Good News!

We live in turbulent times. There are many things that are constantly being challenged and changed, which is usually a symptom of fear. Regardless if that’s an accurate assessment or not, one thing is clear: people are living with fewer godly influences in their lives.

With all the shootings and riots and other crazy things that seem to happen all too regularly, it seems important to address our value. Each one of us are valuable to God, and God has arranged it so that  our job is to help other people realize God’s value for them as well. That’s the good news: God loves you more than you can imagine.

The Gospel of Mark is believed to be the first gospel account written (approx. 70 A.D.). It was written during a time when there was a lot of volatility in society. The good news helps us recognize what makes life valuable–being part of God’s family.

At the heart of nearly all violent acts committed by mankind, is a person who hurts, a person who doesn’t understand the value of life–theirs or other people's.

At a 25-year class reunion at Yale University, a study was conducted to help determine if an elite education contributes to a person’s perceived value of themselves. The study showed that 80% didn’t regard themselves as valuable, even though all of them made higher than average salaries, and all of them had been able to go to an ivy league college. What was the problem? The answer could be better stated by the other 20% that claimed to have a higher value of themselves. What was their secret? They valued helping other people and regarded that as their success.

This is what Jesus showed the world–how to value life. His attitude is something we should mimic, just as Paul said in Philippians 2:5. When Jesus was asked by John’s followers if He really was the Messiah, he responded in Luke 7:22-23 by basically saying, “Watch what I do for people; that’s your proof of who I am.”

Jesus saw each one of us as worth dying for. Each one of us is like a walking treasure box, filled with things that God loves and things He can use to help others experience His love. The Gospel of Mark is Mark’s good news message of God’s love for us. That love makes us valuable, and it’s what this crazy world needs to see in us so that they’ll turn to Jesus and find eternal hope.