Cool breeze is gently blowing in my face, at the end of fall season, as the morning has broken. It brings fragrance of life to another set the creations. The end of one season is another way of welcoming another season – winter preceded by brief autumn.
The changing season reminded me of several things in life: One, the days I had spent with my father whom I had missed dearly. Two, the significant celebration of glad tidings of peace and salvation; Christmas as we called it, on wintery days.
My father’s long distance call did not ring again some years ago. But I know that he’d surely called me should he not be rested for eternity. For, in any special days my father would called me whether I had received message from God regarding the specialty of that particular day, for example Good Friday, Easter, Christmas, and the likes.
Today, I want to tell you what I would have told my father should he have called me. In the past, my father’s presence in my life brought me peace as I could call him any time I wanted to. Now that he’s no more, I have peace only through the salvation of the living God, whose love he had shared with me.
From generations to generations, we need someone who can bring glad tidings of joy, peace, and salvation when we’re in deep waters of fear, trouble, and sufferings. And the assurance of salvation, glad tidings of joy and peace are proclaimed in Bethlehem vicinity with the birth of the Son of God in human form.
Glad Tidings in the Battlefield:
Before we moved on further, I wanted to you into the battlefield for once. You may possibly se yourself here too. Now, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, came up from the armies of Philistines taunting for a one-man fight with the Israelites.
All of the men of Israel fled when they saw the man and were dreadfully afraid, recorded the Bible. It was a task beyond their strength a sensible person as we called it today would say the same thing. However, for young David filled with the spirit of God, it was not an impossible task.
“Let no man’s heart fail because of him (Goliath); your servant go and fight with this Philistine,” said David to King Saul. (1 Samuel 17:32) The man of God brings glad tidings of peace and comfort to the dreadfully afraid and chaotic scene of the battle field.
Long story short, David’s faith in God really defeated the champion, which once again brought peace for Israel. In that way, the coming of the Messiah brings glad tidings of peace in our battle field of life’s tempest-tost.
Salvation: Glad Tidings of Good Things:
The Israelites were exiled for some reasons during the time of Isaiah, the prophet. In their exile, the Lord brought good news through his prophet about salvation and its assurance of hope for the exiled nation.
In their road to redemption and assurance of deliverance the word of God came to him, which talk about figure ought to be welcome with joy and thankfulness. It reads: How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!” (Isaiah 52:7)
It talks about the long promised Messiah and the glad tidings of peace and prosperity the Son of God would bring to the human heart. It is the kingdom of God, which we can now inherit in his grace.
It is the gospel, indeed, of glad tidings, tidings of victory over our spiritual enemies and liberty from our spiritual bondage. The good news is that the Lord Jesus reigns and all power is given to him.
Rejection of His Glad Tidings:
It is he for whom the angels proclaimed on that fateful night, when their Lord descends from his throne in his willingness to do anything, to every extent, for his loved ones. It is written: And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.” (Luke 2:13, 14)
However, Jesus Christ is rejected by many, before and till date. In Nazareth, he found the need for proclaiming once again as he did not want none to be left out, as he did till today. Speaking on himself he quoted Isaiah again as,
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:18)
Comfort for Eternity:
I am blessed to have a father who taught me the peace and authority of Jesus Christ in our lives. My father, as stated in my starting lines, might have rested but the comfort of the gospel of Jesus Christ comforted me from time to time.
This glad tiding of comfort, if it ends with one or two generation we’d be a failure, it’s for eternity. Eternity, in the sense, is from one generation to another, which should be preserved from evil.
Now, with the birth of Jesus Christ and his subsequent act for salvation, we’re able to enjoy the comfort of his love and grace with the amount of faith we had. There is no escape if we neglect this great salvation, which at first was spoken by the Lord and was confirmed to us by those who heard him. (Hebrews 2:3)
In our grief, we have reasons to be glad,
In our sufferings we have reasons to be glad,
In our chaotic life we have reasons to have peace,
For we had received the glad tidings of good things
The day has come we can embrace the Savior
We have peace with God in his salvation
We have peace with our lonely inner self.
In peace, the Holy Spirit comforts our heart.
What a beautiful blessing to have such a great relationship with your father. This message has encouraged my heart. God bless you brother!
Thank you. It’s all because of the grace of God. We’re comforted, with a living hope, in him through his salvation. God bless you and your family!