| Pastor's
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by Buzz Dahlen There are four words that you never want to hear from your Mechanic, Plumber Dentist, Doctor or any other person who has the potential of giving you a large bill for their services; those four words are, “I’ve got bad news.” Bad news, it seems like there is far more bad news then good news these days. You watch TV in the evening and that’s about all you hear, bad news, bad news. Why does there seem to be so much bad news? I think there are two reasons… The first reason is simple, bad news sells! Yep, it’s all about making money and bad news makes the headlines. For some reason, we are drawn to bad news, when it is about somebody else that is. I think we like to read, watch and hear about the bad news that is happening in other places to other people because it makes our lives seem not so bad. I know it is kind of harsh to say this, but I think I am right. Think about it, when there is a terrible accident on the highway, the traffic is slowed down but not because people are being cautious, it is because they want to see what happened. When you hear about the accident and someone you know had to be out there on the highway in that area, around that time. When you find out who was involved in the accident, you are relieved to hear that it was not the person you were concerned about. I could go on and on, but I thin you get the picture. I am not saying that you want anything bad to happened to anyone and I am not saying that you are happy to hear that something bad has happened to someone. We are just drawn to bad news when it involves others. Now the other reason why we seem to get so much bad news is our perspective. We get the “bad news” and right away, we take it bad. When something is not going the way we want it to we begin to expect other bad things to happen and we expect to hear bad news. We seldom stop to look at the good news aspect. Recently I had to have my vehicle checked. I knew that there was something wrong and when I stopped by later I heard those four words, “I have bad news!” I honestly took it rather well, if I do have to say so myself. Yes, I was concerned about the added cost, but it wasn’t really “bad news.” Honestly, it was good news. Good news because the problem was found in the shop and not on the highway going 65 miles per hour. It was good news, because my trusted mechanic and not some mechanic who I didn’t know and who didn’t know me, told me. It was good news because it was repairs that needed to be done. And, I must add, it was good news, because I know that God was fully aware of it and would provide for it. Stuff happens. Yea, we can be caught up in it at first, but if we stop and consider the good news, it really isn’t bad news at all. Two of my favorite verses are back to back in Psalm 27: 23 If the LORD delights in a man's way, he makes his steps firm; 24 though he stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his hand. And 25 I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. Throughout our day, we may stumble a time or two. It happens, stuff happens! But if we are walking to please our Lord, the good news is that He promises that even though we may stumble, we will not fall. He has us in His grasp. That is very comforting to know. The other good news is that God always comes through for us. Our experience bares it out. I have never seen God, not once, in the 36 years that I have known Him as my personal Savior, not provide. One thought might be, if we never received and bad news we would not be reminded of all the good news. We do tend to forget good news a lot faster then bad news. There is a lot of good news out there, you just have to look for it a little, but its there. Here’s some goods news right from Jesus’ mouth; “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10 |
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