Tag: GodIsGood

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Jesus Does a “Good” Job

Today, we’ll look at Jesus and the good works He did while He was on earth.

“ For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do my own will.” John 6:38 NLT

It all started with the angels’ message to the shepherds. “Peace on earth, good will to men”.

Jesus birth was the beginning of His mission. It was the entrance of God’s good will to men through the life of His Son. The long-awaited Messiah or Savior was born. Men’s lives would be radically changed, they would see and experience miracles. They would see the goodness of God first hand.

Jesus’ first miracle was at a wedding. I really like this. Today our granddaughter is getting married. I can imagine Jesus coming to that wedding. He came as an invited guest but had no place of prominence. However, his mother found out that they were running low on wine. She came to Jesus and asked him to do something about it, she didn’t want to wedding host to be ridiculed for lack of preparation.

So Jesus did a good thing, He turned the water into wine. After that we know that He healed many, many people – the blind, the lame, those with fevers, the crippled, the lepers, those with defects from birth.

He healed those with mental illness and demoniacs. He brought forgiveness to the outcasts – the tax collectors and prostitutes.

“And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.” Acts 10:38 NLT

For all the good He did He was hated by the religious zealots. They despised Him for His good deeds and plotted His death. Even then they couldn’t destroy Him, He rose from the dead and continued to preach the message of good will, reconciliation, from God, the Father.

The works of the Father, His good will, and the works of Jesus continue today.

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Hebrews 13:8 NLT

This means that Jesus is working good in our lives as well. Just like those in the Bible who came to Him for healing and deliverance, those who needed a miracle, we can come to Him and find that He is willing to work things out for good for us also.

Jesus is still doing good. He is still the miracle worker!

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When Things Go Wrong…

God is good and has a plan. This is the story of Joseph’s life.

Most of us experience things that go wrong. Troubles with our family, losing a job, being falsely accused, some even face imprisonment. How do we handle the adversities of life? Do we get angry with God? Do we blame him? Or do we keep our eyes and heart focused directly on God and His goodness?

Joseph was a young man with a purpose. God had given him a dream when he was just a teenager. He shared that dream with his family and he was ridiculed, even hated by some. Here’s how his life went for the next 13 years.

His brothers sold him to slave traders. They sold him to a captain in the Egyptian army. The captain’s wife accused him of rape. He was sent to prison. While in prison he met the baker and the butler for the pharaoh. They had dreams and Joseph interpreted the dreams. The butler returned to the palace but the baker was hanged. The butler had promised to tell the pharaoh about Joseph but he forgot, for 2 years. Then he remembered…

The pharaoh brought Joseph to the palace and promoted him to second in command of all of Egypt. Joseph ruled wisely through the famine. Enter his brothers asking for food. What did Joseph do? They had sold him into slavery 13 years before.

“Then Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. I am not God! I have no right to punish you. 20 It is true that you planned to do something bad to me. But really, God was planning good things. God’s plan was to use me to save the lives of many people. And that is what happened. 21 So don’t be afraid. I will take care of you and your children.” And so Joseph said kind things to his brothers, and this made them feel better.” Genesis 50:19-21 ERV

What do we do when things go wrong? In all those years Joseph never turned his back on God and apparently, he never let his heart get bitter toward his brothers. He kept his heart pure.

God is good and His plans for us are too.

“ I will bless you with a future filled with hope—a future of success, not of suffering. 12 You will turn back to me and ask for help, and I will answer your prayers. 13  You will worship me with all your heart, and I will be with you.” Jeremiah 29:11-13 CEV

We may not feel things are going right but God is working. His plans are for our success. He hasn’t planned for us to fail!

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Ready, Willing, & Able

When I was a girl, I had a wonderful example of those who were “ready, willing and able”.

My parents had an open-door policy at our home. Not only did we have company for meals on Sundays but there were times throughout the week that there would be extra chairs at the table.

