God is good all the time!

The statement "God is good all the time" can be a hard pill to swallow at times. Much of 2013 has been a hard pill for me to swallow.

 

But I keep in mind that God is good all the time. Because He has my best interest in mind. He knows what is best for my life. He also knows how all the puzzle pieces fit together now and in the future.

 

As I sit here waiting on my final medical test that will be done on August 13, I think WOW all the opportunities that the Lord has allowed into my life to bring Him up and talk about His sovereignty with so many that do not know Him. Oh, they know about a God, they know about a Heaven, they know about the book the Bible exists, but they do not know the one true God, Jesus Christ and sadly they do not have a relationship with Him. Others are hiding their salt and light under a bushel.

 

Sadly, often times true Christianity is a secret life for many, a hidden treasure that they keep for only themselves. I hope you will not keep your faith hidden from others.

 

In sharing my faith with those in the medical profession who have cared for me over the last few years, the Lord has blessed me richly. Take today for instance, just another ordinary school day, nothing too exciting besides textbooks and meal prep (my current mission field). The mail arrives and an excited teenager appears with an envelope and starts yelling "OPEN IT OPEN IT!! It's a note from Dr. X." I thought what on earth is Dr. X doing sending me a note? It's probably a bill! Dr. X is a busy colorectal surgeon with a practice, he is teaching faculty with a major university, has a family and lots more on his plate than taking time to write me a note.

 

The handwritten note was thanking me for keeping him up to date on the Mayo Clinic results as well as how I am progressing. He also congratulated the teenager on winning a Blue ribbon, getting an A rating and state fair for his 4-H Health project entitled Diverticular Disease & Prevention. The teenager was blessed by this too.

 

So, who can you bless today with a note? Think on it, it only takes a few minutes to jot down a few sentences and mail off a note. Who can you encourage today?

 

I am not a big fan of the Message Bible, but sometimes I like the way that version explains things. Such as this one...

"I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for." Jeremiah 29:11

God is good all the time!

 

Thankfulness during the Pantry Challenge?

As I think about being thankful for the surplus I have and how I am able to be wise in using it, the 10 leprous men come to mind that Jesus healed.

Luke 17:12-13 ^12"And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: ¹³And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. ¹⁴And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. ¹⁵And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, ¹⁶And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan."

A couple of key things here, 10 guys with leprosy (some sort of nasty skin disease that is painful) and only 1 guy says "THANK YOU to Jesus for healing him", only 1 guy fell down and gave thanks and praise to Jesus, and that 1 guy was a Samaritan! Which is very key because "Samaritans were hated by the Jews as part of a complex and ancient racial prejudice." In James MacDonalds book Lord, Change My Attitude he says it like this

"The point is, no one has an acceptable excuse for ungratefulness.Everyone can make the choice to give thanks and acknowledge the goodness and the grace of God. Sadly, however, only a small fraction of the human population ever personally thanks God for His grace."

Have you taken time to thank God for His saving grace? For the things that you have in your life? Good things and things that you suffer for? Take time today to thank God and pick up a good read. Lord Change My Attitude Before It's Too Late by James MacDonald with forward by Dr. Erwin Lutzer. Our 11 year old son read this book first and then told me that he thought I should read it. I have been wowed by many things it the book. The most captivating so far is the fact that many of us, including me (gasp!) are living in the 'wilderness' like the Israelites. If you are a Child of God, you have it all (not meaning stuff either) yet you may not realize it and suffer for it.

Get out of the wilderness!
Moe