Megan Evans, Women’s Ministry Director, LHBC
Mark 7:36-37(NLT)
Jesus told the crowd not to tell anyone, but the more he told them not to, the more they spread the news. They were completely amazed and said again and again, “Everything he does is wonderful. He even makes the deaf to hear and gives speech to those who cannot speak.”
What is the best news you have ever received? After hearing this good news, you most likely shared it with someone else. Good news is just too hard to contain! The Good News of the Gospel is the best news you will ever receive. Who have you told recently?
Crowds of people who came to meet Jesus found it hard to contain their excitement after witnessing his miracles and hearing his words. “Everything he does is wonderful. He even makes the deaf to hear and gives speech to those who cannot speak,” they said over and over (Mark 7:37). Many people came to see Jesus after hearing that he could bring the dead back to life (John 12:17). And a Samaritan woman certainly knew this excitement when she bumped into Jesus while drawing up water at a well. After discovering the Living Water Jesus offered, she ran back told her village to come and see (John 4:29)!
Can’t you just imagine people of long ago pausing from their daily routines, a tool in hand or baby on hip, to gather and hear the news about Jesus? Their hearts hungered for the long-awaited Messiah and the crowd’s murmurings spoke of freedom, freedom from illness, bondage, and even death. Who was this Jesus?
But the best was yet to come. They would soon learn that Jesus came to save the whole world and conquer sin and death, paving the way for their eternal life in heaven and ours. Jesus was and is our Messiah. What’s more, Jesus wants a personal relationship with us, and through Christ we are ready and welcome in the very presence of God. The Good News is simple, but exciting! God loved us, chose us, and saved us.
We forget sometimes that hearts today are still waiting to hear the Good News of the Gospel. Do we speak with wonder and amazement about our Savior? If our extraordinary has become ordinary, perhaps begin by praying psalm 51:12 “restore to me the joy of your salvation.” Re-reading a prayer/praise journal is a wonderful way to reflect on what God has done in your life. Spending more intentional time with God through prayer and reading His Word will also help you spread the Good News. It is only natural that those we spend the most time with weave their way into our conversations. This holds true when we spend time lots of quality time with God. More and more we will speak about the exciting things He says and does in our life.
This week try talking about God to others as you would any other exciting news. Here are some examples of conversation starters:
- “You’ll never guess what God did the other day…”
- “I was just reading something in the Bible today that might give you hope about that….”
- “Let me tell you how I would find peace in that situation…”
- “Hey, did I ever tell you why I became a Christian?…”
Prayer for Today:
Dear Lord, spark my conversations today to speak of you. May I be reminded of the good news of the Good News! I never want to lose the excitement in why I became a Christian. May my outward expression and words speak of the hope and peace I have in the message of the gospel. In Jesus Name, Amen.
MEMORY VERSE OF THE WEEK:
Proverbs 1:7
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.