It Is Good to Be Thankful: Appreciation makes the world a better place…
I rarely watch or listen to the news anymore. It’s too depressing and often misleading. Disease, distress, and disappointment abound. So do turmoil, fake news, financial setbacks, finger-pointing, and misrepresentation. Sometimes the media is not there to inform, but to promote controversy. So they sensationalize everything that happens.
Yes, it is good to know what’s going on in the world, but to feed on murder, injustice, politics, hate, and health crises 24/7 is not healthy. Neither is looking for conspiracy theories which, if they do exist, we can do nothing about. Constantly filling our minds with bad news gives us no room for anything else. It allows negativity to creep into our lives and consume us.
Yet, in the midst of all this bad news, there is good news if we look for it! The gospel is good news!
The Greek word for gospel is euaggelion which means “good news” or sometimes “God’s good news.” (See Strong’s Concordance #2027 and #2028.) New Testament authors used this word regarding the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. That’s why the first four books of the New Testament are called the Gospels. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John gave us various eye witness accounts of Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection (Mark 1:1).
Each of these gospels was written from that particular author’s point of view. That’s why there are things one author might mention but another might not. However, that does not weaken the message of the gospel, but reinforces it. If each of us shared our “good news” about Jesus with others, it would vary depending on our experiences but the message would remain the same.
When Christ was born the angel said, “I bring you good news of great joy for all the people” (Luke 2:10). Paul embraced Jesus’s gospel of God’s grace (Acts 20:24). Jesus came to preach the gospel of the Kingdom of God (Luke 4:41). Jesus brought the gospel of salvation, a free gift for all who believe (Romans 1:16). The disciples were told to preach the gospel (Mark 16:15).
Now here’s some good news: Jesus came to earth. Jesus dwelt among people. Jesus loved us while we were sinners. Jesus died for our sins. Jesus rose from the dead. Jesus lives in us. His life, death, and resurrection gives us victory over death (I Corinthians 15:55-57). The good news is that Christ gives us hope in a hopeless world.
I’m so thankful that no matter how bad today’s news is, Christ brings us good news—and that’s the gospel truth!
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“It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord...” ~ Psalms 92:1 (KJV)
