Aloha
Dearest Family,
God is Good! This statement seems like the simplest and most
basic truth ever. The fact that our God is a good God seems so fundamental, but
believe it or not, many do not believe this to be so. Some even go as far to say
that God is not good, but evil because He seems to allow so much
suffering in the world.
Much of the reason for this way of thinking is that the vast majority of people
do not really know God or His ways. Many people tend to rely on what others
have said about God rather than find out for themselves, through His own Word.
God’s Word, the Bible, tells us who God really is and what He is like and how
He deals with us, His creation. Those who become acquainted with the Bible find
that God is not only good, but very, very good, and is constantly at
work for our good. (Romans 8:28)
Another reason why people say that God is not good is because many in the
church teach that “God is in control”. The teaching that God has the control of
everything that happens on the earth, both good and bad, is not Biblical and
has caused thousands of Christians to walk away from God. The Bible itself
tells us who has the control over the world today.
“We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.” (I John 5:19 NIV)
The devil is the evil one.
He has the control over the events in the world. In scripture he is called, “the
god of this world” (II Corinthians 4:4) and the “ruler of this world” (John 14:30). The devil is the one that
causes disaster, calamity and sickness, NOT GOD. And yet whenever something horrible happens, God Almighty is
always blamed. The devil is also called “the
deceiver”, (Revelation 12:9). He has deceived people into thinking that
disaster and calamity is God’s doing when in reality it is his own.
Our God is a good God. The Bible tells me so.
“Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God: Which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is: which keeps truth forever: Which executes judgment for the oppressed: which gives food to the hungry. The LORD looses the prisoners: The LORD opens the eyes of the blind: the LORD raises them that are bowed down: the LORD loves the righteous: The LORD preserves the strangers; He relieves the fatherless and widow: but the way of the wicked He turns upside down.” (Psalm 146:5-9)
Perhaps the greatest expression of how much God loves us and truly how good He
is, is when He gave His own son over to die a death on a cross. Why did He do
this? He did it for our benefit. We
desperately needed a savior and without someone to save us we would perish.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”(John 3:16)
“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” (II Peter 3:9)
God does not
want even one person to perish. He would have all come to repent and be saved.
“(God) Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth”. (I Timothy 2:4)
If God was willing to deliver His own son up to
die on our behalf, what wouldn’t He give us? (Romans 8:32) He surely is good!
Our God is a personal God and wants us to walk with Him and talk with Him every
day and every hour. This is how Jesus Christ walked and He wants the same for
us. This is why Jesus died, to bring us to God so that we can have fellowship
with Him. When we truly have this type of relationship with our heavenly
Father, then we will truly experience His goodness.
Love Always, Ray
“O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trust in him.” (Psalm 34:8)
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