The Messengers of Good News
Pause for a moment and reflect on your role as a bearer of the good news. Are you actively sharing the love of Christ with those around you? Are you seeking to be a living testimony of His grace?
You might read Paul’s call to "preach" in Romans 10:14 and think this call is reserved for a pastor, priest, or teacher. But our homes, workplaces, and communities can serve as pulpits of influence when we live surrendered to Him. In these seemingly ordinary spaces, we can share the love of Christ through a listening ear that brings peace to a troubled mind, a helping hand that lifts burdens, or a word of encouragement that rekindles hope.
As a follower of Christ, you are qualified to share this hope and encourage others! What God desires is obedience and willingness to be a vessel of His Word. In the simplicity of everyday interactions, we become vessels of His love and messengers of the gospel.
As believers, we have an integral role in sharing the gospel message of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit equips you. God chooses and empowers you. And the seeds you sow, even the tiniest ones, have the power to take root and spread the message of salvation.
“And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered. And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread. And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, ...
Fulfillment of God’s Promises
Hundreds of years before Jesus, the people of God were in trouble.
They were stuck in life, unable to help themselves, and perhaps beginning to doubt that God would save them. Have you ever felt the same way? If so, you might relate to the original audience of this verse—the exiles in Babylon.
The Babylonians conquered God's people and land, sending them hundreds of miles away. Maybe they thought that God had abandoned them, or that He couldn’t hear their cries. But God is always close—especially when His people call on His name.
Isaiah let his people know that God would provide a way out of Babylonian captivity. And God kept His promise, allowing His people to return home.
Generations later, many of God’s people saw themselves as being in a new exile. They were home, but all was not well. So they remembered this verse and its promise—that no matter how dark or desperate our situation might be, God is able to provide a path out of brokenness, ...