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Yes! There Is Good News!

Bill Rollins has been publishing each week a column in the local Elk Horn, Iowa paper for the past several years.
Note the original publication date on each blog post

Yes! There is Good News!                                          1.7.17

10/31/2020

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The calendar has just flipped another year for us, and again I ponder the passage of time. It is something that is unstoppable for us humans. It is just one of many things that has been ordained by God Himself. Speaking of God ordaining things, I must wonder just what there may be that God has not ordained. Do you consider God to be in charge of the universe? I do. He is the creator and the sustainer of all things. In the beginning of the Bible, the book of Genesis, God tells us that at the end of each day of creation, He pronounced it as good. And that at the end of the sixth day we read, “God saw all that He had made, and it was very good.”

Soon after, in Chapter 3 of Genesis we see that man (i.e. Adam and Eve) couldn’t keep one commandment. Yes, He has graciously given us 10 commandments, but to Adam and Eve He only brought forth one: “Do not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” They failed the test and that was not good! I believe we know the rest of the story. They chose to take upon themselves the knowledge of what was good and what was evil. And so without God’s guidance in navigation, things went downhill from there. At this point in scripture God puts the Bible on “fast forward” and takes us about 1,650 years in two chapters and so we come to Noah’s day. Genesis 6:5, “The LORD saw how great man’s wickedness on earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was evil all the time. The LORD was grieved that He had made man on the earth and His heart was filled with pain.” My friends, this was not good news. God grieved and His heart was filled with pain! These are strong words that are used for God’s emotions. Have you ever grieved? It is not a pleasurable time. Has your heart ever been filled with pain? Same comment!

Some have wondered how a good God could allow bad things to happen. Let me state right here that the bad things that happen on this earth grieve God and fill His heart with pain. His hand is not here to stop an inebriated person’s car from starting and eventually killing an innocent bystander. But I believe His heart grieves.

I can answer this seeming dilemma in one word; freedom! Adam and Eve chose a certain path and it was not a path of freedom but slavery. And yet God (who “changes not”) still allows us the freedom to go out and get drunk and try to drive home.
But God has now, once again, given us His true freedom through His Son Jesus Christ. In Him we are free. Free to not sin. Free to love Him. Free to walk before Him in true righteousness and holiness. We all know that freedom is not free and Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice. He paid the ultimate penalty for us so that we may once again be truly free.

And friends and brethren, that is good news.
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    Author

    Bill Rollins resides in Elk Horn, IA, with his wife, Sally, and has pastored the Church of God of Omaha, NE for more than 35 years.

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  • Home
    • Spring Feast 2022
    • FOT 2018 >
      • Feast Schedule
      • Feast messages
  • Essays
    • Psalms of Ascent >
      • Psalm 120
      • Psalm 121
      • Psalm 122
      • Psalm 123
      • Psalm 124
      • Psalm 125
      • Psalm 126
      • Psalm 127
      • Psalm 128
      • Psalm 129
      • Psalm 130
      • Psalm 131
      • Psalm 132
      • Psalm 133
      • Psalm 134
      • Psalms of Ascent Chiasm
    • Yes, There Is Good News!
    • Timely Comments - Blog
    • Christian Walk
    • Holy Days >
      • Passover >
        • children's lessons
      • Days of Unleavened Bread >
        • children's lessons
      • Pentecost >
        • children's lessons
      • Trumpets >
        • children's lessons
      • Atonement >
        • children's lessons
      • Feast of Tabernacles >
        • children's lessons
      • Eighth Day >
        • children's lessons
    • Holidays
  • Current Sabbath School
    • Sabbath School 2023
    • Sabbath School 2022
    • Sabbath School 2021
    • Sabbath school 2020
    • Sabbath School 2019
    • Sabbath school 2018
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  • Hebron
    • Hebron - 2014 >
      • April 2014 - Michael Deering's visit >
        • Photos from Michael
      • May 2014 - Tom Benzen's visit >
        • Gardening photos
      • July 2014 - Apples >
        • More Apple Photos
      • August 2014 - New orphans
      • September 2014 - Education >
        • September photos
      • October 2014 - Cyclone
      • December 2014
    • Hebron - 2015 >
      • January 2015
      • March 2015
      • April 2015 - Passover
      • October 2015 >
        • Ice Cream photos
    • Hebron - 2016 >
      • January 2016 photos
      • Passover 2016 >
        • Passover photos
      • Pentecost photos 2016
      • July 2016 - Evening Prayers
      • Apples - July 2016
      • Aug 2016
    • Hebron Building Project >
      • photos of building project
    • Hebron 2017 >
      • Pentecost 2017 photos
      • July 2017 lunch photos
      • Nursing/regular students
      • Lunchtime - Oct 2017
      • Feast of Tabernacles photos
      • October Thank You
      • Nursing Students
      • December photos
    • Hebron 2018 >
      • Passover 2018
      • Baby boy!!
      • Feast of Tabernacles 2018 >
        • Feast photos
    • Hebron 2021 >
      • Photos January 2021
      • February photos
      • December photos
    • Hebron 2022
  • Career Direct