I remember go fishing with Dad and we always stopped to get worms at one little store. One day he saw a man who you could tell the man was hungry. Dad bought him a loaf of bread, some lunch meat and peanut butter. We didn’t have much more than that ourselves but Dad was ready, willing and able to take care of someone else’s needs.

God, our heavenly Father, is able!

Able means He has the ability to do or complete the task set before Him. He is able to work on our behalf and He is always looking for ways to show us His goodness.

He is a loving Father and He won’t force us to take the benefits He has for us. But if we will allow Him to work in our lives, we will see His ability working on our behalf.

The prodigal son came to his senses in a pig pen. He knew if he went home and asked to be one of the household servants his father would provide for him. What he didn’t realize was the depth of the father’s love.

His father welcomed him with open arms. He didn’t make him a servant but restored him to his rightful place as a son.

“Christ’s love is greater than anyone can ever know, but I pray that you will be able to know that love. Then you can be filled with everything God has for you. 20 With God’s power working in us, he can do much, much more than anything we can ask or think of. 21 To him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus for all time, forever and ever. Amen.” Ephesians 3:19-21 ERV

When we know God’s love, His power can work within to bring Him glory. Our heavenly Father wants us to know His love and our place of sonship.

“18 Because He Himself [in His humanity] has suffered in being tempted, He is able to help and provide immediate assistance to those who are being tempted and exposed to suffering.” Hebrews 2:18 AMP

He is able to help us immediately when we are being tempted because He was also tempted and suffered.

“God is strong and can (is able to) keep you from falling. He can bring you before his glory without any wrong in you and give you great joy. 25 He is the only God, the one who saves us. To him be glory, greatness, power, and authority through Jesus Christ our Lord for all time past, now, and forever. Amen.” Jude 24-25 CEV

God is able to keep us! He is able to save us!

“But Jesus will never die, and so he will be a priest forever! 25 He is forever able to save the people he leads to God, because he always lives to speak to God for them.” Hebrews 7:24-25 CEV

Our Father is ready, willing and able to show Himself strong on our behalf.

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Beauty & Goodness

I just felt I needed to share with you about the goodness of the Lord and the beauty He brings to our lives.

We’re surrounded by so much that is the opposite. Sometimes we get distracted and lose hope.

Last night while putting one of our grandchildren to bed we had this conversation. “Sometimes the devil gives me bad thoughts and I can’t sleep.” We prayed for peaceful sleep and told the devil he couldn’t bother him in the night.

A little while later he called out and said he couldn’t sleep. He was bothered by bad (he means scarey) thoughts. I went in and asked him, “Who’s bigger? Who’s stronger? God or the devil? Every time God and the devil fight, God wins and God is here to fight for you”.

Simple, childlike trust. He went to sleep and slept peacefully through the night. Sometimes we adults forget that the battle isn’t ours, it’s the Lord’s and He has already won. Our job is to trust Him and not feel we have to do it on our own.

“Give honor and praise to the Lord, whose power and beauty fill his holy temple.” 7 Tell everyone of every nation, ‘Praise the glorious power of the Lord.8 He is wonderful! Praise him and bring an offering into his temple.'” Psalm 96:6-8 CEV

God, our Father, fills our lives with beauty and power. He does not leave us helpless. His goodness follows us all the days of our lives.

“The dry desert will rejoice. The desert will be glad and blossom. 2 It will be covered with flowers and dance with joy. It will be as beautiful as the forest of Lebanon, the hill of Carmel, and the Sharon Valley. This will happen because all people will see the Glory of the Lord. They will see the beauty of our God.

3 Make the weak arms strong again. Strengthen the weak knees. 4 People are afraid and confused. Say to them, ‘Be strong! Don’t be afraid!’ Look, your God will come and punish your enemies. He will come and give you your reward. He will save you.” Isaiah 35:1-4 ERV

We have God’s promise of His goodness all the days of life here on earth and when this life is over we have the promise of living in His house, in His presence.

