Start Spreading the News

Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you

who weep now, for you will laugh.

-- Luke 6:21

There’s an old saying in the news business that if it leads, it bleeds. Turn on the TV, surf the web or read a newspaper, and you’re bound to come across story after story about government corruption, natural disasters and degenerate behavior. The fact is that the media thrives off bad news and hyping the worst possible scenarios for maximum effect. After all, good news rarely drives ratings or sells magazines.

With bad news and scary headlines in such plentiful supply these days, how about

counting our blessings and taking a much-needed break? It’s easier than you think. For one week, make the effort to avoid TV —particularly news broadcasts or shows with a political bent. Keep away from the same type of content on the web. And don’t bother with newspapers or magazines. (Even many of the so-called entertainment magazines have fully embraced politics.)

At the end of those quiet seven days, maybe you won’t feel quite as informed as you would have had you stayed glued to the evening newscast or surfed the web. But odds are that you’ll experience much less stress and enjoy a more positive outlook on life.

That’s some sound advice for ditching the bad news. But what about finding something good for a change?

As Christ-followers, the Good News about Jesus is what gives us hope — plus a much clearer perspective on the future. And as we read in the Bible about the many promises God has kept over the centuries, our anticipation only grows as we ponder the amazing future that awaits us. It’s through our life-journey that we encounter much more than happiness — which comes from external things and circumstances — but joy, which springs from within through our relationship with God.

Is your life the stuff of headlines these days? Hang in there. Good News and the contentment that accompanies it are closer than you think!

Death and Taxes

Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”

-- Matthew 28:7

The saying goes that only two things in life are inevitable: death and taxes. And the prospect of either one can be worrisome.

We already know about the IRS — and it isn’t going away anytime soon. So why does death concern so many people? For those who aren’t Christ-followers, death represents the unknown.

It’s a gaping, black hole. And who knows what’s at the bottom of that pit or who’s on the other side? And besides, death is just so … final.

But maybe death isn’t so permanent and inevitable. If you’ve accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you have absolutely nothing to fear! In fact, death is simply the transition between our relatively brief existence on Earth and an eternity of joy with Jesus. From Revelation — the final book of the Bible — we read that the troubles, tears and sorrows of life will be a thing of the past. That sounds like something to anticipate rather than fear.

How is this possible?

In short, it’s the Easter story. After Jesus willingly accepted the death penalty on a Roman cross to pay for all our sins, he proved that he was indeed God’s son by fulfilling multiple Old Testament prophesies and rising again to life. The huge boulder that had just days earlier sealed his grave was rolled away. His tomb was revealed to be empty and hollow. And so now was the Devil’s greatest weapon against humanity: the threat of death.

It’s an image that reveals an obvious truth: one day, death will take you and me. But death can’t keep us because it’s been defeated through Jesus’ triumphant resurrection.

Easter merchandise has been on display in stores for weeks. But let’s remember that this special day means much more than chocolate rabbits and colorful, hardboiled eggs. It’s really a celebration about overcoming the inevitable and defeating the unbeatable. The apostle Paul sums up this reassuring news through Romans 6:5:

For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his.

It looks like that list of life’s inevitables just got a bit shorter!

Hope Floats

Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

-- Psalm 43:5

It was a tiny investment that purchased hope for millions.

Still haunted years later by the poor health conditions he encountered in the South Pacific during World War II, Dr. William B. Walsh persuaded President Dwight D. Eisenhower to sell him a navy hospital ship for just $150. And with the help of corporate and private contributions, the SS Hope was soon born.

The refurbished vessel’s maiden voyage involved the training of local healthcare professionals and the delivery of medical care around the globe. Gradually, the private volunteer organization called Project Hope expanded its impact and spread optimism for better days ahead. And over the next 60 years, it worked behind the Iron Curtain to improve health services for Polish children, launched HIV/AIDS prevention programs in Africa, helped victims of the Bosnian War, and provided humanitarian relief to those affected by Hurricane Katrina and the Indonesia tsunami.

Most of us have never personally experienced the devastation of a tsunami, the effects of an Ebola outbreak or the ravages of a civil war. But we’ve all felt from time to time like our situation had spiraled out of control. And maybe you feel like that today — and for good reason. But have hope: God has it covered.  

This is a fundamental truth that every Christ-follower should embrace. But one reason we don't always feel his influence is because we can't see the big picture. We don’t know the life-changing people and situations that he’ll introduce to our existence. We also don’t have his vantage point of knowing what’s around the corner and miles up the road. Moreover, it’s hard for us to see a greater purpose in our lives when we're going through the pain of unemployment, lingering illness, family problems or even death. But God is in control. And for those who trust and follow him, he offers this assurance:

"Before I made you in your mother's womb, I chose you,” says our Creator. “Before you were born, I set you apart for a special work. I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."

Has life become a tidal wave of depression and frustration? Don’t ever lose hope. God knows what we need — and he knows it long before we ask him for help.

“But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord,” we read in the Book of Micah. “I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.”

A Matter of Trust

The Lord detests lying lips,
    but he delights in people who are trustworthy.

-- Proverbs 12:22

“With lies you may go ahead in the world,” says the Russian proverb, “but you can never go back.”

It’s a reminder that credibility and character are important. And that seems to be the public’s message to the news media following several high-profile scandals.

For the week of March 18, 2019, CNN — a network long criticized as purveyors

so-called fake news — lost a remarkable 27 percent of its primetime viewers from the same period in 2018. About four years earlier, Brian Williams lost his job as anchor of NBC Nightly News after fabricating reports related to the Iraq War and Hurricane Katrina. And in 2004, USA Today’s Pulitzer-nominated correspondent Jack Kelley quit after he was accused of concocting source material and writing largely fictional articles.

These breaches of the public trust have consequences. A 2018 Gallup poll reveals that 62 percent of U.S. adults believe that the news they see in newspapers, on television or hear on the radio is biased, and 44 percent say it’s inaccurate.

Once you’ve lost your credibility through lies, deception and betrayal, how can you ever retrieve it? That’s the question King Solomon seems to pose to the media — and to us — through Proverbs 11:3: “People who can’t be trusted are destroyed by their own dishonesty.” And there are several ways we can hurt ourselves and others through our questionable words and deeds. For example, flattery is a form of lying since it tells people what they want to hear — regardless of its veracity. We can also be dishonest through exaggeration. Likewise, cheating (or fudging the truth so we come out on top) is a particularly serious issue since it can impact personal and business relationships. And when we lie, we break our promises. Jesus touched on this by directing his followers to avoid the common practice of using God’s name to lend credibility to their words.

Such dishonesty is like a heavy chain that weighs us down and holds us back. But the truth — and the clear conscience that accompanies it — is liberating. However, walking the walk after talking the talk can be difficult. And conveying honesty and integrity can even cost us in certain situations. As Christ-followers, however, we must always reflect the words and deeds of our Creator, who’s always truthful, faithful and trustworthy.

“God is not a man, so He doesn’t lie,” we read in Numbers 23:19. “He’s not human, so he doesn’t change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through?”

That’s what’s said about Him. So what do our words and deeds say about us?