Word for Today, Wed, 22 Feb 2006: God is Good
Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>
Dear friends,
I am learning to be a person of balance. I like to be reminded of the
faithfulness of God, and I also like to remember that God is able to do
immeasurably more than all that we can ever ask or imagine. So when I read
Psalm 107, particularly these first few verses: "1 "Give thanks to the Lord,
because he is good; his love is eternal!" 2 Repeat these words in praise to the
Lord, all you whom he has saved. He has rescued you from your enemies 3 and has
brought you back from foreign countries, from east and west, from north and
south." (from the Good News translation) I am reminded to give thanks to God.
Why? It says right there: because He is good; His love is eternal - it never
stops, changes its mind, or for that matter, changes.
Right there we have huge reason to stop and ponder this. I don't know about
you, but I have to work and work, do my very best, just to be consistent and do
what is right. Even though I have no particular malice toward anyone or
anything, I am still prone to make mistakes and do the wrong thing. Also,
there are certain things, from time to time, that I have enjoyed that, deep in
my heart, I know perfectly well are wrong.
Yet God is good. His way is always right, He is always love, He is consistent,
both in His kindness and in His judgment.
The only thing I want to be cautious about in what Sandra says, (not that she
is wrong - it just needs the right perspective) is that we ought not go to God
just as our magic genie, giving us what we want.
The Bible does indeed tell us to go to God with our needs and with our desires
as well, but ultimately, where God wants us is to submit ourselves completely
to Him. He already knows what we want and what we need. It is good to go to
Him as an act of humility and confession, not as a "give me what I want" kind
of attitude, nor "if I am good or if I ask 10,000 times, I will get what I
want". No, not at all.
Instead, God does delight in satisfying us, and He will indeed grant us many
good things. But He deeply desires intimate, personal relationships with each
and every one of us. If we came to Him with the attitude of simply wanting
more and more of Him, don't you also think He would lavishly provide us with
many good things as well?
I enjoy creature comforts and pleasures every now and then, and my God knows
that perfectly well. He also knows when I can manage them and when I ought to
wait - for forgo them altogether. What a wonderful God, who grants good
things, but in just the right amount for each one of us.
I urge you to really get to know the God of our Bible. Read, not only Psalm
107, but if you have not read all of the Psalms lately, set up a schedule and
go through them this year. The Proverbs have 31 chapters, and they make great
regular reading, too, full of practical principles. The Old Testament is full
of stories that point to Christ and foretell of Christ. The New Testament is
full of stories of what Christ has done in the lives of His people and what He
will yet do. The Bible as a whole is His Story - that's where HISTORY comes
from!
Dear God, Your Word is all about You and personally inspired by You. Remind us
to get into your Word this day and make it a part of who we are, that we may
know who You are.
Yours in Christ,
Brian
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Morning Glorythoughts
Wednesday, 22 February 2006
Sandra Lewis Pringle
"Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and He delivered them from
their distress."
Psalm 107:6
Psalm 107 is a reminder to us that God is faithful, in our times of trouble.
Several times, it reminds us that He delivers His people from their distress.
This is a good verse to profess, in times of trouble.
There are many in trouble today. Our nation is in trouble, as we have never
experienced! It seems as if troubles are heaping upon many, in multiple
situations ... all simultaneously.
We grow in strength from our trials and our troubles, and it is very important
that we don't forget Who our Deliverer is. We must keep our faith strong, and
our focus upon God.
We can go back and search throughout Scripture, and always see where God came
to the rescue of those in trouble, in various ways. Sometimes, those ways were
supernatural, unheard of by the ordinary man ... the natural world.
So ... if you are knee deep in troubles today, just recall those times when God
came to the aid of those needing help, in supernatural ways. Begin to look for
God in supernatural ways, and begin to thank Him for His supernatural ways.
God is our Help, and He never fails,
as we call out to Him!
Praise our Everlasting God ... His love endures forever!
~ Sandra Lewis Pringle ~
© 2006
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Brian Masinick, mailto:masinick@yahoo.com
Home page: http://www.geocities.com/masinick/
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