Good News
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but so that the world might be saved through Him.” John 3:16-17
INSIGHT
When was the last time you heard some good news? I mean, real good news? The type of news that gets your heart racing, or the type of good news that once you hear it you cannot think of anything else?
I am one of those people that when I receive good news, I hope you are ready to hear about it. It does not take me long to get on my text threads and make phone calls to share some good news with people. After all, good news typically leads others to experience joy and celebration. Most recently, my best friend told me that he was going to be a dad and it just sent jolts of joy and celebration through my body!
But I have learned that good news alone does not give people joy and celebration, it’s the influence of joy and celebration that comes from the person delivering the news. If my best friend would have come to me in anger and told me they were expecting, I would consider what should be good news as bad news. Or, if he would have told me with apathy in his voice, I would question why he even told me. So, I have learned that the way we deliver, or present good news, is usually just as important as the good news itself.
If you are a Christ follower, then at some point you received The Good News. We often use the phrase “Good News” to mean the Gospel message. The Gospel message is a declaration from our Heavenly Father that we are loved, and that love is demonstrated by Jesus dying for the sin that once ruled over our life. And then it goes so much further to guarantee that we are in a permanent relationship with a Heavenly Father who calls us his own children. Is there any better news than that for humanity?
Unfortunately, there are versions of the Good News that are presented without actual goodness. Some people leverage fear, anger, authority, or prosperity to make the Good News foggy. Ultimately, if your reception of the Gospel is anything other than Good News, you might need to find a new voice to tell you about Jesus.
The goodness of the Good News is that:
You are loved.
You are forgiven.
You are free.
You have a Heavenly Father.
You have a relationship with him.
You are a messenger of Good News to the oppressed and the captive.
The goodness of our Heavenly Father is the love and redemption he has for us, and our message should be as simple as that. If we are to be carriers of Good News, love and redemption must be our foundation.
Sometimes I get push back from people as they wrestle with the infinite world of theology, and they struggle to think it could be all summed up into sharing love and redemption to others. And I recognize that struggle since it's hard to believe that the world could be changed with love and redemption rather than power or being louder than the other voices.
Yet, I am convinced that God will have grace upon grace with us if we get some theology wrong. But I worry what happens when we get loving other people, seeking justice, and choosing mercy wrong.
The Good News gives explicit revelation to the goodness of God. His goodness knows no bounds and has no partiality to anyone. Every single person has access to his goodness, his forgiveness, and his love. Our message of goodness to the oppressed, the captive, and the struggling must be love and redemption.
Love and redemption changed the world when Jesus introduced it to the world, and we can believe that it still changes the world today.
REFLECTION
● Are people hearing the Good News of Jesus from your life?
● What impact could the message of love and redemption make in the life of others?
PRAYER
Father, there is no better demonstration of goodness than Jesus dying for our sins. How undeserved am I to receive such goodness from you! I pray that my words about you would captivate people into seeing your goodness. Help me to understand that your goodness is enough, and your love is the message people need to hear. I pray this all in your name, Amen.
Port City writer Davy Nance wrote today’s devotional.