GOOD TIDINGS
In this age and time, I observe most young people do not listen or watch the news. They prefer to watch cartoons, drama, music and entertainments as well as sports but no news. I was forced to ask my daughter, why she and other youngsters watch other programs but do not take interest in the news. She replied, daddy, there is no news to listen to or watch. I tried to explain to her the importance of news and weather reports. She replied again, daddy, there’s no news to watch. Perhaps she was right in a way. When you watch or listen to what makes news that our news media hustle after, that make Hugh headlines, you can not but pause and ask yourself: are these news? Yes, but not all news is good news. What may qualify for news in our world that we watch and wonder include: natural calamities such as hurricanes, storms and tornados sweep across towns destroy property and kill numerous people. Thieves rob stores and banks; drunk drivers run over other road users into houses and destroy lives and property. It could be about runaway prisoners from jail, sex offenders raping and murdering little children or old women. Likewise it could be about frustrated people abusing their spouses or shot their wives or children. On another magnitude, some state representatives or mega church pastors accused or got into sex scandals; Hollywood artists divorce spouses or when a man bites a dog. Indeed, the negatives make our news.
Living in our depressed economy crippled by financial crises, many people have lost their jobs and every day the situation worsen; many companies shut down businesses and others reduced their staffing strengths, meaning people are laid off. These pose problems to families: non-payments of mortgages with possibilities of loosing their homes, inability to meet daily needs and put food on tables of their homes. Others are unable to meet even the health insurance of their children, pay car notes or suffer recalls because of nonpayment and the effect of social menace. The problems and maladies’ associated with depressed economy includes family conflicts and increased rate of divorce as well as countless homes without fathers. It’s no longer something new that some married female teachers have sex with young teens. Our world is engulfed by immoralities, hates, wars, terrorism, murder, greed, destructions and death. These and more constitute news but unfortunately, they are no good tidings.
Good tidings are good news. They gladden human hearts and bring joy to humanity. They bring hope to the dying world and its people; changes our preconceptions and the perceptions we hold of ourselves and one another as well as the way we see people around our world. It’s good news when impossibility turns into possibility and is greeted with joyful shouting and merriments. It was good news when Moses announced to the children of Israel that their slavery was over; the Red sea and Jordan opened up and the children of Israel commanded to walk through them on dry land. It was embarrassing good news that Sarah would bear Abraham a son at her old age; so also was it to Elizabeth and Zacharias [Gen.21:6-7; Luke 1:24-25]. Most importantly it was astonishing good news to a virgin named Mary that she shall give birth to a son of the Most High God called Jesus, Savior of the world. He would solve once and for all the human sin problem. It’s amazing to know that because of that single message of God’s unconditional love, from the throne of heaven and the entrance, the life, the death and resurrection of the Lamb of God into our world, the whole wide world was delivered from sin.
I have good news for you: God had already forgiven you; therefore come and accept His grace, live in that forgiveness and enjoy restoration to Him. It does not matter the load of your misdeeds and how people see you. That same God has forgiven me and other people. He’s not partial and no respecter of persons. The doors may have been shut and physical situations appear hopeless; you have been prejudged and all the adverse conditions are not in your favor. Medical reports show impossibilities. Your family may have deserted you and good friends turn against you. I have good news for you: your season of weeping has expired; your nights of mourning has ceased. Your season of laughter and dancing has come. God is in the middle of it and doing a new thing; it will surprise even your enemies. I can see everything is turning around in your favor. The King of glory visits his world. Jesus is born to us a new. The Word became man and dwell among us. “Joy to the world and peace to all men of goodwill.” I wish you all happy Christmas and fruitful New Year.
Reach: Evangelist Ogbonnaya, Godswill at weefreeministries@yahoo.com or P. O. Box 720035, Houston , Texas, 77272.