Let’s create a reason to Party!
Everyone loves a party. People all over enjoy the chance to get together with friends, family, associates, even acquaintances at times, to celebrate good news. We celebrate key moments like birthdays, graduations, holidays, and weddings. We even throw a party to celebrate when a personal or group accomplishment takes place, like an award for heroism or community service, a business expands, or our team wins a sports championship.
The people of Judah had great reason to celebrate in Nahum 1:7-15. Ninevah, the capital of the evil Assyrian empire was about to be destroyed. Nahum told Judah to continue celebrating at its festivals.
It may not sound like a big deal to you today, but take out your Bible and read the first few chapters of Nahum. Ninevah was poised to flatten Judah with its military might. Then the news came from the prophet Nahum that God was promising to deliver Judah by wiping Ninevah off the face of the earth.
Hold it! Didn’t Jonah go to Ninevah a while earlier and call Ninevah to repentance for their evil? And didn’t Ninevah hear the message of the Lord, repent in humility, and escape God’s judgment? Yes and yes. That took place years earlier, and it accomplished God’s purpose. God was going to use the Assyrians to bring His judgment on the Northern Kingdom of Israel for their blatant disobedience towards Him, by sending the cruel nation of Assyria to take the people captive. God had indeed sent Assyrian forces to do just that a few years earlier. Now it was the Southern Kingdom of Judah’s turn.
But then Nahum, a messenger of God comes on the scene with good news. Those wicked people of Assyria were going to be destroyed before they could lay a hand on Judah. Wow! Judah would be delivered! Isaiah 52:7 says the feet of those who bring god news are “beautiful.”
The idea of “feet and good news” appears in the New Testament as well. Take a look at Romans 10:14-15. There it refers to the feet of any believer who tells people enslaved by sin that they can be set free.
Do you desire “beautiful feet?” Tell others the good news about Jesus. Do you believe and live out the declaration of Acts 4:12? Are you rejoicing in your salvation? In what ways do you need to grow in sharing the message of Jesus? Should you write out your testimony (before-how-after) like Paul in Acts 9, 22 and 26? Memorize some Bible verses like the Romans Road (Romans 1:16, 1:18-32, 3:21-26, 5:8, 6:23, 10:9-10). Look for divine appointments to share Christ with a friend? When someone else trusts in Christ for their salvation, you’ll have plenty of reason to throw a party. Serve globally – salvation is a cause for celebration, because people and nations are at stake.
Love is a verb,
Mike Olejarz
