Category: Goodness of God

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More Sunrises

More of my friends see the sunset than they do the sunrise. Not everyone is an early riser and that’s ok, but I love starting my day by seeing the sunrise.

It is a constant reminder of the goodness of God. No words are needed as the sun begins to appear above the horizon. I particularly love the way it casts a golden glow on the mountains to the west of our home.

I can hear the Lord saying, “Welcome to this beautiful day I have planned for you”.

I think this morning’s Psalm was written for me, and the millions like me, who enjoy the majesty of the God’s glory in the morning.

“The heavens are telling the glory of God; they are a marvelous display of his craftsmanship. 2 Day and night they keep on telling about God. 3-4 Without a sound or word, silent in the skies, their message reaches out to all the world. The sun lives in the heavens where God placed it 5 and moves out across the skies as radiant as a bridegroom going to his wedding, or as joyous as an athlete looking forward to a race! 6 The sun crosses the heavens from end to end, and nothing can hide from its heat.

7-8 God’s laws are perfect. They protect us, make us wise, and give us joy and light. 9 God’s laws are pure, eternal, just. 10 They are more desirable than gold. They are sweeter than honey dripping from a honeycomb. 11 For they warn us away from harm and give success to those who obey them.

12 But how can I ever know what sins are lurking in my heart? Cleanse me from these hidden faults. 13 And keep me from deliberate wrongs; help me to stop doing them. Only then can I be free of guilt and innocent of some great crime.

14 May my spoken words and unspoken thoughts be pleasing even to you, O Lord my Rock and my Redeemer.” Psalm 19 TLB

Let the words of this Psalm be our morning prayer. Trust God’s word to be our instruction, protection, and joy keeping us from wrong doing.

Lord, let my words be pleasing to you!

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A Clear Conscience

We all have things we’ve done that we really don’t want anyone to know about. Simple embarrassing things, mistakes made in our youth and those hidden secrets we don’t want to share with anyone.

We know ourselves better than anyone else. We know our failures and our secret or hidden thoughts. But God knows those too and He has provided a way to be freed from a guilty conscience.

This is a longer read today but I’m sure you’ll be glad you took the time to read it over and let it sink in. Let it bring a change to your way of thinking. You are who God says you are, and He says you can have your conscience washed cleaned. Believe Him!!

“The law gave us only an unclear picture of the good things coming in the future. The law is not a perfect picture of the real things. The law tells people to offer the same sacrifices every year. Those who come to worship God continue to offer those sacrifices. But the law can never make them perfect. 2 If the law could make people perfect, those sacrifices would have already stopped. They would already be clean from their sins, and they would not still feel guilty. 3 But that’s not what happens. Their sacrifices make them remember their sins every year, 4 because it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

5 So when Christ came into the world he said, ‘You don’t want sacrifices and offerings, but you have prepared a body for me. 6 You are not pleased with the sacrifices of animals killed and burned or with offerings to take away sins’. 7 Then I said, ‘Here I am, God. It is written about me in the book of the law.I have come to do what you want.’

8 Christ first said, ‘You don’t want sacrifices and offerings. You are not pleased with animals killed and burned or with sacrifices to take away sin.’ (These are all sacrifices that the law commands.) 9 Then he said, ‘Here I am, God. I have come to do what you want.’ So God ends that first system of sacrifices and starts his new way. 10 Jesus Christ did the things God wanted him to do. And because of that, we are made holy through the sacrifice of Christ’s body. Christ made that sacrifice one time—enough for all time.

11 Every day the priests stand and do their religious service. Again and again they offer the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But Christ offered only one sacrifice for sins, and that sacrifice is good for all time. Then he sat down at the right side of God. 13 And now Christ waits there for his enemies to be put under his power. 14 With one sacrifice Christ made his people perfect forever. They are the ones who are being made holy.

15 The Holy Spirit also tells us about this. First he says, 16 ‘This is the agreement I will make with my people in the future, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts. I will write my laws in their minds.’

17 Then he says, ‘I will forget their sins and never again remember the evil they have done.‘ 1 8 And after everything is forgiven, there is no more need for a sacrifice to pay for sins.

19 And so, brothers and sisters, we are completely free to enter the Most Holy Place. We can do this without fear because of the blood sacrifice of Jesus. 20 We enter through a new way that Jesus opened for us. It is a living way that leads through the curtain—Christ’s body. 21 And we have a great priest who rules the house of God. 22 Sprinkled with the blood of Christ, our hearts have been made free from a guilty conscience, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. So come near to God with a sincere heart, full of confidence because of our faith in Christ. 23 We must hold on to the hope we have, never hesitating to tell people about it. We can trust God to do what he promised.” Hebrews 10:1-23 ERV

Don’t struggle with a guilty conscience any longer. The blood of Jesus has cleansed us. God the Father doesn’t have a goodness chart where He checks off our good deeds and weighs them against the wrongs we have done.

