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| Volume 22 Number 6 August 2020 | Page 7 |
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| Volume 22 Number 6 August 2020 | Page 7 |
Ernest S. Underwood
It is always good and pleasant to hear good news, and especially so if it comes from one who is far away. Solomon described it in Proverbs 25:25. “As cold water to a weary soul, So is good news from a far country.” As I have been privileged to travel into different parts of the world, I have always tried to call home. It is always good to hear from loved ones and to know that all is well. I remember receiving the news that my wife and I had another grandson, this while we were living in Singapore. What wonderful news! The soldier in the field is cheered by mail from home, especially if it contains news that is good.
The greatest news that has ever come to man came from a “far country”—Heaven. That good news is the Bible—God’s Holy Word! In it one learns of the provisions God has made to save fallen man. It tells of man’s redemption through God’s only begotten Son. It tells of God’s willingness to forgive the vilest sinner if that sinner will simply accept the terms of the Good News—the Gospel—for that is what the word Gospel means. This news tells man of the promise of an eternal home with God, a place so beautiful that the human mind can scarcely comprehend it.
Have you heard the Good News? Have you obeyed its terms? Are you spreading that news to sinful man? Hear it, heed it, and then, tell it to others!
Strength in Weakness
T. Pierce Brown
For those of us who are familiar with Paul’s life, perhaps 2 Corinthians 12:10 is one of the significant things we remember when he said, “Wherefore I take pleasure in weaknesses, in injuries, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then I am strong.” Although we may never have thought of it, that is a theme that runs through the whole Bible. What were the midwives who saved Moses compared to the power of Pharaoh? What was David’s sling compared to the spear of Goliath? What was the fearful group of disciples who fled from Jesus when He was arrested compared to the combined forces of the jealous Jews and the rapacious [brutal] Romans?
If we have built our lives on the foundation of the powers of this world, we will be lost. Banking on money will not work. Politicians may have had a catchy slogan when they said, “It is the economy, stupid,” but the truth is that the last word in that sentence describes the philosophy of the first four. Those who assume that the solution to the problems of drugs, racism or any other will be solved by edicts of the Supreme Court, legislation from the halls of Congress, giving away more money or pontifical and political pronouncements from the President are all wrong. Pharaoh is gone (though his mummified body may still exist), but God’s people were delivered from captivity by one who was born in captivity and cradled in an ark set adrift in the bulrushes by a mother who knew that God’s power could work through the weakest means. Her work will live on forever.
To be well educated, have a good bank account, a good marriage and a happy family are all desirable. However, our real strength is not in those things but in God and His power. In fact, all the power and even the good things of this world will pass away, and so, we must learn that our hope is ultimately in God and His power.