Look For Good News

Alba 1-7-2024

LOOK FOR GOOD NEWS

I Thessalonians 3:6-13

Have you noticed that newspapers and TV news casts give mostly negative news? I have read that positive new doesn't sell. But don't you get tired of all the negative news? Well amazingly, I found a website called “Good News Network”. Here are some news stories you may not have heard from major news networks.

The headline says, “Baby That Had Spinal Surgery in the Womb Can Now Walk and Run” The article tells that, “A little girl whose parents were told she would never walk is now running around like other 5-year-olds after receiving emergency spinal surgery while still in the womb.

“This miracle of modern medicine was available to first-time parents Georgia Axford and Tyler Kelly, then just 19 and 21, who were told their unborn baby had spina bifida after an ultrasound at 20 weeks.” The girl's mother admitted that, “She does get really tired and can’t go for really long distances, but she does so well, especially considering what we were told.” That is good news!

And, today we hear so many stories of young people doing horrible things. Gangs rob and steal and kill. Many who are just youths get caught up in these things. But then there is this headline, “Run Over by Car, Mob of High Schoolers Hoist Machine Off of Mother and 2 Kids”.

The story tells that, “In Utah, a mother and two children were run over in a high school parking lot when a horde of students came running to help. It was in early December that the mother and her kids, ages 2 and 3, were walking back across the Layton Christian Academy parking lot to their car when a woman driving very slowly, yet partially blinded by the low winter sun coming in through the windshield, ran the three down.”

The story says, “The CEO of the private school praised the speed and determination of the high schoolers, who arrived en masse to help lift the car to one side and allow the trapped family to escape.” That is good news!

And there are more such stories. There is good news if we will look for it. The apostle Paul was hoping to find some good news, and he found it in Timothy's report on how the church in Thessalonica was doing. Paul was concerned about them, and finally sent Timothy to encourage them. We read about this in his letter, I Thessalonians 3:6-13. He says:

6 But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and brought us good news of your faith and love, and that you always have good remembrance of us, greatly desiring to see us, as we also to see you— 7 therefore, brethren, in all our affliction and distress we were comforted concerning you by your faith. 8 For now we live, if you stand fast in the Lord.

9 For what thanks can we render to God for you, for all the joy with which we rejoice for your sake before our God, 10 night and day praying exceedingly that we may see your face and perfect what is lacking in your faith?

11 Now may our God and Father Himself, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way to you. 12 And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you, 13 so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.

In verse six, Paul speaks of the good news that he received from Timothy's report. It is interesting that this is only one of two times in the New Testament that the phrase “good news” is used for something other than the “gospel” of Jesus Christ.

That gives us an idea of just how good the news about the Thessalonians was to Paul.

The context of these words show us that when we focus on good news, we can be (1) comforted, (2) and rejoice, (3) and be prayerful. Isn't that a better place to be as we start this new year, than to be mired in the negative events of the day?

That doesn't mean we should ignore or be unaware of real issues around us. But if we overload ourselves with things that are negative, we soon lose sight of what God wants to do in our lives.

God has not left us. We are not alone in this world. He still gives strength to those who trust Him. And when we see that others are also trusting the Lord, it brings comfort to our hearts. When we see Christians exhibiting faith in times of trouble, such as the Thessalonians did, it encourages us to be faithful as well. When things become difficult in our lives, we need the example of others who have not given up. That example motivates us to go forward, not backward.