No, He has one qualification for the forgiveness of sin. He asks if we have accepted the sacrifice Jesus made for us on the cross. If the answer is yes – we are cleansed from sin. Free to live without fear. And if we haven’t accepted that sacrifice yet you can. “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved”!

Take a deep breath. Come to God with a sincere heart and be free from a guilty conscience.

That’s how good God is!

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The Kindly Father

Yesterday Dave and I were blessed to be with our dear friends at the Celebration of Life for their father.

Leon was a kindly man – a stately man – an honest man and a true cowboy. He lived and loved fully for his eighty-nine years.

His family shared some of their best memories – from his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren came memories of tenderness and caring. He taught them to work hard, respect others, and have fun. He was a good neighbor and a faithful friend.

I had been asked to share, his daughter wanted to be sure the people who came had an opportunity to hear the Gospel.

After hearing the testimony of his life by those who knew and loved him dearest, the Lord brought these verses to mind.

“The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.
9 He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever. 10 He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve. 11 For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. 12 He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.13 The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him.” Psalm 103:8-13 NLT

Leon was a living example of God’s love, encouragement, kindness, and instruction. A good man, an intelligent man, one who enjoyed the simple and honest things of life.

Never doubt the kindness and compassion of our heavenly Father. God is good!

“5 How kind the Lord is! How good he is! So merciful, this God of ours! 6 The Lord protects those of childlike faith;  I was facing death, and he saved me. 7 Let my soul be at rest again, for the Lord has been good to me.” Psalm 116:5-7 NLT

Do you know someone like Leon? We should all be so blessed. God gives us special people like him to show us God’s character in human form.

God is the good and kindly Father.


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More “Good” News

I’d like to share a story with you this morning that sometimes gets overlooked in the Bible.

John the Baptist and Jesus were second cousins; their mothers Elizabeth and Mary were cousins. John had been raised knowing his purpose in life was to prepare the way for Jesus. When Jesus started in ministry, His first stop was the shores of the Sea of Galilee where He was baptized by John in water and baptized by the Holy Spirit descending as a dove from heaven with the anointing and power of His Father.

John’s testimony of Jesus was great! He spoke with unwavering conviction of the “One coming after me, whose sandals I am not worthy to unlatch”. John preached with such power against sin that he angered the political elite.

He was thrown in prison by a lust-filled man and a revenge-filled woman.

This is where today’s message begins. John’s followers have come to prison to tell him what they’ve heard about Jesus. So, John sent them to Jesus.

“When these messengers came to Jesus, they said, “John the Baptist sent us to ask, ‘Are you the one we should be looking for? Or are we supposed to wait for someone else?’ ”

21 At that time Jesus was healing many people who were sick or in pain or were troubled by evil spirits, and he was giving sight to a lot of blind people. 22  Jesus said to the messengers sent by John, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard. Blind people are now able to see, and the lame can walk. People who have leprosy are being healed, and the deaf can now hear. The dead are raised to life, and the poor are hearing the good news. 23 God will bless everyone who doesn’t reject me because of what I do.” Luke 7:20-23 CEV

Jesus could have answered their question with a simple yes, but he didn’t. He let the miracles tell the story.

The blind see – good news. The lame walk – good news. Evil spirits are being removed – good news. Lepers are being healed – good news. The deaf hear – good news. The dead are raised – good news. The poor are hearing good news.

Good news. Good news to those receiving a touch from Jesus and good news to John who knew the Old Testament scripture about the Messiah.

“The Spirit of the Lord God has taken control of me! The Lord has chosen and sent me
to tell the oppressed the good news, to heal the brokenhearted, and to announce freedom
for prisoners and captives. 2 This is the year when the Lord God will show kindness to us
and punish our enemies.” Isaiah 61:1-2 CEV

The message and ministry of Jesus is just the same today. It’s Good News!

Good news to the sinner and the sick; good news to prisoner and the king. Good news to young and old. Good news!

“The book of Isaiah the prophet was given to him. He opened the book and found the place where this is written:

18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me. He has chosen me to tell good news to the poor.
He sent me to tell prisoners that they are free and to tell the blind that they can see again.
He sent me to free those who have been treated badly 19 and to announce that the time has come for the Lord to show his kindness.”

