Defining Good

Scripture

And we know that 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, NASB

Quote

God has a perfect view of the future; we don’t! It is paramount that we do not rely on our own understanding but  seek His will in all that we do.

~Ya’akov

It is been awhile since my last blog but I had an insight this morning that I wanted to share. Terry and Becky have been on my heart for the past couple of weeks. I offer up short prayers for them throughout the day and night. In my devotions this morning, Romans 8:28 came to mind and like a lightening bolt, the thought hit me, “All things are not good.” Romans 8:28 does not say that all things are good, it says that “God has the ability to make all things work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose.” Cancer is not good  and neither is Sin but God has the ability to bring a good result out of all things, even bad things like cancer. For a believer and follower of Christ, the ultimate end is good. There may be a lot of bad along the way but the ultimate end is good. This insight, which I am sure is not new, goes hand in hand with Dallas Willard DIVINE CONSPIRACY: God has conspired to overcome evil with good in human history.

Having an insight is one thing; communicating that insight is another. I ask the LORD for an analogy and He gave me one. Holly was born April 22, 1980 in Decatur General. I was in the room when she arrived and I don’t think I will forget it, nor do I recommend it. I was disappointed because I wanted a boy. Yes, I am confessing that I am a selfish and vain person. I wanted two girls and two boys. Actually I wanted two boys and two girls. You look down on me all you want but read the Old Testament before you pass judgment. They didn’t even recognize the girls. The bible list 22 sons of David and one daughter. How many of you think there were no more girls? There were but they didn’t recognize them so don’t get mad at me for being Hebrew. My point is this: I questioned God’s judgment. I thought I knew what was best for me! Guess what, I was wrong. God knew exactly what I needed. What I wanted and what I needed were two different things. What I thought was a bad situation {not getting what I wanted} worked out to be ultimately good. I know that having a baby girl cannot be compared to cancer but point is this–ultimately, God will bring good out of those things that were once disappointments or even the cause of pain and grief.

EXTRA

Attention Mandy and Jamie: The kids were sharing  my knucklehead moments the other night after church. We got on the subject of crying babies and how preachers handle these stressful situations. June chimes in, “He told me to get up and leave.” Once again, I was the bad guy. My family looked at me like I was a monster. Hannah was the baby crying and I did ask them to go outside because I had just asks the congregation for a moment of silence. Hannah din’t get it! Of course she was only 4 months old. Then one of them remembered something that I had forgotten. It was Sunday night at DBC, I was preaching up a storm when I heard what I thought was a transistor radio {pre-cell phone ear}. I thought it was coming from the youth section. I stopped and said, “Alright, whoever has the transistor radio, cut it off.” I resumed preaching but the noise distracted and so I stopped a second time, “I am not kidding, cut the radio off.” The entire youth section, including my own kids is laughing. That really set me off, so I said, “What is so funny, I am not kidding, cut the radio off.” They point to the adult section. The music was coming from a baby doll and the mother couldn’t find the switch. Of course I did apologize after the service. The kids said she never came back, but I think she did.

By the way, the night I told June to get up and take Hannah outside, there was a line of women who came to me after the service: basically, they all said the same thing….Never do that again!

 

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