.
it may look different for you than for me. but we all know the pain.
the pain that hurts so much it seems it will never be healed.
and then the lies from satan come.
that make me want to believe that healing is impossible.
the mountain seems to steep. and not only have i been in the valley.
i’ve been in the pit.

so rather than stay here.
in the muck and mire.
rather than moan and complain about how much the locusts ate and destroyed.
i will choose to bless the Lord.
to count my blessings and name them and remember Truth.
He has always provided. He has begun to heal this heart of mine.
He is my Redeemer. Healer. Deliverer.
Mighty to save is He.
Oh i cannot even begin to describe His majesty!
His ways and wonders and Holiness are incomprehensible!
I stand in awe.
and i bow in fear of Him. Holy reverent fear.
For He alone is worthy to be praised!!