20 Jesus closed the book, gave it back to the helper, and sat down. As everyone in the synagogue watched him closely, 21 he began to speak to them. He said, “While you heard me reading these words just now, they were coming true!” Luke 4:18-21 CEV

Good News! Jesus came to tell US the good news!

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A Shadowed Valley

At present I have several friends who are walking through the shadowed valley. They aren’t camping there, but they are walking through. This is for them and for you.

David, before he replaced Saul as king of Israel, faced daily pursuit from his enemies, physical pursuit. These are his words when he was hiding in a cave from Saul and his soldiers.

“I cry out to the Lord. I beg the Lord to help me. 2 I tell him my problems; I tell him about my troubles. 3 I am ready to give up. But you, Lord, know the path I am on, and you know that my enemies have set a trap for me. 4 I look around, and I don’t see anyone I know. I have no place to run. There is no one to save me. 5 Lord, I cry out to you for help: ‘You are my place of safety. You are all I need in life.’” Psalm 142:1-5 ERV

Maybe you are voicing the same words to the Lord. Maybe you have been tempted to give up. Maybe you feel surrounded by your enemies. King David’s enemies were physical people, but not all enemies are.

Some are emotional, or circumstantial; others are financial or relational; still others may be illness or physical, enemies come in all sizes and forms. But there is not one of them that is too big for our God.

We all need to come to a place that we repeat what David said.  ‘You are my place of safety. You are all I need in life.’

Let me remind you of some of King David’s other words about enemies.

“Even if I walk through a valley as dark as the grave, I will not be afraid of any danger, because you are with me. Your rod and staff comfort me. 5 You prepared a meal for me in front of my enemies.  You welcomed me as an honored guest. My cup is full and spilling over.” Psalm 23:4-5 ERV

Surrounded by enemies, no matter what they are, I will not be afraid because the Lord is with me. In fact, the Lord has prepared a banquet and has invited me to sit down and enjoy a life-refreshing meal of good things. I am His honored guest.

He stands near with his rod and staff to defend and protect. He is our place of safety!

“You can go to God Most High to hide. You can go to God All-Powerful for protection. 2 I say to the Lord, ‘You are my place of safety, my fortress. My God, I trust in you.’ 3 God will save you from hidden dangers and from deadly diseases.” Psalm 91:1-3 ERV

The Father wants us coming to Him to find safety, protection and deliverance from our enemies, from hidden dangers and from deadly diseases. He wants us to put our total trust in Him. Even when those enemies seem to be circling us like a wolf pack surrounding a sheep – He says do not fear. I am with you. I will never leave you!

“You will have nothing to fear at night and no need to be afraid of enemy arrows during the day. 6 You will have no fear of diseases that come in the dark or terrible suffering that comes at noon.” Psalm 91:5-6 ERV

“The Lord says, ‘If someone trusts me, I will save them. I will protect my followers who call to me for help. 15 When my followers call to me, I will answer them. I will be with them when they are in trouble. I will rescue them and honor them. 16 I will give my followers a long life and show them my power to save.’” Psalm 91:14-16 ERV

There is no fear in life’s shadowed valleys because the Lord is with us and we have His promised protection and salvation!

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Every Morning

What things do you do each morning? Well, there’s the obvious. Getting out of bed, making the coffee, brushing teeth, getting dressed, having something to eat, checking your email, kissing your mate. All of these are good, very good, but one is excellent.

“They are to stand every morning and evening to thank and praise the Lord. ” I Chronicles 23:30 NLV

Yes, there is no better way to start the day than thanking God for His goodness and faithfulness.

We are told to come to Him with our cares and our weariness, come with our heaviness, come with our pain. Come with our praise because He is God.

“ O Lord, be kind to us. We have waited for You. Be our strength every morning. Save us in the time of trouble.” Isaiah 33:2 NLV

“We are still alive because the Lord’s faithful love never ends. 23 Every morning he shows it in new ways! You are so very true and loyal! 24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my God, and I trust him.” Lamentations 3:22-24 ERV

When we don’t receive instant answers we can get discouraged. Our mind begins to tell us that God isn’t interested in us or that our needs are too small. There is nothing farther from the truth.

“O Lord, in You I have found a safe place. Let me never be ashamed. Set me free, because You do what is right and good. 2 Turn Your ear to me, and be quick to save me. Be my rock of strength, a strong place to keep me safe. 3 For You are my rock and my safe place. For the honor of Your name, lead me and show me the way.” Psalm 31 NLV

Don’t give up. Don’t get discouraged. Continue to put your hope and trust in the Lord.

“The Lord is right and good in all His ways, and kind in all His works. 18 The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth. 19 He will fill the desire of those who fear Him. He will also hear their cry and will save them.” Psalm 145:17-19 NLV

Every morning, as sure as there is a sunrise, the Lord is faithful. Trust Him.

