Month: August 2020

“I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” Psalm 27:13, 14

            Does it seem as if there is more evil and less goodness in our world today? We have been hit with several things lately. Globally, we have a pandemic. Nationally, we have race issues that cause division and pain, even death. On top of that is a lot of political mud-slinging that doesn’t seem to do much to solve problems because whatever the problem is, politics tells us it’s always the other person’s fault. On a more personal level, each of these things creates difficulties between people because of staunchly held opinions on everything from face masks to killings. As if all of that weren’t enough, each of us has situations and issues in our own lives that cause pain and heartache. Where is the goodness in people? Does it even exist anymore? Is the badness, or evil, finally overcoming the good?

            These verses from Psalms assure us that goodness still exists. God is good. He is always good. Nothing can ever change that because He is unchangeable. So no matter how evil the world becomes, His goodness will never be diminished one little bit. It will be so wonderful to live in the light of His goodness for all eternity!

            But we don’t need to wait for heaven to see God’s goodness. This verse assures us that we will see His goodness here on earth. We may have to look a little harder than we used to. We may have to peer over and around some of the badness before we see those glimpses of God’s goodness, but it’s there. The crazy thing is, the more we look for the goodness of God, the easier it becomes to see it. It’s almost like seeing one little glimpse of goodness opens our eyes to see another, then another, and still another.

            Do you ever feel like you can’t see anything but evil, wrongs, hurts or pain in your life? Just wait. Ask God to open your eyes to all the good things He has planned just for you. And wait. Still don’t see it? Wait some more. Not only is He good, He’s also faithful. Little by little, He will open our eyes to see the goodness that can only come from Him. Like a light slowly dawning, we’ll begin to see a little bit of good, then more and more. That goodness is worth waiting for!

“Think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.” Romans 12:3

Pride. The “P” word. Our culture is often telling us to have pride. They usually mean that pride is the opposite of shame. We’re basically being told to not be ashamed of who we are: of our race, or our family, or our physical attributes or even disabilities. And there’s a lot of truth in that. But you don’t have to read the Bible very much to realize that God warns us against pride. In this instance, we usually think of pride as being the opposite of humility. You know, someone who is always bragging and showing off. If we put those two definitions of pride together, we end up believing we should not be ashamed, but also we shouldn’t brag about ourselves.

I’m not sure either of these is exactly what the Bible is talking about when we’re warned against pride. This verse in Romans tells us to think of ourselves with sober judgment. That means to seriously and thoughtfully consider who we are. Be honest. Don’t make excuses for our failings, and view our successes only as compared to God, not other people. When we do that, we very quickly see that we have nothing about which to brag. Especially when we consider that even our faith was given to us by God.

We usually consider pride as thinking too much of ourselves. I’d like to suggest that pride is thinking of ourselves too much. It doesn’t matter if we think we’re all that and a bag of chips, or if we’re scum of the earth. If we’re thinking of ourselves, that’s pride. Thankfully, God has helped me overcome shyness. I know from experience that shyness is nothing more than pride. When I walked into a room, I would be thinking of myself, wondering what others were thinking of me, or if anyone noticed that I tripped, or that I didn’t, or if I’m wearing the right kind of clothes. I, I, I. That’s pride. It doesn’t matter that I wasn’t bragging about myself. In fact, I didn’t think I was worth much. Either way is not seeing the situation from God’s perspective. I’m worth dying for. So are you. But not because you or I are any more special than anyone else. In God’s eyes, each one of us is a priceless treasure because each one of us is made in His image.

So let’s take our eyes off ourselves and put them on God, where they belong. Let’s start seeing others and the world through His eyes. Instead of thinking only of ourselves, let’s ask God to give us the mind of Christ, a mind that loves God and loves others. When our eyes are securely locked on Him, we’ll find that our heart will follow. There will be no room left for pride because our hearts will be full of Him. And He’s worth bragging about!