“For sure, You will give me goodness and loving-kindness all the days of my life. Then I will live with You in Your house forever.” Psalm 23:6 NLV

We used to have a saying, “God is good all the time, all the time God is good”. He is! There is no God like our God, the creator of the heaven and the earth.

“How great is the goodness you have stored up for those who fear you. You lavish it on those who come to you for protection, blessing them before the watching world. 20 You hide them in the shelter of your presence, safe from those who conspire against them.
You shelter them in your presence, far from accusing tongues.” Psalm 31:19-20 NLT

Take a look at the beauty around you, your Father created that for you to enjoy. It is to be a reminder of His goodness and power!

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Goodness – Gracious

My new backyard has me looking at the Superstition Mountains. Each morning and evening when I look at their majesty, I find myself using an old expression, Goodness Gracious. That’s something my grandmother would have said.

I started thinking – what does that really mean? When she said it, it would have meant
“God, you are so good; look at the beauty You have designed”.

What does it mean to be gracious? Some definitions are godly character, kindness, dignity, mericiful, compassionate. Gracious – displaying grace.

Nature is a display of God’s goodness and grace.

So what is grace?

Grace: receiving the goodness of God that we don’t deserve. It is given freely with no strings attached. The grace of God took Jesus to the cross long before we were ever born so that we could be brought into right relationship with the Father.

In II Peter 3, the entire chapter is written about the return of the Lord to earth. Peter says that some will grow weary waiting, others will call it foolish but he admonishes us to be ready. God is not willing that any should perish but He desires that all should repent. The reason it’s taking so long for Him to return is the Father wants all to come to salvation in Him. He wants everyone to experience His grace; He is gracious!

We are to grow in grace. That doesn’t mean we acquire more grace but that we understand the scope of God’s grace to a greater extent. When we are born human, we have all the “humanness” we will ever have but we grow in our capacity to understand and function in our humanity. It’s the same with our life given to us by grace.

As we grow in our knowledge of the Father, we see more clearly how His grace is given to each and everyone of us. We see that He has provided for us through His amazing love and goodness. He is merciful and He is gracious (full of grace). We are to be like Him. Growing in grace causes us to see that our failures and those of others are covered by His grace and so we can go forward, forgiving as we ourselves have been forgiven.

“But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.” II Peter 3:18 KJV

or maybe you understand it better this way

“Let the wonderful kindness and the understanding that come from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ help you to keep on growing. Praise Jesus now and forever! Amen.” II Peter 3:18 CEV

I pray that you have “goodness – gracious” moments in your day. Things that take your breath away – things that remind you of God’s goodness and grace!

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In Time of Need

Yesterday I told you about Daniel and his commitment to prayer. Prayer in its simplest form is just talking to the Lord.

Today I’m going to tell you about another man. A man who listened to God’s word as Jesus spoke and then asked for help. He was putting God’s word into action.

I feel like I have known this man for many years. His story is near and dear to my heart. As Jesus taught, he was standing way off at the bottom of the mountain. He wasn’t with any family or friends. Every word that Jesus spoke had personal meaning to him. Meet my friend, the healed leper.

“Jesus came down from the hill, and a large crowd followed him. 2 Then a man sick with leprosy came to him. The man bowed down before Jesus and said, ‘Lord, you have the power to heal me if you want.’3 Jesus touched the man. He said, ‘I want to heal you. Be healed!’ Immediately the man was healed from his leprosy. 4 Then Jesus said to him, ‘Don’t tell anyone about what happened. But go and let the priest look at you. And offer the gift that Moses commanded for people who are made well. This will show everyone that you are healed.’” Matthew 8:1-4 ERV

This man had stood at the bottom of the hill because he was unclean and not allowed to be close to the rest of the fine upstanding people. But he heard Jesus with his heart – not just his ears! He heard Jesus say, “Ask and it shall be given you” and so when Jesus made it down the mountain, he didn’t run away from Jesus he ran too Him, and he asked!

