When I have exciting news to tell, I cannot keep it in. I have to tell somebody or it feels like my inside will explode. I am sure that most of you are like me. When something fantastic happens to you, you cannot wait to tell it. When you have good news you have to tell someone. Our instatwittersnapface culture has pushed people into a new realm of pressure that says we must find new and creative ways to share news. Our news feeds and pages are cluttered with newly engaged couples, newly expectant couples, and others who just have to tell their stories. We have a motivation to share our good news because we want our friends and family to experience the joy and live in the moment with us.
You will likely never receive a text from someone that says, “Hey, the most amazing thing happened to me, but I’m not going to tell you about it.” There are two reasons you probably will never receive a text like that. One, the grammar is correct, and it is written in a complete sentence. Two, no one has a life changing event and keeps it to themselves.
In Daniel chapter 4, King Nebuchadnezzar has a life-changing event. This man of great power makes a proclamation about the God of the Universe to the entire world. He declares this message “to all peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all earth (Daniel 4:1).” As we continue to read in chapter 4, we see a man who has been personally affected by the almighty God of the Universe. He is humbled, and God reveals to Nebuchadnezzar who he really is – a powerful, mighty, great God whose kingdom is everlasting and whose dominion endures from generation to generation.
As a followers of Christ, we have been changed by a personal God. Jesus Christ came to this earth as a man, went to the cross, and stood in our place. He carried the weight of our sin and in exchange he gave us his righteousness. In Christ we have the guarantee of a new life and a hope of a resurrection. This is the best news ever. This is life changing. This is a story that has to be told.
The message of the gospel of Jesus Christ is a story that must be told “to all peoples, nations, and languages.” This is the greatest story ever told. The almighty God of the universe, the greatest author of all time, has written us into His grand story. And he has privileged us to be his storytellers.
mark t. collins 