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A Good Place

I don’t know who you are and I really don’t expect that you will admit this openly but someone said, just last night, “I have come to the end of my rope and I don’t know what I’m going to do now.”

Been there – said that! And so have many others. Let me show you just a few.

There was the professional fisherman who couldn’t manage the storm at sea.

“And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. 38 And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?” Mark 4:37-38 KJV

Then there was a woman who spent every thing she had on doctor’s and only got worse.

“And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, 27 When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment.” Mark 5:26-27 KJV

What about the military leader whose servant was very ill?

“And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, 6 And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented.” Matthew 8:5-6 KJV

Or the leper whose body was being eaten away?

“And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.” Matthew 8:2

And there was the man who was paralyzed, laying on a cot. He was literally at the end of the rope.

“And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four. 4 And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay.” Mark 2:3-4

We can’t forget the rich tax collector who had everything but friends and peace.

“And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature.4 And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way.” Luke 19:3-4 KJV

I want you to notice that in every situation Jesus met the need of those who came to him. He didn’t lecture them and say “what took you so long”. Nor did he get offended that they had tried everything else and he was their last resort. Jesus met them where they were and took control over the situation.

He’s still that way today. Jesus isn’t a dictatorial tyrannt that comes in demanding allegiance and forcibly takes control; no, he waits for us to come and ask and then He moves with compassion to change the circumstances.

Don’t get discouraged. Wait on the Lord, watch Him change the circumstances. He is good.

“Are not two small birds sold for a very small piece of money? And yet not one of the birds falls to the earth without your Father knowing it. 30 God knows how many hairs you have on your head. 31 So do not be afraid. You are more important than many small birds.” Matthew 10:29-31 NLV

“17 The Lord is right and good in all His ways, and kind in all His works. 18 The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth. 19 He will fill the desire of those who fear Him. He will also hear their cry and will save them. 20 The Lord takes care of all who love Him.” Psalm 145:17-20 NLV

I’m not sure who you are or what you’re going through but I do know if you’ll call out to the Lord he’ll be there and he’ll take you through to victory. He’ll take you to a good place!

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In Times of Trouble

I want to take you back to the words that Jesus, our Good Shepherd, spoke in the book of John.

“ The robber comes only to steal and to kill and to destroy. I came so they might have life, a great full life.” John 10:10 NLV

We see destruction and death on a daily basis. What do we do, how do we replace fear with trust in times of trouble?

“ God is our safe place and our strength. He is always our help when we are in trouble. 2 So we will not be afraid, even if the earth is shaken and the mountains fall into the center of the sea, 3 and even if its waters go wild with storm and the mountains shake with its action.” Psalm 46:1-3 NLV

I think of the Israelites when they were escaping Egypt. They were so excited to be leaving a land of bondage and heading toward the land God had promised them. But in short order, fear set in. There was the Red Sea in front of them and the Egyptian army was closing in from behind.

“10 When Pharaoh came near, the people of Israel looked and saw the Egyptians coming after them. And they were filled with fear and cried out to the Lord…13 But Moses said to the people, ‘Do not be afraid! Be strong, and see how the Lord will save you today. For the Egyptians you have seen today, you will never see again. 14 The Lord will fight for you. All you have to do is keep still.’” Exodus 14:10-14 NLV

The recurring theme throughout all the Bible is fear not, be not afraid. Why? How? The Lord will save you! In times of trouble we are never alone; God’s presence is always with us.

“I will give You thanks with all my heart. I will sing praises to You in front of the gods. 2 I will bow down toward Your holy house. And I will give thanks to Your name for Your loving-kindness and Your truth. For You have honored Your Word because of what Your name is. 3 You answered me on the day I called. You gave me strength in my soul.

4 O Lord, all the kings of the earth will give thanks to You when they have heard the words of Your mouth. 5 And they will sing of the ways of the Lord. For the shining beauty of the Lord is great. 6 For even if the Lord is honored, He thinks about those who have no pride. But He knows the proud from far away. 7 Even if I walk into trouble, You will keep my life safe. You will put out Your hand against the anger of those who hate me. And Your right hand will save me. 8 The Lord will finish the work He started for me. O Lord, Your loving-kindness lasts forever. Do not turn away from the works of Your hands.” Psalm 138 NLV

Focusing on God’s goodness, giving thanks, trusting His word builds trust and quiets fear.

The words in verse 7 are very similar to the words in Psalm 23 verse 4.

