SCRIPTURE
Ezekiel 31:1-12 (NRSV)
Evil can be a towering cedar
In the eleventh year, in the third month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: Mortal, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his hordes:
Whom are you like in your greatness?
Consider Assyria, a cedar of Lebanon,
with fair branches and forest shade,
and of great height,
its top among the clouds.
The waters nourished it,
the deep made it grow tall,
making its rivers flow
around the place it was planted,
sending forth its streams
to all the trees of the field.
So it towered high
above all the trees of the field;
its boughs grew large
and its branches long,
from abundant water in its shoots.
All the birds of the air
made their nests in its boughs;
under its branches all the animals of the field
gave birth to their young;
and in its shade
all great nations lived.
It was beautiful in its greatness,
in the length of its branches;
for its roots went down
to abundant water.
The cedars in the garden of God could not rival it,
nor the fir trees equal its boughs;
the plane trees were as nothing
compared with its branches;
no tree in the garden of God
was like it in beauty.
I made it beautiful
with its mass of branches,
the envy of all the trees of Eden
that were in the garden of God.
Therefore thus says the Lord God: Because it towered high and set its top among the clouds, and its heart was proud of its height, I gave it into the hand of the prince of the nations; he has dealt with it as its wickedness deserves. I have cast it out. Foreigners from the most terrible of the nations have cut it down and left it. On the mountains and in all the valleys its branches have fallen, and its boughs lie broken in all the watercourses of the land; and all the peoples of the earth went away from its shade and left it.
DEVOTION
Sometimes I watch the news, read the paper, or listen to the heartache and pain of others and I feel great despair regarding the evil that is thriving in our world.
I hear the stories of parents who conduct suicide watch at the bedside of their teenage child. I share the grief of congregations who have learned that their pastor has been involved in sexual misconduct. I empathize with the anxiety of my neighbors and friends who have lost their jobs, houses, cars, hopes and dreams because of a crumbling economy. I despair about the genocide in Darfur and other nations and I feel profoundly anxious about wars and rumors of wars on continents near and far.
In addition to all of these evils, Spirit often causes me to discern the midnight tears of the woman who looks like she has it all together, the rage of a husband or wife who has been betrayed by his or her spouse, the agony of the young woman at college who has been date raped by a friend, the disappointment of a mother whose son has become involved in drugs and gangs, the grief of the mother and father who have lost a beloved child, the loneliness of the bachelor who simply wants to be loved, and the profound sadness of the one who has come to the realization that racism is an ever present cancer even in the house of her friends…
I could go on and on, but I know that you have your own stories of anger, fear, anxiety, worry, depression, grief, regret, guilt, sadness, sin, and/or evil.
Oh my Lord, have mercy upon us!
We live in such a bad news world. When I think about all of the bad news, my thoughts grow sluggish, breath labors in my lungs, tears prick my eyes, and my shoulders slump seemingly bowed under the weight of the world.
My friends, today’s scripture reminds us that sometimes evil will seem to be so great, tall, high, exalted and all encompassing that it threatens to overwhelm, overtake, and destroy our world.
But, this is not so! God has never, can never, and will never leave us hostage to the sin and evil that has befallen us—God loves us way too much for that!
Instead of leaving us lost in the “dark night of our souls*,” God sent out God’s love through time, space, and eternity!
God did this by giving Jesus to die upon the cross, to save us from the sin and evil that is both inside—and outside—of us.
God redeemed all of us from sin, death, and the grave when Jesus was resurrected on the third day.
As a result, we are promised the gift of an eternal life where God will wipe every tear from our eyes and death, mourning, crying, and pain will be no more (Rev. 21:4)!
Since we know—by faith—that we are the recipients of this great gift, we are compelled to live, by faith, into the love, joy, and peace granted to us by the Spirit of God—RIGHT NOW!
Although we do live in a bad news world, we are called to be a GOOD NEWS people!
As Christians--or people who have put all of our hope in Jesus--we are called to carry God’s story, and our stories, into all of the earth. As we encounter people weighed down by the bad news of the day, we are to lift their spirits by sharing the GOOD NEWS that Jesus saves and He saves to the utmost!
