TITLE: Simon’s Flip Flops Feb 2, 2019 By Marlene Custer 02/02/19 |
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As I trudged up the hill to our apartment my eyes were drawn to a pair of flip flops so worn I could see the cement steps where the heel should be. The flip flops belonged to Simon, who was visiting the area because he had recently completed the translation of the New Testament into the language of a small people group on another island. A local radio station wanted to interview him.
Joy welled up in my heart as I thought about the people group that had waited two thousand years for a New Testament in their own language. I had been privileged to go to the Dedication of this New Testament. Seeing the people embrace their new Bibles, scurrying off to sit under a tree to read them is something I will never forget. Now they don’t have to rely on what others tell them the Bible says; they can read it for themselves.
As I looked at those very worn flip flops I pictured Simon’s feet in my mind. How dusty and calloused they must be. The word ‘attractive’ definitely did not come to mind. I recalled the words Paul wrote to the Romans. “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!†(Romans 10:15). In God’s sight Simon has some of the most beautiful feet on this planet!
I am often consumed with pampering my feet with lotions and nail polish thinking I am making them beautiful. But according to Paul that is not what makes beautiful feet in God’s sight. I was impressed to grab my Bible and read the verses prior to the above passage. Paul declares, “‘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 they preach unless they are sent?†(Romans 10:13-15)
My heart rejoiced as I discovered that giving to missionaries, translators, and other proclaimers of God’s truth is just as important as actually going to another place. Simon did not do the translation by himself. He needed the assistance of trained Bible teachers and other support staff. It takes a team. And you and I can be part of the team when we give of our resources. If you or I can’t actually go to faraway places, we can give so someone else can go. We may not have worn out flip flops, but we can still have beautiful feet!
NIV
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