A Matter of Faith -- And Here’s the Good News!
By Carol Round, Special to ASSIST News Service (Writer’s Opinion)
GROVE, OK (ANS – October 23, 2016) -- “Now
let me remind you, brothers, of what the Gospel really is, for it has
not changed -- it is the same Good News I preached to you before. You
welcomed it then and still do now, for your faith is squarely built upon
this wonderful message; and it is this Good News that saves you if you
still firmly believe it, unless of course you never really believed it
in the first place” -- 1 Corinthians 15:1-2 (TLB).
Tired
of the negative news? Me too. You can’t watch television, read a
newspaper or peruse social media without being bombarded with bad news.
Depressing news. Sad news. News that leaves us wondering why and how our
world has become so dark.
Then,
good news happens. A story on television, a newspaper article or a post
on social media reminds us that there is still light in the world, a
light that reflects the goodness still alive and well bringing hope to
our weary souls and our heavy hearts.
At
the heart of the gospel message is hope, hope of better days, a better
future and a better life awaiting us once we leave this fallen world.
Our hope is in Jesus Christ, not man. That is, if you ever believed it
in the first place.
Even
if we have believed and placed our hope in Him, our steps falter when
we become weary and want to quit because we’re overwhelmed with
responsibilities. We take on too much. We’re too busy. We don’t have
time to stop and listen for that still, small voice reassuring us,
guiding us, speaking to our spirits and inviting us to take refuge in
His arms.
His
arms are where I long to be when I want to give up, when I am
discouraged, when the bad news outweighs the good. Then, I remember His
promises, His provision and His love. They never end.
Author
John MacDuff wrote, “Trust God where you cannot see Him. Do not try to
penetrate the cloud He brings over you; rather look to the bow that is
on it. The mystery is God’s; the promise is yours.”
God
may be a mystery but His promises never change. We must pick up His
Holy Word and meditate on them each day to strengthen our faith and
remind us we are not alone.
In
Deuteronomy 31:8, we are reminded of His faithfulness: “The Lord
himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you
nor forsake you. ‘Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.’”
His
promises are Good News, the news that Jesus Christ has overcome the
world. No matter what the headlines spout or what we read and hear, we
can take heart, knowing that God never changes. His Word is still
relevant today. We have to believe it, take it into our spirits and live
free of the negativity.
To stay positive in a negative world, we must fill our minds with the good, the Good News of the gospel. Are you doing that?
Photo: 1) Good News Newspaper (http://goodnewsplanet.com/what-a-week-of-good-news/). 2) Carol Round.
Note: I always love hearing from my readers. Please feel free to email me with your thoughts at carol@carolaround.com . You can also visit my blog at www.carolaround.com.
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