Try to imagine his face? Do you cringe when you see his missing fingers or the flesh that had been eaten away on his ears? Do you see him, do you see his broken heart from being an outcast for so long? Do you know how long it’s been since anyone has hugged him or kissed his diseased cheek?

And now do you see the tears of joy streaming down his cheeks as he hears Jesus words, “I want to heal you. Be healed!” Notice this. Jesus touched him!!! He touched the man who was unclean.

When I read this story I see myself there, I’m the one standing next to him, crying, weeping, rejoicing over his healing. Unashamed I throw my arms around his neck and hug him! What a joy to be able to kiss this man on the cheek and celebrate his healing!!

Oh yes, I’m emotionally invested in this man’s life because I too have felt the hurt of being an outcast. Not being accepted because of my appearance. I too know what it’s like to have a broken heart and to approach Jesus and say will you heal me? And I know the joy, the joy unspeakable, to have Him touch me and say, “you’re healed”.

The Father and the Son won’t force any of their blessings on us. They won’t force us into a relationship, but they wait patiently for us to ask! How many people on the mountain side that day had needs in their lives? How many needed a touch from the Savior? How many walked away empty because they were too ashamed or too proud to ask?

Are you in need of God’s touch? Don’t walk away – ASK and it shall be given unto you!!

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All The Time

My thoughts are all over the place this morning. For the first time in months I slept in. I was shocked when I woke and saw that it was already 4:30 am.

I came to my chair in the living room, after starting the coffee, and told the Lord I loved Him. My heart was instantly stirred with the words of the old hymn, How Great Thou Art.

Oh Lord, my God, when I in awesome wonder
Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder
Thy power throughout the universe displayed

Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee
How great Thou art, how great Thou art
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee
How great Thou art, how great Thou art

When through the woods, and forest glades I wander
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees
When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur
And hear the brook, and feel the gentle breeze

Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee
How great Thou art, how great Thou art
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee
How great Thou art, how great Thou art

I sat here – reading, praying, and letting those words minister to my heart. How Great Thou Art!

In the morning God is great! At noon time God is great! In the evening, God is great! There is never a time when God is not great, loving, kind and good!

“Let the name of the Lord be praised now and forever. 3 From dawn until sunset  the name of the Lord deserves to be praised. 4 The Lord is far above all of the nations;  he is more glorious  than the heavens. 5 No one can compare with the Lord our God. His throne is high above,” Psalm 113:2-5 CEV

No matter the time, the day or the year God is great – all the time! Tell Him of your love today.

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Gilded Skies

I am far from a song writer, but I certainly appreciate the way they put words together to paint a picture.

Where is an old hymn, “May Jesus Christ Be Praised”, that often fills my heart and sets my mind singing.

When morning gilds the skies

My heart, awakening, cries

May Jesus Christ be praised.

A like at work and prayer,

To Jesus I repair

May Jesus Christ be praised.

There is no better way to start the day than with praise!

Before we are tainted with the news, emails and text messages; before we see our daily schedule or pay the bills, first and foremost we should set our days on a course of gratitude.

On mornings’ like today, it would be real easy for me to start my day complaining. The internet signal has been so weak that each time I try to connect to a different app the connection drops and I have to wait minutes, yes minutes, to reestablish the connection. 

Somehow, I don’t think the Lord’s wants me to get frustrated when telling you about His love and goodness. 

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

Let delays be an anthem of praise.  If you’re stuck in traffic, praise the Lord for keeping you safe on the highways. If you are waiting for an appointment praise God that your situation isn’t life threatening and you can afford to wait.

Look for opportunities to bless those around you who are also feeling the pressure and frustration of waiting. Praise God for His blessings, seen and unseen. His hand of protection is on you and He is directing the path before you.

“In their hearts humans plan their course,
    but the Lord establishes their steps.” Proverbs 16:9 NIV

Look to the skies and praise God that He has blessed you with another day!

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What A Wonderful World

If you’ve been reading my blogs for any length of time you know that I am fascinated by clouds. Yesterday did not disappoint.  This is the image I captured about 7 a.m.

