Daily Devotional For Monday, November 13, 2023
We live in a world full of more news networks “than Carter has pills.” Dating myself here with “Carter pills.” HA!. News organizations make their ratings and money primarily on reporting all the bad, terrible, horrendous and painful news stories of the day or week. It is rare you here a “good news report.” Liberal news outlets put down conservative ones and conservative ones put down liberal ones. It is so easy to get discouraged, down and even depressed with all the bad news today.
As Christians, we have the best news in the world. It is called The Gospel. When the angels appeared to the shepherds in the fields, they said this to them in Luke 2:10-12, "But the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. (11) The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! (12) And you will recognize Him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger” (NLT). Emphasis on “good news.”
The Apostle John continued this Good news when he wrote these words in John 3:16-17, For this is how God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. (17) God sent His Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through Him” (NLT). The Gospel is not about condemnation, but celebration. We have the best news in the world and we need to be sharing it.
If you think back over your life, what are some situations where you got some really great, good and fantastic news? How did you feel? How did you react? We have news — really good news — that the world can never give. In spite of all the bad news in the world today, there are a lot of great “good news” in the world. For one, there are Christian missionaries all over the world sharing this Good News (Gospel) with lost and unsaved people groups. Second, every week there are Christians in churches that come and use their talents, skills and abilities for the glory of Jesus Christ. Every week, there are Christians in cell groups or small groups or Sunday School classes who are growing and maturing in their faith.
In the 1940s, there was an old Big Band song sung by the Andrews Sisters that had these lyrics,
"Man, they said we better, accentuate the positive, Eliminate the negative, Latch on to the affirmative; Don’t mess with Mister In-Between. No, do not mess with Mister In-Between. Do you hear me? Oh, listen to me children and-a you will hear, About the eliminatin' of the negative, And the accent on the positive, And gather 'round me children if you're willin’, And sit tight while I start reviewin’, The attitude of doin' right.
You've gotta accentuate the positive, Eliminate the negative, Latch on to the affirmative, Don't mess with Mister In-Between, You’ve got to spread joy up to the maximum, Bring gloom, down to the minimum, Otherwise pandemonium, Liable to walk upon the scene. You gotta ac-cent-tchu-ate the positive. E-lim-i-nate the negative, And latch on to the affirmative, Don't mess with Mr. In-Between. You got to spread joy up to the maximum; Bring gloom down to the minimum. Have faith, or pandemonium, Liable to walk upon the scene.
To illustrate my last remark, Jonah in the whale, Noah in the ark. What did they do, just when everything looked so dark? Man, they said, we better:Aac-cent-tchu-ate the positive. E-lim-i-nate the negative, And latch on to the affirmative, Don't mess with Mr. In-Between. You got to spread joy up to the maximum; Bring gloom down to the minimum. Have faith, or pandemonium, Liable to walk upon the scene.” Quoted from this web site: https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/24881474/The+Andrews+Sisters/Ac-cent-tchu-ate+the+Positive.
This week, how about being a bearer of good news to someone. Anyone can complain and gripe. It takes a person who is truly thankful to the grace given to them to find a way to share good news when all around them seems to be enveloping them in bad news. My mother used to say to me, “Kelly, if you can’t say anything nice; don’t say anything at all.” Great advice.
Love you, Pastor Kelly
Mediate On This Verse: Proverbs 15:30, “A cheerful look brings joy to the heart; good news makes for good health” (NLT).
Prayer This Prayer: “Dear Jesus, help me to be a bringing of good news. That when people are around me, they feel uplifted and encouraged. Help me to share the Gospel — the best good news in this universe with someone. Jesus, help me to ac-cent-tchu-ate the positive, E-liminate the negative. Thank You Jesus. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”