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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!               March

8/12/2022

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It was four years ago (March 7th 2016 - to be exact) that this endeavor of writing an article on “good news” began. This article marks the 201st article I have written. Seems like a mile stone of sorts, maybe even an opportunity for celebration!!

But before we start that, I have a question for all of us; have these articles done us any good? What in the world could I mean by that? Well, if my effort in writing and your effort in reading have not had some affect on our lives then we are operating in the realm of vanity. And what is the definition of vanity? Webster’s dictionary says, “Any act that is empty, futile or worthless.” I, for one, am not comfortable operating in that manner and I hope you are not either.

So, perhaps this is confession time! This really has been a fulfilling endeavor for me. I do not just write them only in the hope that you are edified, but I write them in the desire that I, too, learn something – and I have. So let’s move forward with this.

There is much that goes on in this world that might be labeled vanity. In our previous article I wrote, “Satan will take one of God’s truths and place an hundred lies around it. He really does not care which lie we choose; if we bite on any of the “hooks” he has set up, he wins.” This, of course, happens quite often in many religious circles. Satan knows just how to spend his time while getting us to waste our time.

One of the greatest lies that he has put forth is indeed, vanity: that which is empty, futile and worthless. We live in the greatest, most affluent nation the world has ever seen. Our lives revolve around many episodes of vanity. We see something that has great value and yet we treat it as empty and worthless – I might label many things along this line. The Bible is one thing that comes to mind. There is no book on the face of this earth so valuable as God’s word and oft times we let it lie on a shelf collecting dust.

Satan wants us to spend our time with that which is vanity. Take for instance a simple work of fiction, written by a mere human, and we treat it with adoration and recommend it to our friends and loved ones. Oh, I’m not pointing any fingers here for I too have done this. There is nothing intrinsically wrong with reading a good piece of fiction – reading is always stimulating to the mind and will usually increase our outlook and intellect. It may be labeled as entertainment, and we all need some of that. It only becomes problematic when this is the only reading we allow into our lives.

We could go on looking at many areas of our society for the empty things it provides for us but let me ask another question – what is the opposite of empty and worthless? Well, that’s easy; and you say; “that which is full and valuable.” In the Bible, however, the opposite of vanity is “glorious.” On the one hand we have, “Do not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.” And on the other hand we read, “Ascribe to the LORD the glory due His name.” One thing we are told not to do and the other we are urged to do. Vanity verses Glory – it is worth thinking about.

Until next time – consider the good news and give glory to God!!

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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
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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