What a wonderful world our Father has created!

Each time I see a sky like this my heart says, “Oh Father, you do great work”. When I was younger I sang a song by John W. Peterson, “It Took A Miracle”.

“My Father is omnipotent, and that you can´t deny;

A God of might and miracles, ´tis written in the sky. 

CHORUS: It took a miracle to put the stars in place;

It took a miracle to hang the world in space.

But when He saved my soul,

Cleansed and made me whole,

It took a miracle of love and grace.”

That’s how I feel. Each day the Lord shows me something special – another expression of His goodness and love. He never disappoints! But the greatest miracle is the one He has done in my life.

“Let them praise the Lord for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them.” Psalm 107:31 NLT

I realize that some may think I am a bit unrealistic but for years I have prayed that the Lord would show me the good around me and keep me from becoming cynical and unkind. He has answered that prayer!

We live in a world where God’s wonder abounds.

Our job is to be an ambassador of His love. There is so much that is ugly and cruel. There is pain and disappointment, I won’t deny it but God’s goodness and love is so much greater than any of that.

“We are Christ’s ambassadors. God is using us to speak to you: we beg you, as though Christ himself were here pleading with you, receive the love he offers you—be reconciled to God.  21 For God took the sinless Christ and poured into him our sins. Then, in exchange, he poured God’s goodness into us!” II Corinthians 5:20-21 TLB

When I see a sky as beautiful as it was yesterday I am reminded that my Father, who made that sky, has told me to come to Him boldly whenever I find myself in need and He will be there to help. That is His message to all of us.

“So let us come boldly to the very throne of God and stay there to receive his mercy and to find grace to help us in our times of need.” Hebrews 4:16 TLB

There’s an old Louis Armstrong song that’s lyrics bring a smile to my face and I hope it will make you smile too.

“I see trees of green
Red roses too
I see them bloom
For me and for you
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world

I see skies of blue
And clouds of white
The bright blessed day
The dark sacred night
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world”

Declare the goodness of the Lord. We live in a wonderful world!

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Good For All Time

Every day I ask the Lord to show me something new. I never want to quit learning. I want increase in knowledge of natural things and in spiritual things.

Yesterday, I was reading the list of items the Lord told Moses would be needed in building the Tent of Meeting. This would be the portable place of worship where the priests would offer sacrifices for the people and would also offer prayers of repentance and thanksgiving.

There were all the things you would expect to find when for erecting such a structure – gold, silver, wood for the tables, bronze, oil, spices, precious stones, linen for the priests’ garments but there was one item I did not expect to find, seal skins.

Seal skins? That was odd.

Dave and I talked about it, and I went to the maps in the back of my Bible to see where they might have gotten seal skins. The Israelites were still traveling in the wilderness and weren’t close to any seaports that I could tell so I’m not sure how this was a thing. I learned something new.

I also learn something new about my husband’s camping experiences when he was a kid. He asked me what I remember about being in the mountains with my family and then told me things he did with his cousins and the fun they had. When we love someone, we should want to know all we can about them.

Our walk with the Lord should never be something we take for granted, consider passe` or old fashioned. It should be more contemporary than the newest software, technology advancement or medical breakthrough.

Our love for Him should have us asking questions and learning new things in our relationship with the Father. God is practical but complex. He is the God of all generations.

“I will exalt you, my God and King, and praise your name forever and ever. 2 I will praise you every day; yes, I will praise you forever. 3 Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! No one can measure his greatness. 4 Let each generation tell its children of your mighty acts; let them proclaim your power. 5 I will meditate on your majestic, glorious splendor and your wonderful miracles…For your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. You rule throughout all generations. The Lord always keeps his promises; he is gracious in all he does.”
Psalm 145:1-4, 13 NLT

God’s kingdom will last forever. He will rule in every generation. He is good for all time.

I encourage you to ask the Father to show you something new today or to remind you of something you have forgotten. You may be surprised by what He teaches you when your heart is opened to learn.  

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