The Goodness Of God In The Land Of The Living

His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 2 Peter 1:3 

Often in my life when things looked dire, impossible, and beyond anyone’s power to fix, God has come through for me and turned everything around. 

Unbelievers use words like “coincidence”, “happenstance”, or “chance” to describe favorable events. But for Christians with eyes to see, when there is a long series of bad events that are turned around in spectacular ways, we know Who made our “good luck”. 

Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Psalm 23:6 

We have a good God. That cannot be emphasized enough. He shows favor to His children and blesses us in many ways. At any time we can call upon Him for help and rescue, for deliverance even in the most dire situations. 

Recently I found myself yet again facing an obstacle with my health and it looked like the situation was going to lay me low for at least several days, yet as I had seen God do before, He turned that bad situation around for me very quickly. One could say that was a “happy accident” that I recovered quickly, but how would they explain God telling me what to do every step of the way to set things right again? 

The Holy Spirit of God dwells within us, and if we listen closely, He will guide us into wisdom and discernment for whatever we face. For our part we must be willing to hear, and learn to recognize His voice. At other times God will move heaven and earth to deliver us from situations outside of our control. In all these things we can see the goodness of God in the land of the living. 

Believer, call upon your heavenly Father to help you through all the difficulties you face in life. And learn to hear His voice and obey His guidance. We have a good God. Never forget it. 

Prayer: Dear Lord, You bless us in more ways than we can count, and often in ways we do not see. You show Yourself in our circumstances as You move things into our favor time and again. Thank You Jesus! Amen. 

The Time God Gives Us

Our days may come to seventy years,     
or eighty, if our strength endures; 
yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow,     
for they quickly pass, and we fly away. Psalm 90:10 

I was not convinced I would live to be fifty-five years old. With my various health problems and being close to death on more than one occasion, my outlook was poor. Yet here I am at fifty-five years old, and it’s a marvel. God has truly been good to me. 

It is shocking when we hear news about young people, even children, having their lives cut short. We wonder why God allows some people to live many years and others to have so few days on this earth. 

When you are young it feels like you have forever. Yet as you grow older the time seems shorter and shorter. You find holidays and special occasions come around quicker and the years roll by faster. 

  

Whether our days are long or short we need to live them well. We should be kinder, more loving, forgiving, thoughtful, showing others the goodness of God that dwells within us as believers. 

Throughout my years I have not once regretted being kind, but I have many regrets about losing my temper, being harsh and judgmental, showing my worst instead of my best. One way we can decrease our regrets and increase our better selves is to follow after our Lord Jesus. Allow Jesus to live through you, and live your life as if Jesus was standing at your side. 

No one knows how long they will live on this earth. Though your years be long or few, let Jesus shine through you and be your better self by the power of His Spirit. 

Prayer: Dear Lord, whatever the number of our days let them be lived for You. We pray that others will see You through our lives. Amen. 

He Is A Father To The Fatherless

A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. Psalm 68:5 

Even if you have no parents in this world, you have a heavenly Father. He is a God who is present in your life no matter what your needs may be. 

Growing up I had several step-dads, but not one father. I would not meet my biological father until late in my life. As a young Christian I did have godly men in my church to emulate, and others who were positive influences, but I looked to my heavenly Father for guidance and advice. He led me through His Word the Holy Bible, and gave me guidance from the Holy Spirit within. 

God truly is a father to the fatherless. Whether or not you have parents that help you in life, you will always have a reliable and dependable Father above. What a wonderful gift it is to have the presence of God influencing and guiding us through good times and bad. He is always faithful. 

It is a powerful thing to realize God is our spiritual Father. It is one thing to think of God as an all-powerful Deity that created everything. It is something else to realize we can reach out to God in a very personal way as a being who cares for our every need. 

Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” Galatians 4:6 

Each day brings challenges that require guidance and wisdom from above. When we live in fellowship with God, we discover a God who loves us enough to be involved in every aspect of our lives. I converse with God continually, asking him for wisdom and guidance regarding many things. This is a blessing the unbeliever will never experience and cannot fathom, but a gift to those who are Christians. 

Call upon God to be with you and to guide you throughout your life. You will find Him to be a wonderful Father who cares very much about you. 

Prayer: Dear Lord, we need Your guidance and presence in our lives. Thank You for being our Father, teach us how to be better children. Amen. 

The Darkness And The Light

the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.” Matthew 4:16 

The world is not getting better. As Christians we are often insulated by sticking with our own kind, gathering in churches and other religious meetings. We listen to Christian music, try to watch wholesome shows on TV when we can find them. We avoid “the world” and its stench as much as we can, but still it intrudes upon us in one way or another. 

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Matthew 5:14 

The world is getting darker, and it is important that our lights shine brighter as Christians. We need to stand for justice, truth, and all that is right. We have an uphill battle. We have an enemy that is urging his followers to become worse even as we try to become better. Our lights must shine brighter. 

This battle is not fought in our strength, but in the might and power of a holy and all-powerful God. The winning side is God’s side, and our focus must be upon that fact as the world around us looks darker and grows increasingly immoral and evil. 

The challenge for us is to be more like Jesus and less like the dark influences all around us. We may feel small and helpless in an increasingly unjust world, but through the Lord we will not only overcome, but be victorious in the end. 

Do not be discouraged by this dark world, but let the light of Christ shine brightly through your life. When it is darkest, that’s when a light is most needed. Be the light of Christ for those around you and those you meet every day. You can help someone else find their way out of the darkness. 

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we are surrounded by darkness, help Your light to shine through us ever brighter. Amen. 

We Need Good News

The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the goodnews is proclaimed to the poor. Matthew 11:5 

When I was young, we essentially had three news networks. Besides the announcer, there was no discernable difference between the news from one network to the next. The news was simply the news. 

How different things are today. Not only is the news different on the myriad on news networks, blogs, news sites, and radio, but the definition of truth does not even apply from one broadcaster to the next. Views are slanted according to political views, ideologies, and prejudices. We no longer have actual news. What we have are opinion pieces by talking heads with agendas. What passes for news is meant to outrage us, upset us, and move our opinions towards those of the broadcasters. This is not news, this is propaganda unhealthy for the heart and mind. 

How different the Good News of the Holy Bible. Jesus came to save the world from itself. He came to do good for a sin sick world. He healed and blessed people at every turn. He came to restore people, bringing them back into a relationship with their Creator. This is Good News indeed! 

We need good news today. We need to think about, dwell upon, and meditate on the goodness of God and His good will toward us. 

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11 

Each day we have a choice. We can fill our hearts and minds with fear, frustration, anger, and scorn that comes through the daily news, or we can focus instead upon the Word of God. We can fill our hearts with the dregs of life, or the Good News that changes lives. And we can share that Good News with others. 

Today you can either focus upon the Good News, or the bad news that’s all around us. Which will you choose? 

Prayer: Dear Lord, when discouragement comes from the bad news, remind us to look to Your word and to fill our hearts with the Good News. Amen.