Isn’t it awesome that we get to be partners with God spreading the seeds of love, joy, peace, hope for the future, and an attitude of gratitude everywhere we go?
As we model these holy attributes, bad news will always be overwhelmed by GOOD NEWS! As we live into these virtuous values, we will uplift everyone around us, changing our homes, neighborhoods, cities, states, countries, and world!
Body by body we are able to overcome the spirit of warfare with the bonds of peace. Mind by mind we are able to overcome the spirit of depression with Jesus’ joy! Soul by soul, we are able to overcome the spirit of hatred with that of love! And person by person, we are able to overcome the spirit of bad news with that of the GOOD!
My friends, this is our most precious assignment as followers of Christ! We are to allow the Light and Love of Jesus to consume us until all that we can see is JESUS and His love for humanity! We are to exhibit a ridiculous optimism about the present and the future that will be contagious to those who live and work around us!
Stop believing the false reality portrayed in the media and in our homes, neighborhoods, and world! This false reality is a lie from the Enemy of our souls.
The Truth is that although we may face some bad news circumstances, Jesus is the GOOD NEWS who overcomes the trouble of this world!
Be at peace my friends and share your peace with others…In the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Do you want to be filled with GOOD NEWS today?
If so, please pray with me as I help you to put all of your hope in Jesus:
Oh God, I confess to you that I have been consumed by bad news, evil, and sin. At times, I have felt so depressed and despairing that I did not believe that you even existed. Today, I confess that I am a sinner in need of your forgiveness and grace. Please forgive me. I believe that you love me, gave Jesus to die for me, and have saved me from my sin and gifted me with eternal life! This is GOOD NEWS so wonderful that I cannot keep it to myself. Please help me to share this GOOD NEWS with others. Please fill me with Your Spirit of love, joy, peace, hope for the future, and an attitude of gratitude. I want to bring GOOD NEWS to those who need it! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
SPECIAL NOTE
If you just prayed this prayer for the first time, today, you are saved! I would be so honored if you would let me know about your decision by clicking “Yes” in the poll located at the top/right of today’s devotional! I am so happy for you! Happy Spiritual Re-Birth-Day!
Next steps: In response to what God did for you just now, let me suggest that you consider telling another Christian so that they can celebrate with you! Ask them to help you find a Bible that is easy for you to understand so that you can learn more about your new-found faith! Ask them to help you find a good Bible believing church where you can be baptized and make loving friends who will walk with you on your new journey! You are already saved; now let God mature you by faith! Congratulations!
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Congratulations to the people who have recently put all of their hope in Jesus! We celebrate your re-birth-day and promise to hold you in our prayers!
If you would like to put all of your hope in Jesus today, please visit my blog entitled, “Putting All Your Hope In Jesus” located at
http://aintathatgoodnews.blogspot.com/2009/04/putting-all-your-hope-in-jesus.html
If you have additional questions about how to become a friend and follower of Jesus, please see the devotion entitled, "Come to Jesus"
http://aintathatgoodnews.blogspot.com/2009/03/come-to-jesus.html
* St. John of the Cross first used "dark night of the soul."
Pastor Yolanda is now publishing another blog entitled, “A Spoken WORD” in celebration of Holy Hip Hop, Gospel/Christian Rap and Spoken Word. Please check it out @ http://aspokenword.blogspot.com/
You are invited to follow Pastor Yolanda on Twitter www.twitter.com/PastorYolanda
Good News has now added a Prayer Ministry. http://www.kindlejoy.com/groups/goodnews
You are invited to leave comments or questions regarding today’s devotional. These comments are public.
EACH ONE--REACH ONE! To share GOOD NEWS with a friend please click the "Share With Friends" button to the right!
Thanks for reading and please come again. Pastor Yolanda extends a very special welcome to all of our friends reading outside of the United States of America! We are honored that you are sharing with us today.
From Pastor Yolanda's blog http://aintathatgoodnews.blogspot.com
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