Mike Novotny - Good News Just for You
So when you feel like your faith isn't what it should be, when you feel like you don't have everything you want to, spiritually, you can turn to Jesus. and he proclaims, he preaches good news for people just like you. Wow! We are here! Jesus was here, not around here. But here. Earlier this year, I got to explore Israel. I'm sitting, literally, in the place where Jesus' feet touched. I saw some amazing places. The old city of Jerusalem. In the Garden of Gethsemane. Beautiful Nazareth. At the Mount of Beatitudes. Capernaum, on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. And I can't wait to share these video devotions with you.
I am so grateful for the good news that Jesus offers. I'm not sure if your faith is anything like mine. But, often I feel like I should be further along in my faith. Like, I should be more patient, more selfless, more loving, a better pastor, a better dad. Sometimes my faith doesn't feel like rich and great. It feels kind of poor and messed up. But today I'm standing here in Nazareth. And Nazareth is the place where Jesus preached good news for people like me. And if your faith isn't perfect, for people like you too.
Listen to this incredible scripture from Luke, chapter 4. I love that little line. The good news of Jesus isn't just for the rich. It's not just for the important. It's for the poor. So, when you feel like your faith isn't what it should be, when you feel like you don't have everything you want to spiritually, you can turn to Jesus, and he proclaims, he preaches good news for people just like you. That there's grace and there's freedom, there's the favor of God. That God's acceptance of us wasn't based on us being rich and powerful and wonderful. Instead it's just this good news that we find in the gospel.
Standing here in Nazareth makes me so grateful for the kind of Savior that we have. A Savior who's not waiting for the 2.0 version of us, that's so much better and so much stronger. But the Savior who offers grace. Grace that flows down to the lowest place and comforts people just like me and just like you. Thank God for Nazareth and the amazing Savior who came from here.