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart.” Jeremiah 1:5

            A few days ago I was reminded of God’s love for me. There are constant reminders around us all the time. The very air we breathe is evidence of God’s love, since He could choose to remove that air at any minute. But this was something very specific and directed to just me. He provided me with something I wanted. It wasn’t something I need, like air or food or water. It was a want. A wish. A luxury. And it wasn’t a general thing. It was very specific. It was exactly what I had wished for, down to the slightest detail. Of course, God does those kinds of things every day but this time I noticed it. This gift caused me to feel so very loved by God!

            I was reminded of a quote I read years ago by Annie Dillard. I don’t know that I’m quoting it exactly but she said something like, “I spent the day feeling created.” That’s how this gift made me feel. We aren’t something that happened by chance. We were intentionally created by a loving, caring Creator. This verse in Jeremiah tells us that God knew us even before we were created. How is that possible? I believe that means that He knew exactly how he was going to create us. He knew what color hair and eyes we would have, what our likes and dislikes would be, what kind of personality we would have. He thought it all out before putting together the first atom of our being. To be created means to be planned. To be planned means to be thought out. To be thought out means that at any time during that thinking process, God could have chosen to abandon the plan. But He didn’t. He created you and me exactly according to His perfect plan. What amazing, awesome love goes into that kind of creation! That’s the love He has for each of us. To realize even a little bit of that love is to feel created.

            So what does it mean when we beg God for something and that prayer doesn’t seem to be answered? Does that mean God has stopped loving us? Not at all! Sometimes He loves us too much to give us what we ask for. I have to admit that I would very willingly give up the gift He recently gave me for a “yes” answer to another prayer I’ve been praying for a long time. But so far, that “yes” hasn’t come. And it may never come. No matter how hard I pray, my loved one may not be healed this side of heaven. But this gift shows me that God hears my prayers – all of them. And He answers in His time and in His way. It also shows me that He has only our good in mind. He loved us even before we were created and His love is never-ending.

“Such a high priest [Jesus] meets our need – one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens.” Hebrews 7:26

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” John 1:14

            If you were asked to describe who God is, what would you say? What do you think He’s like? Is He a mean, vengeful God? Someone who’s just waiting for us to make a slip-up so He can send the proverbial lightning bolt? Does He take a perverse delight in our struggles? Perhaps He’s uncaring and washed His hands of us long ago. Or maybe you see a wimpy, spineless being Who has no power to do anything to help us. Are you blaming Him for things that have happened to you? Perhaps you think it’s His fault that you went through difficulties or loss. You may think God caused the problem. Or at the very least, He didn’t act to prevent the problem.

            This verse in Hebrews gives us a clear picture of just one part of Who God is. This is talking about Jesus, but we need to remember that Jesus is God. First, He’s holy. What does that mean to you? Perfect? Irrelevant? Untouchable? Well, He is perfect. But that doesn’t mean He’s irrelevant. In fact, He’s very relevant. Being holy means just what it says later in the sentence: set apart from sinners. Since we’re all sinners, that just proves that God is distant, right? Not at all. You see, God loves you and me so much that He made a way around that. He didn’t want there to be distance between Him and us so He made a way. That way is what we see in the verse from John. Jesus, while perfect, holy and blameless, chose to leave His home above the heavens and come down to this earth. He experienced life on this earth. He felt sorrow and grief, He witnessed evil and its effects, He was, well, human.

            Then He chose to die. Why would He do that? Why would He choose to live as a human, then die a horribly painful death? The answer is so simple that it’s almost difficult to believe. Because He loves you. Because He wants to be there for you. Because you are that important to Him.

            Where are you right now? Wherever you are, God’s there with you. Are you in the pit of depression? God’s in the pit with you. Are you in a hospital having just heard some awful news? God is wanting to hold you in the midst of that. Are you grieving or lonely? God is sitting right next to you. Are you angry and bitter? God can take it. Here’s something else about God: He won’t leave you. Maybe you think you’ve been pushing Him away for too long. Surely He’s gotten tired of that and has left you. That’s not our God. His patience is beyond comprehension. He’s still waiting for your return, still loving you with a never-ending love. That’s Who God is. Turn to Him and He’ll do the rest. I’m not saying your difficult circumstances will necessarily disappear. But God will give you a peace and a love that will fill the deepest recesses of your heart with pure joy!