Good News

Now after John was put under arrest Jesus went into Galilee, preaching the good news of God.  Mark 1:14 (Reference Bible)

Jesus starts His ministry and comes public with His message.  And what was Jesus teaching?  The good news about God!

We have a tendency as Christians to become so familiar with our doctrines and beliefs, that we rarely pause to consider.  Sometimes it can be extremely beneficial for each of us to stop what we are doing and get alone.  When we are there in a quiet place we may approach our Lord and bring up issues like this ministry of Jesus.  We can sit with Him a while and let the Spirit illuminate the wonderful truths of the scriptures to us.  Beautiful and sweet is His voice as He whispers the secrets to our hearts and fills us with a fuller vision of our beloved Savior.

Mark calls it here the good news of God.  Any news of God is good news for those who put their hope in Him.  But why would people of Jesus´ day and ours need to be reminded of that fact?  The name of God can and easily does get placed into certain categories which are formed depending upon each person´s experience and background.  The things a person thinks about God are influenced by anything from; a family member´s views, the teachings received in school, religious organizations, and even the general current society´s views.  People then and now believe what they do about God, not always because they know Him, but because they have summed up what they know from all they have absorbed from the life around them.

Good news came to us through Jesus, as finally someone came to tell us.  One who had seen God personally, who knew Him intimately and was the highest authority for telling us who and what God was and what His intentions for His creation are.  Therefore when Jesus began His ministry, He started by relaying the fact that God is infinitely good and all-together worthy of our highest esteem.  Not only being the most intelligent and powerful entity, but that God is also directly concerned with you and me and has good intentions for us as well.

Into a world of hurt, complications and distractions, this is good news indeed.  One may believe that there is a great force or intelligence behind our existence here on earth.  But not everyone knows in their heart, that God is good and that simple people like us may come to know Him.  Imagine that we could meet the most famous actor or politician of our day.  For sure we would feel the weight of that moment somehow and it would make an impression upon us.  Well, here Jesus is holding out the same kind of situation, but that person is infinitely more wonderful and there is much more weight upon that encounter.

Dear Jesus, thank you for sharing with us the good news of God.  We are simple creatures and seldom capture the weight of what it means to contemplate the goodness of God.  Please assist us in a powerful way so that we may be enabled to receive such awareness.  Open our hearts and minds to receive and to know more of the wonderful and immeasurable greatness of our Creator.  Take away all that we knew before and write anew Your truths upon our hearts.  Show us what it means to actually approach this kind and loving Entity.  Lead us through the changes of heart and soul which will bring us to a fuller reality of Him and to enter into a very real and close relationship with Him today. 

Amen