“Yes, even if I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will not be afraid of anything, because You are with me. You have a walking stick with which to guide and one with which to help. These comfort me.” Psalm 23:4 NLV

“ I would have been without hope if I had not believed that I would see the loving-kindness of the Lord in the land of the living. 14 Wait for the Lord. Be strong. Let your heart be strong. Yes, wait for the Lord.” Psalm 27:13-14 NLV

Keeping our hearts strong and free from fear comes when we have hope and know that the Lord is with us, even in the valley of the shadow of death.

In times of trouble, we put our hope and trust in the Lord.

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Everlasting

“ Praise the Lord because he is good. His faithful love will last forever.” Psalm 136:1 ERV

He is good and His love is everlasting! Thank you, Father.

I love reading the Psalms. David, who wrote most of them, writes of his life experiences and how he trusted God. He includes his successes and his failures. It was important to him that others could learn by what he had faced.

This morning I was reading Psalm 34 and I read it from several different translations and really wanted to put down the whole chapter here because it is all so good, but I’ll just share the first 8 verses, and you can read the rest in your Bible or an on-line source.

“I will always praise the LORD. 2 With all my heart, I will praise the LORD. Let all who are helpless, listen and be glad. 3 Honor the LORD with me! Celebrate his great name. 4 I asked the LORD for help, and he saved me from all my fears. 5 Keep your eyes on the LORD! You will shine like the sun and never blush with shame. 6 I was a nobody, but I prayed, and the LORD saved me from all my troubles. 7 If you honor the LORD, his angel will protect you. 8 Discover for yourself that the LORD is kind. Come to him for protection, and you will be glad.” Psalm 34:1-8 CEV

Notice how the word LORD is in all caps.

The name “LORD” meant all that God is – all of His attributes and power. We praise the LORD because there is no one greater; we look to the LORD because there is no one with more power and wisdom; we honor the LORD because there is no one that deserves more reverence or respect. We discover the LORD and find that He is all loving, kind, good, merciful and gracious.

David is writing about his fears, his needs, times of distress; not just for him but for all of us, no matter how humble or common others consider us. Helpless, fearful, of low reputation it does not matter to the LORD. He will answer those who call on Him from an honest heart.

“From far away, the Lord will appear to his people. The Lord says, “I love you people with a love that continues forever. That is why I have continued showing you kindness.” Jeremiah 31:3 ERV

Forever isn’t over yet. God’s love is everlasting, it is still in effect today.

Take time with the LORD and let Him reveal to you that He is and can be all you need.

He is good!

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It’s All Good

Yesterday I had a regular check up with the doctor. When we came to the end of the exam he said, “It’s all good, I won’t need to see you for another year”. I like those words.

It’s All Good.

Yet, this morning as I sat here thinking about the second part of that phrase “I won’t need to see you for another year” it made me sad. Not sad because I won’t be seeing the doctor, I’m glad of that, but sad because that’s how so many think of their relationship with the Father.

When He walks us through the tough times and we find ourselves on the other side of the adversity some find it easy to go back to their regular routine which doesn’t include as much time with the Lord. It’s that time with the Lord that brings us to the good life.

“We know that in everything God works for the good of those who love him. These are the people God chose, because that was his plan.” Romans 8:28 ERV

Yesterday I ended with Jesus telling his disciples that He is the good shepherd. Amen!

“The sheep know their shepherd’s voice. He calls each of them by name and leads them out. 4 When he has led out all of his sheep, he walks in front of them, and they follow, because they know his voice…14  I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep, and they know me. 15  Just as the Father knows me, I know the Father, and I give up my life for my sheep.” John 10:3-4,14-15 CEV 

I love this analogy. Sheep following a shepherd. King David used it as well when he wrote Psalm 23. “The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want. He makes me lay down in green pastures and leads me beside still waters.”

A good shepherd, our Good Shepherd leads us and feeds us. He brings us to a place of rest, and he also cares for us in the presence of our enemies. It’s a daily leading. If sheep are left to themselves in a pasture they will eat the grass to the ground and then colic because they ingest the soil. They need to be led each day, making sure they are still well fed and safe.

“Show me your faithful love this morning. I trust in you. Show me what I should do. I put my life in your hands! 9 Lord, I come to you for protection. Save me from my enemies. 10 Show me what you want me to do. You are my God. Let your good Spirit lead me over level ground.” Psalm 143:8-10 ERV

It’s wonderful to know that the Father is there every morning to show us His love. Every morning. He protects and leads. Holy Spirit is a good leader.

I was so pleased to hear my doctor say all is good, I’ll see you next year but I am more delighted to hear my Father say, “all is well and I’m here to show you my faithful love this morning and each day that follows”.

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