Devotional: October 28 – November 3, by Norman Kaneklides, Elder
Several weeks ago I heard a pastor from another state talking to a friend of mine about some great losses in the lives of about 10 families in his church, some of the worst he had ever seen. He said that previously, this kind of thing would have devastated their lives, and shipwrecked their faith and relationship with God. But surprisingly, these families were thriving and walking even stronger in their faith. He said the reason for this was that before the crises came, they had become overwhelmingly convinced of God’s goodness.
As a result, while going through these tragedies and even after they were over, they didn’t question God’s goodness or blame Him for the tragedies. They had also learned not to blame themselves by saying things like, “I didn’t do enough”, or “I should have prayed and fasted more.” They had learned to be willing to live without all the answers. They discovered that if you want the peace that passes understanding, you have to give up your right to understand.
This testimony has encouraged me to spend time praying and meditating on the goodness of God. Jesus said, “No one is good – except God alone” Luke 18:19b. The entire Bible is a testimony to the fact the He is good. “…the goodness of God leads you to repentance” Romans 2:4. “The LORD is good to all; He has compassion on all He has made” Psalm 145:9. “… God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” Romans 8:28.
As we study the goodness of God, we began to realize that God is always for us. What a comforting and stabilizing truth. Listen to these excerpts from Romans 8:31-39:
“If God is for us, who can ever be against us? . . . Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one . . . Who then will condemn us? No one . . . Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean He no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? . . . No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
If you are reading this on your computer, I have included a few songs on this theme that you might enjoy worshiping to. Just click on any of the following links:
In Christ Alone:
You Are For Me:
You Are Good:
My prayer for you as we close is that the Holy Spirit will give you a deeper revelation of the goodness of God and the depth and certainty of His love for you. And with that revelation, may He enable you to love others in a deeper way with that same love,
Norm Kaneklides, Elder
