His Loving Kindness

 Psalm 104:17, 18

But the lovingkindness of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who [reverently] fear Him,...To those who honor and keep His covenant, and remember to do His commandments.

God is good to all of His creation. His loving kindness extends to all, but He especially shows favor to those who fear and respect Him. The children of God who desires to know Him, He draws close and His love is special.  Those who put their trust in Him, can claim the promises of His word. All who not only read His word, but imprint His word in their hearts will see the loving kindness of God. Even in difficult times, they see God’s love. They may not see at the time of their emotional distress, but trusting in His providence, and staying true to His word, He never fails to show His lovingkindness. God is good, God is kind, God cares for His own.

Be Not Afraid

 Luke 2:10
 …“Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people…”
Being afraid is a natural instinct of humanity. Fear is an emotion that kicks in when we sense danger. We are not safe and there is a possibility that we are in harm's way. I have seen inscriptions on hats and T-shirts with the words “Fearless”. The message implies that they are not afraid of anything. The reality is that we have an element of fear that God puts in us. The shepherds in the field were not chastised for their fear. Who would not be afraid if angels all of a sudden appeared all around you and a supernatural light glowed all around them. The comfort comes when we are assured that God is in control and putting our trust in Him means that we do not have to fear. When God says, “do not fear”, we can believe that He knows where we are and what we are going through. We no longer have to hold on to our insecurities and fear the unknown. We can let go and rest in the knowledge that God is good and has our back. 

 Psalm 107: 1-2
Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy.

“God is good all the time” we often say. But we know that bad things often happen to those who love Him. Then why does a good God allow bad things to happen to those who love and serve Him. There have been many books written on this topic and often the topic of many discussions. I don’t claim to have the answer that would satisfy everyone. We know that Job experienced a lot of bad things, and He was a man of integrity and one that put His trust in God. We do know that many are born abnormal or come down with some illness that  either takes their life or cripples them for life.  Accidents, war, murders, rapes, house burning down, natural disasters, the list can go on. We live in a sin cursed world, and Satan has been given dominion to test God’s creation. Jesus came to overcome evil and the works of darkness. God is good! He gave us a way of escape, a way to overcome evil in this world and the sin that dwells in the hearts of men. God is good all the time! His love and mercy reaches down to all who will reach out to Him. He is a good God, and I trust that whatever happens it will turn out for good to them that keep trusting Him and loving Him.

Help During Trouble Times

Psalm 46:10, 1 Be still, and know that I am God… God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

The rain falls on the just and unjust. Bad things happening is no respecter of persons. When a plane crashes, when a terrorist bomb explores, or an earthquake destroys cities. People of all color, nationalities and religions are taken from us. Many hold God responsible and become bitter in their heart and refuse to acknowledge Him as a good God. To the believer in Christ, our lives are in God’s hands and He knows the number of our days and those of our loved ones. He is God and He knows what He is doing. He sees the beginning to the end and understands what we are going through. Instead of becoming resentful toward Him, He invites us to call on Him for refuge and strength. During our most trying times, He is our helper in time of trouble. We need to get alone with God and be still before Him. For in Him, we know He does and allows all things for His purpose. 

I Will Praise Him

Isaiah 25:1 O Lord, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.

We praise Him not because we feel like it. Praising the Lord and exalting His name is not necessarily a cause and effect action. Yes, He is good and does wonderful things and for this we praise Him, but praise is an attitude of the heart. Even when things are not going so good we praise Him. Even when life seems to be given us lemons and nothing appears to be working out. With purpose and will, we make the choice to praise Him in spite of all that is happening. We praise Him because He is God and is worthy of our praise. I don’t claim to understand all the workings of God, and I certainly don’t have all the answers to the “why” and “why nots” of life, but this one thing I know, God is love and He is all that I need to make life complete. For this, I will praise Him.

God is Good

Gen. 1:31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good.

Every blessing that we receive is from the Father above. He does all things good. He works all things for good and according to His purpose. Evil, the hideous curse of our world is the work of Satan. He seeks to destroy and cause God’s creation to turn away from their creator. The battle of good and evil started in cordials of heaven, when Satan challenged the holiness of God and His authority by asserting his will above God. Created as an angel, he was cast out of heaven, and now is the princes of darkness that seeks to destroy the apple of God’s eye. Because God is good, He sent His son to destroy the work of the devil and deliver man from evil. To those who serve God, their eyes have been open to truth, and see God in all of His goodness. “Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life.” God is good, all the time!

