One thing I think we need to wrap our brains around is the fact that God is good.
Many times we attach God’s goodness to situations and the results we believe are good or not good to God’s character. If we attach the hurt that has come from other “good people” to the character of God, inevitably we can feel let down by God.
Something I’ve come to learn throughout the last several years is that in the past I’ve been guilty of taking a thought from Scripture and not knowing its’ complete context and how that applies to me. Many times we can live the Christian life with so much feelings of not “measuring up” because we do not know what God’s Word says to us. I was reading this verse in II Thessalonians 1:11 which says,
“Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power.”
If I would have read this verse five years, I would have been confessing every sin I knew of, and instantly compared my life to the Godliest lady I knew, and pretty much would confess and pray for those same qualities. You may not admit to doing the same thing, but I know so many people do the same thing without even knowing they are doing it. If God gave Jesus to die on the cross for me, you better believe I want to live a life that is worthy and pleasing to Him.
Although, if you look at this passage in context…
If you start at the beginning of the chapter, what calling is the writer saying that we should be worthy of?
Verse 3 states,
“We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth;
He was commending them for their faith and love toward each other. Every piece of God’s Word is so important! This passage is a continuing thought, and it doesn’t end in periods. He expounds the same thought even more.
For example, II Thessalonians 2:4-5 goes on to say,
“So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure:
Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer:”
This calling is a calling that we have been given to the church (not just talking about within the 4 walls of your church building), this passage in verse one is talking to the church of the living God, to blood-bought believers. The calling is that we “fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness.” What a small, power-packed statement so easily skimmed over during Bible reading.
Our calling consists of living out God’s goodness, growing in faith, so that our charity will abound more and more to each other.
Continuing to live in the goodness of God and His character takes much faith, because many times when God is growing your faith, He uses trials to refine you. This is a time that you can be tempted to judge God’s character, but we must judge righteously that God is always good.
Jackie Marie Carr
One thing I’ve dwelt on lately, is that when Paul starts his letters to the church, how does he begin them? Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. He starts most of his books similarly, inspired by the Holy Spirit. I am thankful that God’s truth speaks louder than the noise of raging seas in my mind. God wants us to live in His grace, mercy, and peace.
We may be tempted to judge God’s character by the hardships of life, but God’s love is so unfathomable towards us that if we could just see how God truly wants to work out every bad thing for our good, it would blow our minds. There’s a verse that I cannot get over. It says this, “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:32) Arguably, I think this could be the sweetest verse in the whole Bible. God is good.
How can we not know that God is good?
I know many times we can be confused about who we are in Christ. We try to figure out where we fit in from the book of Genesis to Revelation. The law was given as our schoolmaster to show us how much we need the grace of our Lord.
WE COULD NEVER MEASURE UP.
Our God is so perfect and holy, yet He desires to fellowship with us continuously in spite of who we are.
The only way this was even possible was because of the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the cross. He rose again so that we can live in victory. Because I accepted Christ by faith at the age of 13 and His plan for salvation, He is now my High Priest, and I can pray to Him any time, any place, under any circumstance. He tore the veil, and shook the temple where the holiest of Holy resided. God no longer needed a temple to reside in. We are His, and we belong to Him. I can’t get over it. God is good.
Jesus turned the customs and traditions upside down and made the Pharisees so angry.
Because they. didn’t. get. it. The law wasn’t about them and all the things that they could do. It was always about HIM- how good He is. He was preparing us through the Old Testament to realize how much we needed a Lover of our soul.
He showed us in Hosea, when God told His prophet to marry a prostitute. She left him many times and went back to her old ways so that His people, in comparison, would know what a gracious God He is. He then tells them that they would no longer call Him Baali, but they would call Him, Ishi. Baali meant lord; my idol. Ishi meant husband.
This is why God didn’t physically make Adam and Eve serve and obey Him. He had the power to, yet He didn’t lord over them as a ruler. (He can and He will one day), but we are His bride, and He wants us to understand how much He loves us.
Can I share the good news? God is good! I want you to know that too.
After the car accident, my oldest son came to see me by my bed one night, and said, “Mom, your next jewelry launch needs to be God is good.” So, I’ve been working on it ever since.
I created this beautiful, crystal necklace and earrings to remind you of the goodness of God. I didn’t want to put it on a plain chain (although, it would have been more inexpensive), I wanted to add the crystal as a reminder of how beautiful the goodness of God is. It’s wrapped in grace, mercy, and peace. “Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth,” (Psalm 48:2)
Check out the newest “God is good” jewelry here!
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This post was much needed in my heart, Mrs, Jackie! Love you and I hope to be buying some beautiful jewelry soon!
You are so sweet, and thank you for taking the time to read. You are an encouragement to me! I love you too!!