Peace for Worry

Worry is all too common. We worry about health, finances, what people might think or say about us, etc. Sometimes worry prevents us from acting. We have good news. We should share it. The angels shared good news with the shepherds in Luke 2 and the shepherds shared that good news with others. The word "gospel" means good news. In ancient Israel, the prophet Isaiah declared that the good news involved Yahweh's victory of evil and the rescue of His people. In ancient Rome, the good news was an announcement o f an emperor's ascension or birthday. Since the Christian good news involves the in breaking of God's kingdom as both the

fulfillment of prophecy and a challenge to the world's present rulers, the word 'gospel' became an important shorthand for both the message of Jesus Himself, and the apostolic message about Him.

Here's the gospel: Good news! Jesus, who died on the cross for our sins and rose again for our justification according the Scriptures, is the true Lord of the world! When the gospel is preached, God calls people to salvation by His grace, leading to faith in Jesus. We heard the gospel. We came to believe the gospel. We placed our faith in Jesus. As His disciples, it is our responsibility to share the gospel message with others.