Wonderful Things of God

Isaiah 25:1 Lord, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.

The wonderful things of God are seen everyday in our lives, even when things don’t always seem to be wonderful. When everything in life appears to be going wrong it is hard to see the wonderful things that God is doing. In spite of the circumstances, God is good and every good things comes down from the Father above. We may not always get what we want or what we thing we need, but He who knows best provides for the things we need. Let us look beyond our troubles and start to see what God is doing. Praise Him for all things, for those who love Him, all comes out for good.

Suffering

2 Corinth 1:7 And our hope of you is stedfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation.

To suffer, means to experience pain and loss. The pain may be physical, emotional, or even mental. The loss may be due to evil demised, unfortunate events, or the death of a loved one. Christian are not exempt from suffering. Sin has scared this world of all that his pure and good. The consolation of Christian is that God give the grace help us endure the suffering we bare. And through suffering we are able to emphasized with those who also suffer, and give them comfort. When bad things (suffering) happen to good people, it is an opportunity for lovers of God to show forth God’s love and goodness. God is good and He does all things in His time and for His purpose. Like Job, who am I to question the almighty and His ways. Accepting suffering is not easy, but it is what God desires. Yes, we are encourage to ask God to relieve us of our suffering, and He is able. But, ultimately, like the 3 Hebrew children that were thrown into the fiery furnace. It it be God’s will, He can and will bring us through our suffering. 

God is Good All The Time

Ps 119 68, 71 Thou art good, and doest good; teach me thy statutes….It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes. 

God is good all the time, even during affliction. How can this be? If God is good, then we would always experience things in our lives that bring pleasure and happiness. How can God be good when every time I turn around something bad is happening to me or someone else. We look at life as a series of events. The events are either good, bad, or indifferent, they don’t make us happy or sad. But the sovereignty of God sees our life from the beginning to the end. To those who love Him and desire to fulfill His will, all the good and bad things in life work together to a good end. When going through hard times or difficult situations, it is not easy to say , it is good for me that  bad things are happening to me. For it is during these times, that I have learned to lean on Him. To trust in His word that He is in control.  God is good, all the time for He is the calm in the storm. 

His Merciful Kindness

Psalm 117:2 For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the Lord endureth for ever. Praise ye the Lord.

It is hard to focus on the things that are good in life when all seems to be going wrong. A loved one is sick and maybe even terminal, relationships are strained between those who were once friends, the cares of life to provide food, shelter, security have been threaten. Where is the kindness of the Lord? Why is His presences seem to be so far away? We only need to look beyond the surface of our troubles to see that God’s merciful kindness is great toward us. I take no pleasure on looking on others that may be suffering, therefore I should be thankful. For even in their suffering, God has a plan for each life. Regardless of my plight in life, I only need look to God and be thankful for who He is and what He has given. Tho I may walk through the valley of shadow of death, I will fear no evil or think no evil, for He is with me. He is my Jehovah, my provider, my shield and defender. In whom shall I fear. When the last page of my life is written, may it be said, that God is good and His kindness is from everlasting to everlasting. 

God is Good

Psalm 100:5 For the Lord is good, His mercy is everlasting; and His truth endureth to all generations.

God is good, God is good all the time for His mercy reaches all who seek after Him. The skeptic will say, “How can God be good when so many bad things happen” To the person who has not experience God’s grace this truly is a quandary. To see God from spiritual eyes, is to see God for who He is. The works of bad things happening is because Satan controls the hearts and minds of humanity. All are born in sin, and all live under rule of Satan. Blinded by sin and following the lust of the flesh. The consequence of sin is the root of all that is bad. When bad things happen it is because sin is the root cause. This is the foundation, but so many other variables play into life’s experiences. Love, faith, and hope is the foundation to understanding who God is and what  He desires of those who serve him. God is good, for God is love, they that believe (faith) in the Son of God are given this love, and through the goodness of God, hope is given for a better tomorrow.  When times become hard and difficult to understand, hope thou in God and know that God is good.

