Tag: God is good

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Psalms Devotionals

Resetting our sights

Psalms

It can be easy at times to lose perspective. To lose sight of what is true.

Three times, Asaph uses the word “indeed.”

Twice, Asaph uses it with correct perspective.

God is indeed good to Israel, to the pure in heart. (Psalm 73:1)

And,

Indeed, you put [the wicked] in slippery places; you make them fall into ruin. (18)

But in between is another “indeed” that is hidden in the English translation.

Asaph says, “Indeed I purified my heart and washed my hands in innocence for nothing.” (13)

That is especially striking when you look at verse 1 where he said God is good to the pure in heart.

But in seeing the prosperity of the wicked, he lost perspective. And in the process, he became bitter and foolish. (21-22)

How often does the same happen to us? Truth gets twisted because of what we see around us. Whether it’s the evil on society, or the troubles we have in our own lives.

The result?

We become bitter. We entertain foolish thoughts.

How do we regain perspective? We find the answer in verse 17.

Reenter God’s sanctuary. Come into God’s presence and gaze upon him. Listen to him. Worship him.

Only then, will you start to see things rightly again.

You don’t need to go to church to do this. You are his sanctuary. He dwells in you.

So wherever you are, quiet your heart before him and enter his presence. Put aside your smartphone. Turn off the internet and your TV. And come before him with an open Bible and an open heart.

As a start, try meditating on the final verses of this psalm from verses 21-28.

Think on them. Pray them. And let God correct your perspective.

God is indeed good…

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Acts Devotionals

But I did what you told me!

Acts

According to verses 6-10 of this chapter, the Holy Spirit led Paul and his companions to Macedonia, and so that’s where they went.

At first, things went well, but eventually they were tossed into prison for casting out a demon from a girl.

If you had been Paul and Silas, what would you have done?

“God! What are you doing? You told us to go to Macedonia, didn’t you? We did what you said! Why are we suffering like this?”

Probably many people would react in just that way. But what did Paul and Silas do?

Without a word of complaint, they spent their time in jail praying and singing songs of praise to God.

What happened then? An earthquake hit breaking not only their chains, but the chains of the prisoners around them.

Not only that, when the jailer saw all this, he put his faith in Jesus and was saved.

God never promises us an easy life. He never says, “If you follow me, you’ll never suffer.”

In fact, he promises the exact opposite. (John 14:18-21, 16:1-4, 33; 2 Timothy 3:12)

But in all your suffering, remember this: Jesus is with you. And your suffering will not last forever. (John 16:33)

So don’t complain in your suffering. Rather, like Paul and Silas, sing songs of praise to God.

If you do, not only will your bitter chains fall off, but when others see you, like the jailer, they too may believe and be saved, their chains of sin falling to the ground.

But if you don’t believe God is good, you won’t ever do this.

How about you? What do you believe?

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Psalms Devotionals

His faithful love

Psalms

You’ll have to pardon the direction my thoughts naturally go this week.

As I mentioned yesterday, my pastor and friend passed away this week, and today is the day of his funeral. Thinking about him colors a lot of what I’m reading, and I’m seeing the scriptures in new ways.

More so than ever, the first few lines of this psalm ring in my heart.

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
his faithful love endures forever.

Let Israel say,
“His faithful love endures forever.”

Let the house of Aaron say,
“His faithful love endures forever.”

Let those who fear the LORD say,
“His faithful love endures forever.” (Psalm 118:1-4)

“The Lord is good. His faithful love endures forever.”

That’s the whole reason we have hope, isn’t it? If he were not good, if his love were a fickle thing that comes and goes, we’d have no hope at all.

But now, Jesus through the cross has become our salvation. And so even in the darkest of times, we can cry out with confidence,

 I will not die, but I will live. (17)

And when Jesus comes  to take us home, at heaven’s gates we will sing with joy,

Open the gates of righteousness for me;
I will enter through them
and give thanks to the LORD.

This is the LORD’s gate;
the righteous will enter through it.

I will give thanks to you
because you have answered me
and have become my salvation. (19-21)

So while we’re here on earth, in all we go through, both good and bad, every morning as we wake, let us turn to God and sing,

You are my God, and I will give you thanks.
You are my God; I will exalt you. (28)

And remember always: His faithful love endures forever!

Categories
Hebrews

A faith that believes that God is good

Hebrews

“God is good.”

“All the time.”

“All the time…”

“God is good.”

I’ve been to a couple of churches for which this was kind of a mantra.

But how many of us really believe it? Oh sure, in good times it’s easy to believe and say with enthusiasm.

But in hard times?

Or how about in times when we don’t understand what God is doing?

Or in times when we can’t see what the future holds?

Do we still believe that God is good?

This is a fundamental question of faith. For as the writer of Hebrews says,

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. (Hebrews 11:6)

“He rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

Put another way, “He rewards those who believe he is good. That he will keep his promises. That he will not let our labors go in vain. That our struggles are not for nothing.”

But do we believe this enough to keep seeking him no matter our circumstances? Unless we do, we cannot please God.”

Abraham believed this. God promised that he would have many descendants through Isaac. But then one day, God turns around and says, “Abraham, give your son to me as a sacrifice.”

Not a simple dedicating of Isaac’s life to God’s service. But a literal sacrifice.

How Abraham’s mind must have spun. For the three days it took to reach the mountain where he would sacrifice his son, what thoughts went through his mind?

“How can God ask this of me? He promised I would have descendants through Isaac. But how can that be if Isaac is dead?”

But in the end, Abraham concluded, “God is good. He will keep his promises. And if he asks me to sacrifice my son, then it must be that he will raise him up again. He is the God of life and death. And he is good.”

He lifted up his knife to kill Isaac, and as we know, an angel stopped him and said, “No, you don’t have to do that. Now I know that you fear God.”  (Genesis 22:10-12)

God was good.

Isaac saw this and because of that, he could bless his sons Jacob and Esau although the future was still cloudy.

In his time, he still hadn’t truly inherited the land God had promised. He only had the plot of land that his father Abraham had purchased. But Isaac believed God was good, and blessed his sons in that belief.

Jacob went through a lot of trials in his life, most through his own doing, some not. But through it all, he saw God’s goodness and faithfulness to him, and so when he was ready to die, he also was able to bless his sons with that knowledge.

Joseph too went through a lot, being taken to Egypt as a slave, but seeing God’s goodness and how God used that situation not only to save himself but his entire family.

And though he had a good life in Egypt, he knew that God was good and would return his family back to the land God had promised. And so he gave instructions that when that time came, they would bury his bones there.

How about you? What are you going through in life? Can you say from your heart God is good? That God is faithful? That God will keep his promises to you?

Unless you truly believe that, you will never be able to please God.

What kind of faith do you have?