Wondrous Word

Psalm 119:18 “Open Thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Thy law.”-

Blinded by sin, it is not natural for people to see the truth of God’s Word. God in His love, grace, and mercy illuminates the mind and opens the eyes of sinners to see Jesus. To see that we are sinners and need of a Savior. As Christians, we need the Holy Spirit to open our eyes to see the deeper things of God. The Law of God is more than a rule book of things to do and not to do, but a love letter that God gives us to help us understand what it means to live and what it means to love Him. His Word is filled with wondrous things, and the half as yet to be told of all that He has for us. It is The Good Book in every sense of the word. His Word is food to the soul and the air we breathe. 

Though He Slay Me

Job 13:15 “Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him; but I will argue mine own ways before Him.”-

Job, a man tested without understanding shows us that the things that happen in our life often go without explanation. We do our best to live right before Him and still we face situations that often cast us to the ground. We search our heart to see if there is anything we did that would have grieved the heart of God. We ask God for the reason, and the heavens are silent. We wander in the valley of the shadow, in the darkness of the day looking for a way out. Job was determine to find God in all that was happening to him. He disregarded those who accused him of doing wrong, and made up his mind that he was going to trust God to show him out of the darkness and into the light. He had resigned to possibility that he may die from his suffering, but he knew that God who knows the heart of all men would do what is right for him. The best counsel we have is to keep trusting God, in the good and in the bad times. For God is good, and He knows what is best. 

The Lord is Gracious

Psalm 145:8,9 “The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and of great mercy. The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works.”-

God is good, He is good all the time. Walking this earthly journey is filled with events that bring both joy and sadness. In times of sadness or difficult situations, we may wonder if God is really good. If God is good and He cared, then why is He allowing such tragedy to invade my life. I don’t claim to have an answer that will satisfied any one who is grieving at the moment, but I do know that God does care about the pain we suffer and the circumstances in our life that bring distress. He is a God of love and desires to draw us near when we hurt. Satan will do all He can to get us to doubt God’s goodness. He daunts us with doubt and fear. “If God...” are the words that often spew from lips. He is the accuser of the brother and will accuse God before us. Because God is good, He demonstrated His great love and mercy, He sent His Son to earth to give us new life. God is good to all. He so loved the world, that everyone who will believe can experience the goodness of God.

What is This?

Ex 16:15b “What is this?” For they knew not what it was. And Moses said unto them, “This is the bread which the Lord hath given you to eat.”-

God does not always give us what we expect. We pray and ask God to provide us with our needs, and when He answers, it is not always in the way we thought it would be. We may ask like the Israelite did, “What is this? This is not what I asked for”. Following God wherever He goes will often require us to accept things that are out of the box or out of the norm. God works in ways that are beyond our understanding and He always knows what is best for us. The next time God does something for us beyond what we expect, our attitude should be, “What is this blessing that God has provided, He is so good!”

Praise Him

Psalm 107:31 “ Oh that men would praise the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!”-

Praise Him in the morning, praise Him at noon, praise Him in the evening, praise Him every moment of the day. My lips shall praise Him for His goodness to me and to my family. Even in the storm, He is good and worthy of praise. Life comes with a lot of emotional ups and downs. We all face times of heartache and disappointment, but God is good and He sees the storm we are in. Storms always bring uncertainty, we may wonder where God is and think He does not care, but God is working to keep us even in the storm of uncertainty. Praise Him for He is God and He is in control and governs the event of this world. Sin is rampant across this land, but God is not taken by surprise. He sees what sin is doing to man, but to them that will praise Him, He will draw near and bring them through this maze of sin. Jesus, our haven of rest in the storm will be with us through it all. Let us put aside our fears and look to Jesus and praise Him for all He has done.

For This I Give Thanks

Ps 1: 36 “O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy endureth for ever.”- 

Thank the Lord for giving me another year. 2013 was a year of change for me and my family. Some of the changes were good ones and other changes were difficult to make. But in all of life’s changes it is still good to give thanks to God for His mercy and goodness. 2014 is still a gift that has not yet been unwrapped and what God has in stored can only be good. Even in the bad circumstances of life, The Lord means it for good, and for this I give thanks. His grace and mercy will carry me through this journey and my only desire is to live His praises and honor Him with my life. God is good! All the time!